Approximately 45,000 Southern California Edison customers in San Bernardino County will have the option to switch to time-of-use rate plans this fall.
Most SCE customers are on a tiered plan which simply charges a household for how much energy is used in a billing period. The newer time-of-use plans charge lower rates during different times of day said SCE spokesperson Ron Gales. "It basically rewards customers who move their electric usage away from what’s called an on-peak 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. period,” said Gales.
Households being brought into the plan November 1 received a notice earlier in August. The notice assigned them peak hours of either 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m or 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. based on their usage.
Customers do not need to take action unless they want to opt-out or if they want their choice between the two different peak hours. If they remain in the program, they will join over 900,000 SCE customers currently enrolled in time of use plans.
In addition to cost savings for households, SCE anticipates environmental benefits said Gales. "If people are using more energy during the time of day when solar energy is abundant on the grid, that basically takes the place of people using energy from more traditional sources that are not as clean,” said Gales.
The state is generating more solar energy than ever, driving down costs. Time of use plans are part of a multi-year statewide initiative to pass on these energy savings to customers.
The households included in this round will receive another reminder about the switch around October 1. The next round will include around 116,000 Riverside County households that will be switched in December. Those customers will receive their first notice in September. SCE will bring a total of approximately 160,000 Inland Empire households into time of use plans in 2021.
Customers can learn more at sce.com/toutransition.