Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) is expanding its services to the city of Atascadero and unincorporated areas throughout SLO County in January 2025, providing renewable energy to the entire Central Coast region.
The locally controlled agency is dedicated to sourcing “clean and renewable electricity at responsible rates for customers throughout Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, and Santa Barbara counties,” according to its website.
Partnered with PG&E, 3CE currently provides energy to 1 million residents throughout the Central Coast while PG&E handles power delivery, infrastructure operations, maintenance, and billing for customers in all SLO County cities except for Atascadero.
At the Nov. 12 San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors meeting, 3CE CEO Robert Shaw and Chief Communications Officer Catherine Stedman presented updates about what the new 150,000 shared customers in Atascadero and unincorporated areas can expect within the coming months.
“Our programs are touching all of our communities,” Stedman said at the meeting.
After SLO County and the city of Atascadero voted to join 3CE in 2022 and 2023, respectively, Stedman said Atascadero and unincorporated area PG&E customers are now being automatically enrolled to receive 3CE energy in January unless they manually opt out. However, all billing will still be through PG&E as it has been.
Stedman also said that the price for energy per month would remain the same as with PG&E, if not get cheaper throughout time.
“It’s not an additional charge. It’s taking the place of the charge that would otherwise be there from PG&E if they were providing generation service,” Stedman told New Times. “And since the agency formed in 2017, we have provided the generation service at a rate less than what PG&E has provided, and we hope to continue that.”
Stedman said 3CE currently anticipates a rate 15 percent less than PG&E within the next year, which would not only help residents save money but businesses as well.
Third District Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg said at the Nov. 12 meeting that agriculture is “under siege cost-wise” and asked how 3CE intends to address this issue amid expanding its services to the field.
Stedman said the company is working on an hourly flex pilot program that allows agriculture to run irrigation at the times of day when cost is low. If they don’t save money under the program, their rates stay the same as with PG&E. If they save money, they would be reimbursed that amount of savings.
According to Stedman, the pilot program saved farmers up to 20 percent in Yolo County already.
Despite this, Stedman told New Times it’s important to offer customers the choice of where they receive energy from.
“When the city of Atascadero and the county of San Luis Obispo voted to join Central Coast Community Energy, they really expressed that for both agencies, it was about providing their constituents with choice,” she said. “So, I think it would be great for every resident and business in San Luis Obispo County and Atascadero to understand that they now have a choice of energy provider.”
New shared customers have now until March to opt out of 3CE service for free by going to its website or calling by phone. After the enrollment period ends in March, opting out will cost $5 for residences and $25 for commercial.
“I think it provides a real opportunity for businesses and residents to get that helping hand as we transition to renewable energy and programs for building in transportation to help make that transition as smooth as possible,” Stedman said. Δ
This article appears in Holiday Guide 2024.
