Frequently Asked Questions

Community Choice Aggregation

• What is Community Choice Aggregation and how did this come to be?

  In 2002, the California State Legislature allowed for cities and counties to procure electricity for customers within their respective jurisdictions. CCAs allow local governments to purchase renewable energy on behalf of their communities, while still receiving transmission and distribution service from for-profit utilities. 

  There are 25 CCAs successfully operating across California, serving over 14 million customers in 200 communities. By 2025 it is expected that 85% of California will be served by CCAs.

• Why are customers automatically enrolled in CCAs?

  Historically, for-profit utilities have been the default service provider for customers in their jurisdictions. This default designation applied to both energy Generation and Transmission/Delivery. In 2002 with Assembly Bill 117, the California State Legislature allowed for cities and counties to procure electricity for customers within their respective service areas and changed the default for energy Generation to the community energy provider, while Transmission and Delivery remains solely with the for-profit utility. Both OCPA and the for-profit utility must adhere to this state mandate, but customers now have a choice for their energy Generation! Customers in these service areas always have the choice to select a different renewable energy level or return to the for-profit utility.

Orange County Power Authority

• What is the Orange County Power Authority?

  As a locally run, not-for-profit, Joint Powers Authority, OCPA is procuring renewable energy at a faster rate to put onto the grid than the for-profit utilities are, offering customers the choice to invest in more renewable energy at competitive rates as a legacy for future generations. OCPA is committed to providing cleaner, renewable electricity, and investing in innovative programs that benefit residents, businesses, the environment, and the economy in our communities. 

  OCPA customers help empower local control of electricity procurement decisions, reduce the carbon footprint associated with their electricity service, and help support the growth of local renewable energy projects. Rather than providing profits to investors, OCPA’s net revenue (after buying power and administrative expenses) can be used to help stabilize electricity prices, provide incentives for solar installations, support energy efficiency programs, and develop more local renewable energy sources in and near Orange County.

• Which Orange County communities are currently participating?

  Current OCPA members are the cities of Buena Park, Fullerton, Huntington Beach and Irvine. However, in May 2023, the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach voted to leave OCPA. As a result, all Huntington Beach customers, including commercial and residential, within the city will be switched to Southern California Edison bundled service by June 30, 2024. Learn more here.

• When did service begin?

  Commercial customer enrollment began April 1, 2022.  Enrollment for residential customers began on October 1, 2022. Net Energy Metering (NEM) customers were enrolled on a rolling basis based on their “annual true-up” date. Read more about NEM below.

• What are the benefits of participating in and supporting my local community energy provider?

  As you consider the options and your own carbon neutrality goals, it is important to keep in mind that making the choice to participate in OCPA allows for: 

  • More local control over energy generation that serves member communities; 
  • Competition to the energy market where prior to this, there was none; 
  • Support of local energy projects; 
  • Local workforce development; and 
  • Reinvestment of funds into new incentives and programs to support local need.
• What type of renewable energy is OCPA purchasing?

  OCPA has purchased solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower and biomass renewable energy.

• How do cities join OCPA?

  It is up to the City Council of each city to decide if they want to join OCPA. We encourage you to contact your City Council if you are interested in enjoying the benefits of being an OCPA customer.

How OCPA and the For-Profit Utility Work Together

• How does it work?

  OCPA purchases renewable energy (known as Generation) and works in conjunction with the for-profit utility who delivers the electricity using its existing power line infrastructure. The for-profit utility maintains all transmission, delivery, meter reads, and billing (known as Transmission/Delivery).

• What changes when I become an OCPA customer?

  OCPA buys the electricity on your behalf, determined by the plan you are enrolled in. For example, if you are enrolled in the Basic Choice plan, OCPA purchases 44% renewable energy on your behalf to put onto the electricity grid.  However, your bill will still come from the for-profit utility and the energy that comes to your home is delivered via the grid that the for-profit utility helps maintain. OCPA does not deliver the electricity to your home.

• Who will my bill come from?

  As your community energy provider, OCPA strives to keep its service simple. When it comes to the breakdown of your monthly bill, the customer will receive the monthly bill from SCE – the for-profit utility, which includes your SCE charges for electricity delivery followed by your OCPA charges for electricity generation. Note that OCPA is NOT an added or duplicate fee; it simply replaces SCE’s generation charges. This page describes the different charges you may see on your electric bill. To understand how to read your bill, visit: https://www.ocpower.org/understanding-your-bill/

• What stays the same when I become an OCPA customer?

  You will continue to receive an electricity bill from SCE and they will continue to deliver the electricity to your home. SCE maintains the grid, and therefore, if your power goes out, you call SCE.

• Will grid reliability change under OCPA’s community energy program model?

  The reliability of the grid will remain the same, and the dispersion of energy happens independent of any source of energy. The amount of energy sent out by the grid will still be fully maintained by the California Independent System Operator. If you experience a service outage, you will continue to report any occurrence to SCE.

• Do customers have a say in this?

  Yes, absolutely! All customers have a choice in how much renewable energy they choose to have procured on their behalf. When joining OCPA, each city (member agency) selected a customer enrollment program that best suited their local community.

  Listed below are the default enrollment plans that each city selected:

  • Irvine: 100% Renewable Choice
  • Buena Park: 100% Renewable Choice
  • Fullerton: Smart Choice 72% Renewable

   

  If you live in or have a business in any of these cities, the plan your city selected is the plan you start at. However, OCPA customers can choose to stay in that plan or move up or down at any time make a change from their enrollment plan, into one of the following 3 OCPA Plans:

  • Basic Choice which provides 44% renewable energy and costs 3% less than SCE’s equivalent generation rate;
  • Smart Choice which provides 72% renewable energy. This plan is $0.01 more per kWh than our Basic Plan; and
  • 100% Renewable Choice plan. This plan is $0.015 more per kWh than our Basic Plan.

  Our Rate Comparison Calculator on the OCPA website can help customers make an informed choice about how much renewable energy they want to invest in.

• If I choose the 100% Renewable Energy plan does that mean 100% of the energy coming to my home and business is clean energy?

  OCPA purchases renewable energy based on the percentages that customers have chosen to invest in. That percentage of renewable energy goes onto the grid – it’s a greening of the grid. No energy utility is delivering individualized renewable energy packages direct to customers’ meters.

Rates and Incentive Programs

• How do OCPA rates compare to SCE?

  OCPA offers three rate plans, which were determined by the city of your residence to business.  The following rate plans and cost comparison is outlined below:

   

  • Basic Choice which provides 44% renewable energy and this OCPA rate costs 3% less than SCE’s equivalent generation rate
  • Smart Choice which provides 72% renewable energy. This plan is $0.01 more per kWh than our Basic Plan
  • 100% Renewable Choice plan. This plan is $0.015 more per kWh than our Basic Plan
• Who decides what rates OCPA charges?

  OCPA’s rates are set annually by its Board of Directors and are based on the for-profit utility’s rates. If the for-profit utility’s rates change, OCPA will review those new rates and determine whether any adjustments need to be made to OCPA’s rate design.

• Where can I get more information on rates?

  OCPA’s website offers details for both residential and commercial rates, as well as a rate comparison calculator. Visit OCPower.org and select either Residential or Commercial from the navigation menu. You can also contact us by phone at 1-866-262-7693.

• Can I get a similar renewable energy or green rate through SCE?

  While SCE did offer a green rate program, they are not currently accepting new residential or commercial green rate customers. OCPA offers three renewable energy plans and you can choose how much renewable energy you want to invest in – 44%, 72% or 100%. The Basic Choice plan is 44% renewable energy and costs 3% less that SCE’s equivalent generation rate.

• Does OCPA offer rate assistance programs?

  OCPA customers have the access to many of the rate assistance programs as for-profit utility customers. Rate relief provided through the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE), Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA), Arrearage Management Plan (AMP), Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) or Medical Baseline programs also apply to OCPA customers.

• Does OCPA really save me money?

  Affordability is central to OCPA’s mission of providing the choice of cleaner energy at competitive rates. Since beginning service in 2022, OCPA has saved Basic Choice customers over $2.5 million.

  • In total, we’ve saved all our customers – Basic Choice, Smart Choice, and 100% Renewable Energy – over $14.59 million.

Solar and Net Energy Metering (NEM)

• How does this work with my solar panel system?

  If you have solar panels installed, your electricity meter tracks how much electricity you are using from the grid and how much surplus you send into the grid every month. The difference between the energy you produce and the energy you use from the grid is called ‘net energy’. The net energy is shown on the bill as negative usage when you’re a net generator (generate more electricity than you use), or positive usage when you’re a net consumer (use more electricity than you generate). SCE automatically tracks your net energy and appropriately credits or charges you monthly based on your rate schedule.

• How does OCPA work with my regular billing and annual true-up?

  OCPA bills monthly, so you do not potentially end up with a year’s worth of charges at the annual true-up. Each month, OCPA looks at how much electricity you generated and how much electricity you consumed. If you consumed more than you generated, you won’t get a big annual surprise bill since OCPA balances and charges NEM customer accounts on a monthly basis. However, if you generated more than you consumed, you will see a credit (bill credit) on your monthly bill which will be banked and used to offset any future charges in subsequent billing periods. When your system produces more energy than you use over a 12-month period, OCPA will compensate you for adding clean electricity to the local grid with Net Surplus Compensation (NSC). 

  OCPA will true up all customers on an annual basis each April, rather than on a unique date for each customer. A “true up” in April may allow our solar customers to benefit from their NEM program in the summer, when excess credits are often generated, and benefit in the winter, when those credits are often used up.

• If my solar panels produce more energy than I use, do I continue to get compensated if I participate in OCPA?

  Yes! As a thank you for being an annual net producer of clean, renewable electricity, OCPA’s NSC rate is set at 10% above SCE’s prevailing NSC rate.

For more information

• Where can I get more information?

  Visit the website at ocpower.org, call us at 866-262-7693, or email us at answers@ocpower.org.