Community choice energy switched on for 100,000 Central Coast customers

Roughly 100,000 new local customers are now receiving electricity through Central Coast Community Energy starting this month, joining 400,000 others who already receive community power throughout the region.

According to a Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) news release, agriculture, business and residential customers in Arroyo Grande, Del Ray Oaks, Grover Beach, Guadalupe, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, Santa Maria, Solvang and unincorporated Northern Santa Barbara County began receiving service from the community-owned electricity provider in January.

3CE, previously called Monterey Bay Community Power, is a community choice energy organization that allows local governments to pool electricity demand for their communities for cost-savings. It also promises lower greenhouse gas emissions and more customer control.

Electricity is still powered through PG&E’s infrastructure, and local customers don’t need to change anything about how they receive energy or pay monthly bills to participate.

Many Central Coast cities began switching to community choice energy in 2020, saying the change would save customers $3 to $10 per month through the standard program.

3CE also uses funding from its customer programs to pay for community charging stations, zero-emissions electric school buses and electric agricultural equipment, according to the release.

Currently more than 10 million residents across California receive electricity from similar community choice energy programs.

“Our expansion to serve 11 new communities in Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties marks an important transition in the 3CE’s development as a community choice energy agency,” CEO Tom Habashi said in a news release. “This expansion led to a name change, a larger board and most importantly a new direction and a real commitment to renewable energy. In 2021 and beyond, 3CE will serve customers in four counties and 29 cities along the California Central Coast.”

3CE service will begin locally for all non-solar electricity customers in enrolling communities throughout January, according to the release. Solar or Net Energy Metering customers will be enrolled in one of three batches occurring in April, July and October.

Enrolling residents and businesses are encouraged to learn more at 3cenergy.org/2021-enrollment/.

Kaytlyn Leslie

The Tribune

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Kaytlyn Leslie writes about business and development for The San Luis Obispo Tribune. Hailing from Nipomo, she also covers city governments and happenings in San Luis Obispo. She joined The Tribune in 2013 after graduating from Cal Poly with her journalism degree.