Every spring and fall, California utility customers receive credits on their electric and natural gas bills. Funding for the credit comes from California’s cap and trade emissions program to address climate change.
The good news is CleanPowerSF customers are eligible for this credit. As you may have heard, the State has decided to provide this year’s spring credit early, and we expect climate credits to be applied to CleanPowerSF customer bills in March.
This year CleanPowerSF customers can expect to receive up to a $90 credit if you pay for both natural gas and electricity service.
What is the California Climate Credit?
Every spring and fall, millions of California residents receive credits on their electric and natural gas bills identified as the “California Climate Credit.” This credit is from a state program that requires power plants, natural gas providers, and other large industries that emit greenhouse gases to pay for their carbon emissions. The credit on your bill is your share of the payments from the State’s program.
Who’s eligible to get the Climate Credit?
Customers served by Investor-Owned Utilities (IOU) and Community Choice Aggregation programs (CCA) will receive the credit. Since CleanPowerSF is a CCA program, our customers are eligible to receive the credit.
What do customers need to do?
Customers are not required to do anything as the credit will be directly applied to electric and natural gas bills.
How much can customers expect to get?
CleanPowerSF customers can expect to receive up to a $90 credit if you pay both for natural gas and electric service. If you only pay for electric service through CleanPowerSF and PG&E, you will receive a $38 credit. To see exact credit amounts, visit: California Climate Credit
When will customers see the credit applied?
Credits are usually distributed twice a year in April and October. However, due to the high energy bills affecting customers across California, the credit should be reflected in your March bill.
Why are energy bills high right now?
Energy costs are up across the globe. Increases in natural gas pricing are currently impacting the entire U.S. West. Colder winter weather since November has also resulted in an increase in natural gas use for home energy heating. Other factors driving up natural gas prices include reduced supply caused by problems with a critical natural gas pipeline and the war in Ukraine.
On top of that, PG&E also increased their transmission and distribution rates effective January 1, 2023. On your PG&E bill, you likely pay for both natural gas and electricity service, and so it may not always be clear where the cost increases are coming from.
The good news is that if you are a CleanPowerSF customer, you are saving on your generation service costs compared to PG&E. CleanPowerSF continues to offer more stable and cheaper rates than PG&E.
We’re here to help you understand your bill and keep your energy costs manageable right now. We have information about ways you can lower your bill, including energy saving tips, on CleanPowerSF.org/energyefficiency. Our customer service team is also happy to review your bill with you if you have questions about your rate or usage. Call (415) 554-0773, Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.