About Us

Choosing our Future Together

Letter from Don Eckert, Chief Executive Officer

With 2024 underway, we at Pioneer Community Energy look ahead with pride in what we have achieved and optimism about what the coming year will bring.

We concluded 2023 celebrating our five-year anniversary, providing a chance to reflect on the remarkable journey we’ve had and celebrating $85 million in customer savings since our beginning in 2018. With the new year, we renew our commitment to maintain affordability, champion innovative programs, and offer customers a choice in energy options.

Power markets are incredibly challenging right now, with a current imbalance between the demand for renewable energy and constricted supply that is creating pressure on pricing. Despite rising energy costs, our Governing Board remains steadfast in its commitment to saving customers money by ensuring all Pioneer customers save 10 percent or more over PG&E on electricity generation for 2024, yielding an additional $41 million in savings for customers in our territory.

This year also brings the launch of new programs, designed with input from our Community Advisory Committee to meet the unique needs of the communities we serve. This significant achievement is a testament to our unwavering commitment to community reinvestment and delivering real, tangible benefits to our customers. We will continue our work on projects ranging from biomass that benefits the environment and reduces wildfire risk to customer advocacy at the California Public Utilities Commission and at the state level.

Last, we welcome Grass Valley and Nevada City to our territory. This expansion represents an exciting new chapter in our journey, as we embrace the opportunity to bring the same great benefits of a community-owned, not-for-profit utility to new residents and businesses.

Our dedication to our customers is at the center of all we do. As we continue to navigate the complex and evolving energy landscape, we are dedicated to ensuring our customers are well-informed about their rates, billing, and programs that we offer while affirming our commitment to delivering exceptional service and savings that customers have come to expect.

With sincere appreciation,

Don Eckert, Jr.

Chief Executive Officer

Learn More About Pioneer

Pioneer's Mission

Pioneer Community Energy is a locally owned provider of electricity — powering the communities we serve with competitive rates, exceptional service and a choice in energy options.

Pioneer's Vision

A community partner in reliable energy solutions and positive local impact, powering today and empowering tomorrow.

Pioneer's Values

Our organizational values define how we behave in the delivery of our mission and in the achievement of our vision. We believe it is important to stand for something and be accountable to those we serve. The following four values guide the way we prioritize and deliver our work and help shape a dynamic culture where our people thrive.

Community First

We are powered by the communities we serve — not corporate shareholders. From the local Board of Directors representing our region to local customer service representatives who are a phone call away, we provide energy for the community, by the community.

Reliable

We know our customers depend on us, and we go above and beyond to provide stable and competitive rates. The communities we serve can rely on us to be a transparent and ethical source of power.

Excellence

We instill excellence throughout our service. This means delivering a professional customer service experience and focusing our work on providing dependable sources of electricity. Powering what matters most in our community is our priority.

Independence

This distinguishes Pioneer from investor-owned PG&E. Because we are community-owned, we advocate for the region and offer a choice in energy. Pioneer invests in local businesses, grid resiliency and community well-being — not corporate payouts.

History of Pioneer Community Energy

Pioneer Community Energy is a local not-for-profit provider of electricity — we power the communities we serve with competitive rates, exceptional service and a choice in energy options.

Pioneer was formed in 2017, joining the other California Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) in providing energy to more than 11 million customers across the state. We started providing electricity services in 2018 to Auburn, Colfax, Lincoln, Rocklin, Loomis and most of unincorporated Placer County, achieving status as an independent entity in 2021 with the payoff of debts and the hiring of necessary operational staff.

In response to our customers’ requests to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, in 2021, we began offering Green100, a 100% renewable rate option unique to the area.

In 2022, we started providing the same stable and exceptional electric service to most of unincorporated El Dorado County and the City of Placerville. In 2024, we proudly added the cities of Grass Valley and Nevada City to our territory. With growing interest in Pioneer, we anticipate continued expansion in the coming years.

Our governing board consists of local elected representatives from ten member agencies including El Dorado County and Placer County Board of Supervisors and the City Councils of Auburn, Colfax, Lincoln, Placerville, Rocklin, Nevada City, Grass Valley and the Town of Loomis.

For more details about Pioneer, please visit our videos page for videos from past events and webinars.