PG&E has increased rates for all customers to support their poles and wires (T&D). This affects Pioneer and non-Pioneer customers equally â everyoneâs rates will go up the exact same dollar amount.
Donât be misled. We guarantee that Pioneerâs savings over PG&E have not changed. Calculate your savings in El Dorado and Placer County.
Our customers and community are at the heart of all we do at Pioneer Community Energy. Weâve heard from the community that energy bills can be a bit confusing, so we created a short video to help you understand your savings and billing details. To learn more, please take a moment to review the video. For your convenience, time stamps are available if you want to skip to a particular section.
Customers who receive their electricity from Pioneer receive a consolidated bill issued by PG&E that includes the delivery charges (transmission and distribution), surcharges collected by PG&E, and Pioneerâs electric generation charges. You will continue to pay PG&E the total amount due. PG&E and Pioneer will take care of the rest.
UPDATE: Understanding Natural Gas Charges
Many customers are experiencing a higher PG&E bill due to charges for natural gas. Natural gas is a PG&E service and is a part of your PG&E bill. Pioneer does not manage natural gas. To better understand PG&E natural gas charges, please visit PG&E.Â
Pioneer procures your electricity, and we are committed to keeping costs low. Pioneerâs Board of Directors recently approved rates starting in January 2023 that will save all Pioneer customers 15% or more compared with PG&Eâs electricity procurement costs. For more information about the 2023 rate adjustment, please click here.
If you have questions or want to speak to someone directly, please contact your Pioneer Community Energy team by email at info@pioneercommunityenergy.org or by calling (916) 758-8969.
The electric generation charge is for the electricity you consume, as provided by Pioneer. As a Pioneer Community Energy customer, you will not be charged for electric generation by PG&E related to the electricity you consume.
Your bill will show you what you would have paid PG&E if you were still buying power from them. You can compare this number to the Pioneer generation total PLUS the PCIA fee also listed on your bill.
Your electricity will continue to be delivered by PG&E, will continue to own, operate and maintain the transmission and delivery system (wires and poles). PG&E charges on a kWh basis for transmitting and delivering your electricity. The transmission and delivery charges are the same for everyone, regardless of whether you are a CCA Program customer or not.
An “exit” fee (PCIA) is charged to CCA customers, which includes Pioneer customers. This fee is charged by PG&E to pay for the electricity it purchased through long-term contracts on behalf of CCA customers prior to their electricity being provided by a CCA. The PCIA varies by “vintage year.” The vintage year is determined by PG&E and can be found on every customerâs bill. This fee is adjusted annually and is approved by the California Public Utilities Commission. For more information, see our page Understanding the PCIA.
The Franchise Fee Surcharge (FFS) fee is intended to reimburse local governments for use of public rights of way and other public services. All ratepayers, whether or not they are served by a CCA like Pioneer are subject to the FFS fee.
Pioneer customers are also PG&E customers. Because Pioneer and PG&E work together to provide electric service to your home, your bill includes charges from both PG&E (for fees applicable to gas) and Pioneer (for fees applicable to energy). There will never be any duplicate charges. PG&E will continue to bill for your gas usage separately.
Every customers makes one payment to PG&E each month. If a customer is a Pioneer customer, PG&E will transfer the applicable funds to Pioneer on behalf of the customer.
If you have questions about your bill or any of the related energy production fees, please contact your Pioneer Community Energy team by email at info@pioneercommunityenergy.org or by calling (916) 758-8969.
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Pioneer issued checks to solar customers with a cumulative net surplus of energy (known as Net Surplus Generators) during May for the March/April billing period if their credit balance (calculated at the Net Surplus Compensation Rate) for the past 12 months exceeded $25.00. Credit balances of less than $25.00 were rolled forward and applied to the next bill.
A few of our clients have contacted us to confirm the check’s authenticity. Rest assured, it is indeed real! If you receive a Blue or Orange check from Bill.com with a reference to Pioneer, it is safe to deposit.Â
We take pride in helping our solar customers save; Pioneer pays $.005 (1/2 cent) per kWh more than PG&E for any over-production sold back to the grid (Net Surplus Compensation Rate or NSC).Â
