Fulfilling Our Promise: Making Clean Energy Generation More Affordable

You’re not imagining it. California’s electricity bills have crept up over the years for everyone, basically doubling from 2017 to 2022.

The main driver is the increased cost of transmission and distribution, which accounts for more than half of customer bills when added to other non-electricity fees. And while this price hike has been difficult for everyone, the burden falls especially hard on lower-income customers.

As a not-for-profit community energy provider, Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) is particularly attuned to customer sentiment. We are committed to helping lower monthly electric bills, starting with our Basic Choice plan. This offering costs 3% less than SCE’s equivalent generation rate while letting customers significantly decrease their carbon footprint by having OCPA procure 44% renewable energy on their behalf. Customers who want to make an even bigger impact can choose Smart Choice at 72% renewable energy or 100% Renewable Choice while still paying a competitive rate.

Throughout California, community energy providers are working collectively to save customers money. In 2023 alone, the 25 community choice aggregators (CCAs) across the state saved their customers roughly $760 million compared to the investor-owned utilities. On top of this, CCAs reinvest revenue into the communities they serve through energy efficiency programs from grants to home energy upgrades to credit for excess solar energy. Many of these community energy providers have also leveraged green bonds to further save costs on energy purchases and pass this along to customers through on-bill savings.  

CCA customers also remain eligible for low-income programs, including California’s Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) and Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) rate discounts offered by the California Public Utilities Commission. OCPA works in partnership with the for-profit utilities to promote these programs with the goal of as many eligible customers enrolling as possible. Learn more about these programs by visiting the OCPA website. 

OCPA understands the financial challenges faced by customers. We look forward to continuing to champion on their behalf, fulfilling our promise of providing cleaner energy at competitive rates now and into the future. This is our promise – the promise of community choice.

About Orange County Power Authority

The Orange County Power Authority is a not-for-profit public agency that offers clean power at competitive rates, significantly reducing energy-related greenhouse emissions and enabling reinvestment in local energy programs. To learn more, visit www.ocpower.org.