Information for CCAs

Overview

In 2002, Assembly Bill 117 was signed into law, allowing cities and counties to participate in Community Choice Aggregation (CCA). CCA is a program that allows cities, counties, and Joint Power Authorities (JPAs) to procure electricity for individual customers within a defined jurisdiction. Customers not wishing to participate may opt out. Under CCA, the utility is still responsible for the transmission and distribution of the electricity.

Once the establishment package is completed and accepted by Southern California Edison (SCE), the Community Choice Aggregator (CCA) is ready to begin executing the activities required prior to mass enrollment of customers, which includes the completion of Electronic Data Interface (EDI) testing, eligible customer validations, customer notifications, and customer enrollment. In addition to enrollment activities, this section provides detailed information to understand daily CCA operations.

Apple Valley Choice Energy Contact Information

Website: avchoiceenergy.com
Phone: 1-760-573-2823

Central Coast Community Energy Information

What are the cities included for Central Coast Energy Information?

City of Goleta, City of Carpinteria, City of Isla Vista
Unincorporated Santa Barbara County Burton Mesa, Casmalia, Cuyama, Eastern Goleta Valley, Gaviota, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Montecito, Orcutt, Santa Ynez, Summerland, Vandenberg Village
Website: https://3cenergy.org/
Phone:1.877.455.2223

Clean Power Alliance Contact Information

Website: cleanpoweralliance.org
Phone: 1-888-585-3788

Desert Community Energy Information

Website: desertcommunityenergy.org
Phone: 1-855-357-9240

Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice (EPIC)

Website: https://palmdaleepicenergy.com
Phone: 661-267-5419

Lancaster Energy

Website: lancasterenergy.com
Phone: 1-844-288-4523

Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) Information

Website: https://www.ocpower.org/
Phone: 1-866-262-7693
What are the cities included for Orange County Power Authority?
Buena Park, Fullerton, Huntington Beach and Irvine

Pico Rivera Innovation Municipal Energy

Website: poweredbyprime.org
Phone: 1-800-GOPRIME or 1-800-467-7463

Pomona Choice Energy Contact Information

Website: pomonachoiceenergy.org
Phone: 1-909- 620-2079

Rancho Mirage Energy Authority Information

Website: RanchoMirageEnergy.org
Phone: 1-760-578-6092

Santa Barbara Clean Energy Information

What are the cities included for Santa Barbara Clean Energy? City of Santa Barbara

Website: SBCleanEnergy.com
Phone:1-805-897-1979

San Jacinto Power Information

Website: sanjacintopower.com
Phone: 1-951-665-6812

SCE will designate an implementation project manager who will work with each CCA to plan and execute the required activities within the agreed timeline. Some of the activities include:

Joint Activities (SCE / CCA):

CCA and SCE work together to complete EDI & compliance testing.
CCA and SCE work together to develop a Joint Rate Comparison (JRC) and fulfill all relevant requirements.
SCE and/or CCA provide customer communication for accounts on impacted rate/program.
SCE and CCA complete resource adequacy load forecast and fulfill filing requirements.
SCE and CCA manage and process customer pre-enrollment opt-out requests.

SCE Activities:

SCE verifies that CCA implementation requirements have been met.
SCE identifies and validates the eligible customers within a CCA’s service territory.

CCA Activities:

CCA establishes a customer service center.
CCA initiates pre- and post-automatic-enrollment customer opt-out notifications.

For additional information regarding the mass enrollment process, please refer to section J in Rule 23.

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The CCA will be notified by SCE’s Electronic Communications Coordinator (ECC) once it has successfully passed the required interface testing for exchanging CCASR, Billing, and Payment Data. During this step, the CCA must confirm it is able to connect to SCE’s Meter Data Management Agency (MDMA) server using the MDMA User ID and Password provided by SCE.

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Prior to initiating customer communication, the CCA should activate its customer service center and be prepared to respond to customer calls and questions regarding its program. The CCA should provide SCE with the telephone number and e-mail address for its customer service center.

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The CCA must notify all eligible customers of their right to opt out of a CCA program and provide the terms and conditions for the CCA program at least twice within two calendar months, or during a 60-day period, in advance of the date of commencing automatic enrollment.

Follow-up Notification

The Follow-Up Notification Period is a sixty (60) day period of time commencing immediately following the date a customer is automatically enrolled. Customers must receive two notifications during this 60-day period. These notifications must provide the terms and conditions of the CCA program and advise customers of their right to opt out.

See Rule 23, section B, #21 and Rule 23, section H, #1-3 which describes follow up (post-enrollment) customer notification requirements.

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SCE and active CCAs provide Joint Rate Comparisons (JRCs) – a comparison of average rates, sample bills, and the power sources.

Click on the desired CCA below to view specific JRC data. Find your detailed JRC by selecting your specific electric rate and scrolling down to your rate plan.

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To enable the transfer of accounts to CCA Service within a specified timeframe, a Connect CCASR is submitted by SCE for every CCA-eligible Service Account during mass enrollment. Since the CCA is the default electricity provider, no action is taken by the customer to initiate the transfer. Customers who do not opt out will be automatically transferred to CCA Service on their next scheduled read date.

Mass enrollment begins approximately 30 to 45 days after the initial customer notification period.

Phase-In Implementation

A CCA has the option of phasing in the implementation of the CCA Program to ensure a smooth transition for customers.

Instead of transferring customers in one mass enrollment, a CCA may choose to phase in its service to its customers. The purpose of phase-in implementation is to enable the CCA to offer CCA Service to some customers before others and to manage the mass enrollment process effectively and efficiently.

To assist CCAs with their phase-in plans, SCE has developed two phase-in services:

Standard phase-in service
This is available to CCAs desiring to phase in their CCA Service, which requires minimal system changes and therefore minimizes the CCA’s phase-in costs. If a CCA is intending to phase in its implementation, the customers in each phase will be “mass enrolled” into CCA Service on their scheduled meter read date during a one-month period. Examples of phase-in options include customer class, rate class, incorporated city, and county.
Customized phase-in service
CCAs that desire to propose their own phase-in plan may do so via a specialized services agreement executed between the CCA and SCE. Regardless of the phase-in service a CCA chooses, customers will be enrolled in the implementation phase that they are assigned to.

Phase-in implementation is not mandatory. If a CCA decides to phase in its implementation, the details must be specified in the implementation plan.

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A Community Choice Aggregation Service Request (CCASR) is an electronic request initiated by SCE or the CCA to establish, modify, or terminate CCA Service for the customer. There are four types of CCASRs.

Connect CCASR – Enroll, add, or transfer a customer to CCA Service.
Disconnect CCASR – Remove a customer from CCA Service.
Update CCASR – Update the customer’s service options.
Cancel CCASR – Cancel a pending CCASR.

During mass enrollment, Connect CCASRs are generated by Customer Choice Services to transfer a customer from his/her existing service to CCA Service.

After all the mass enrollment phases have been completed, Connect CCASRs are submitted by CCAs via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).

Customer Notification of Opt-Out

One of the fundamental requirements of the CCA Program is that every customer eligible to receive CCA Service must also be given the opportunity to opt out of the CCA Program.

The purpose of the opt-out notification is to inform customers of the CCA Program and provide them with instructions on how to opt-out.

Each CCA is required to send four opt-out notifications to each CCA-eligible customer. The first two notifications are sent before mass enrollment. Following mass enrollment, two additional opt-out notifications are provided to CCA participants over two consecutive billing cycles.

The CCA has the option of sending the notifications or contracting with SCE to provide any or all of the opt-out notifications.

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When a customer opts out of CCA Service, the customer has elected not to be served under CCA Service and to retain his/her existing or previous service with SCE.

CCA Customers can transition between SCE and CCA anytime as long as the customer is within the CCA territory; however, the timing of the transition may impact a customer’s service plan.

Customer would need to contact their CCA for opt-out processing.

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A re-entry request is issued when a customer elects to return to SCE after the 60-day post-enrollment opt-out period.

Customers will be subject to the re-entry fee.
Re-entry requests should be referred to the CCA.

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According to Rule 23, new customers establishing service or relocating within the CCA service territory will be placed on CCA Service, provided that the customers meet the metering requirements and contact SCE prior to the requested effective date of the new electric service.

Customer is advised that his/her account is to be automatically enrolled in CCA Service.
Customer is advised that SCE will submit a CCASR to transfer the account to CCA Service.
If prompted, the customer is advised to contact the appropriate CCA for opt-out process requirements.

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CCAs can discontinue serving a CCA account by submitting a Disconnect CCASR to SCE. Following this request, a notice will be sent to the CCA and the customer advising them that the customer will be returning to bundled service with SCE. If the CCA or customer owns the meter, and if the meter is not compatible with SCE’s meter reading systems, the customer will be charged the applicable meter replacement, re-programming, maintenance, or reading fees as listed in the Customer Choice - Discretionary Service Fees schedule.

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Contact Customer Choice Services

We have designated personnel to help CCAs initiate and implement CCA Service, transmit and test data, and perform on-going account maintenance.

Potential CCAs can contact the Customer Choice Services team by sending an email to CCASVCS@sce.com

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General Municipal Surcharge (Schedule GMS) applies to all SCE delivery customers, including those on Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Service, and customers who receive generation service from a supplier other than SCE.

However, certain CCA customers may be entitled to an exemption from the General Municipal Surcharge (GMS). Customers eligible for the Schedule GMS exemption include the State of California or a political subdivision thereof; and any cogeneration or nonutility generation facility when the facility transports electricity through its own electric transmission or distribution system or otherwise delivers electricity in the manner described in Section 218 of the Public Utilities Code.

The customer of record on the eligible CCA Service account(s) for the “State of California or a political subdivision thereof,” may self-certify as an entity of the “State of California or a political subdivision thereof,” and be eligible for the GMS exemption.

It is the responsibility of the customer to self-identify as an entity of the State of California or a political subdivision by completing and submitting the Generation Municipal Surcharge Exemption Self-Certification Affidavit. For these customers, Exemption from Schedule GMS will be effective on the next regularly scheduled meter read date after receipt of the signed affidavit.

The Generation Municipal Surcharge Exemption Self-Certification Affidavit should not be used for customers of record on accounts of any cogeneration or non-utility generation facility when the facility transports electricity through its own electric transmission or distribution system or otherwise delivers electricity as described in Section 218 of the Public Utilities Code. These customers should contact their account representative to verify eligibility and qualification for an exemption from Schedule GMS.

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Implementation Preparation (Mass Enrollment)

CCA Notified of Successful Testing

CCA Activates Customer Service Center

CCA Initiates Customer Opt-Out Notifications

Follow-up Notification

Joint Rate Comparisons (JRCs)

Apple Valley Choice Energy / SCE Joint Rate Comparison

Central Coast Community Energy Joint Rate Comparison

Clean Power Alliance / SCE Joint Rate Comparison

Desert Community Energy/ SCE Joint Rate Comparison

Lancaster Choice Energy / SCE Joint Rate Comparison

Pomona Choice Energy Joint Rate Comparison

Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy / SCE Joint Rate Comparison

Orange County Power Authority/ SCE Joint Rate Comparison

Rancho Mirage Energy Authority

Santa Barbara Clean Energy Joint Rate Comparison

San Jacinto Power

Mass Enrollment

Phase-In Implementation

CCA Service Request

Customer Notification of Opt-Out

Opt-Out Process

Re-Entry Process

CCA Turn-On Request Process

CCA Returning Customer to SCE Bundled Service

Contact Information

Contact Customer Choice Services

General Municipal Surcharge (Schedule GMS)