Energy
Electricity Accounts Transitioning to 100% Renewable Energy
To help achieve its Climate Action Plan goals, the City of Dublin receives its electricity from East Bay Community Energy (EBCE), a local energy provider supplying greener electricity to all cities in Alameda County plus the City of Tracy. EBCE has been the default supplier of electric generation service for all residential, commercial, and municipal accounts in Dublin since 2018. In October 2022, Dublin non-residential energy accounts were automatically enrolled in Renewable 100 electricity. All municipal accounts have been on Renewable 100 since July 2019 and residential customers transitioned in January 2022.
What is Renewable 100?
Renewable 100 is 100% greenhouse gas (GHG) emission-free and 100% renewable power (California-based wind and solar). Renewable 100 electricity is provided at $0.0075 per kilowatt-hour more than PG&E’s standard rates. Customers can change their EBCE service to the discount electricity product, Bright Choice, which is offered at a 3% discount compared to PG&E’s standard rates, or return to PG&E service at any time.
Non-Residential/Commercial Accounts:
In April 2022, the Dublin City Council voted to set the default electricity for Dublin businesses to EBCE’s Renewable 100 service in October 2022.
What does this mean for your business?
The impact on business account holders depends on the amount of energy consumed and the electric rate category of the account holder. Renewable 100 is $0.0075 cents per kilowatt-hour more than PG&E’s standard rates. Non-residential bills vary widely, depending on the type of business it is. Examples of businesses in the B1, B10, and B19 categories are provided in the table below. For more information on how your electricity bill will be impacted, contact EBCE.
Table 1: Example Business Types by Rate Schedule
B1 Small/Medium Commercial | B10 Small/Medium Commercial | B19 Large Commercial |
Coffee shop | Small grocery | High school |
Small retail | Car dealer or Medium retail | Large office building |
Common Areas in Multi-Family Dwellings | Elementary School | Light Manufacturing |
Small Medical Office (Dentist) | Quick Service Restaurant | Movie Theater |
3.8% average increase | 4.3% average increase | 5.1% average increase |
Next Steps:
In October 2022, Dublin non-residential accounts transitioned to Renewable 100. Here are your two options:
- Renewable 100: If you are okay with the transition to Renewable 100, you do not need to do anything. Your account automatically defaulted to Renewable 100 in October and you will begin to see the change on your next billing cycle.
- Bright Choice: If you would prefer to remain on EBCE’s discount electricity product, Bright Choice, you can contact EBCE at 1-833-699-EBCE (3223) to let them know that you want to remain on Bright Choice. Bright Choice is offered at a 3% discount compared to PG&E’s standard rates, but still offers a high percentage of GHG emissions-free electricity.
- PG&E service: You can also return to PG&E service at any time by opting out of EBCE.
If you have general questions about the default to Renewable 100 or the City’s Climate Action Plan 2030 and Beyond, contact the Public Works Department at 925-833-6630 or via email at es@dublin.ca.gov.
Energy Financing and Rebates
Make sure you check out some of the energy efficiency financing and rebate programs available to you so that you can save energy and money at your business.