Pomona Choice Energy is the new, locally controlled electricity provider in the City of Pomona. We provide the energy for you (this is known as “generation”) and our charge replaces what Southern California Edison would have charged. Southern California Edison still delivers the power over their lines and wires and continues to charge you for it. There are no duplicate charges because the charges are for different services.
The short answer is, Pomona Choice Energy provides your electricity and SCE delivers it. In more detail, we supply power to homes and businesses with an opportunity to opt up to 100% renewable energy. Our partner, SCE, continues to do the billing, maintains the power lines, and handles all new service and emergencies.
All Pomona Choice Energy customers must have a service address within City of Pomona city limits. Residents and businesses outside the City limits are not eligible to receive service from Pomona Choice Energy.
We offer service within the City of Pomona.
We will begin serving all municipal and residential accounts, without rooftop solar, in October 2020 for the City of Pomona. Per state law, we must contact our customers in writing a minimum of four times to notify them that they will soon begin receiving Pomona Choice Energy electric service. We will do this via mail. Other commercial accounts will enroll in June 2021 and Net Energy Metering Accounts will enroll in October 2021.
Pomona Choice Energy was formed in 2019 and we plan to launch services in October for the City of Pomona for all municipal and residential, non Net Energy Metering accounts. Other Commercial Accounts will enroll in June 2021, and Net Energy metering accounts will enroll in October 2021.
When California deregulated the energy market in 1997, many Californians switched to alternative energy providers. Following the energy crisis of 2000-01, consumer choice of electricity providers was suspended. As a response to the closing of the open market, Assembly Bill 117 was passed in 2002 to establish Community Choice Aggregation, which offers an opportunity for Californians to choose their electric provider and the source of their electricity.
The City Council of the City of Pomona is the governing body for Pomona Choice Energy. Operations of the program is administered by Pomona city staff and consultants.
Pomona Choice provides electric generation, which is the source of your power, but Southern California Edison continues to provide electric delivery and billing services just as they always have. Southern California Edison still owns and reads your electric meter, sends your monthly bill, and provides the same maintenance and other repair services they always have.
No. Southern California Edison continues to provide electric delivery, billing, and power line maintenance. We only replace the electric generation services with your choice of our Pomona Choice default energy or Pomona Choice 100 green energy at competitive rates.
Pomona Choice Energy produces clean and renewable electricity on behalf of our customers. Each electricity product has a different percentage of renewable energy. Our standard product, Pomona Choice, is at minimum State renewable content, and our Pomona Choice 100 product consists of 100% renewable energy.
Pomona Choice Energy gets its electricity from suppliers that have gone through a rigorous qualification and selection process. These suppliers, much like Southern California Edison, get their electricity from a variety of generation sources. The exact proportion of each varies with time, based on demand and availability.
Pomona Choice Energy contracts with private firms to procure energy. Moving forward, we plan to incorporate steadily increasing amounts of renewable energy, with a goal of incorporating locally generated power.
We are required to report to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and California Energy Commission (CEC) on an annual basis to verify the amount of renewable energy procured for our customers. This is the same standard and verification process used by other California utilities, such as Southern California Edison.
Clean/green energy is carbon-free energy that creates little to no greenhouse gas emissions. This is in contrast to fossil fuels, which produce a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide and methane. Renewable energy is energy that comes from resources that are naturally replenished such as sunlight, wind, water, and geothermal heat. Unlike fossil fuels, such as oil, natural gas, and coal, which cannot be replaced, renewable energy regenerates naturally in a short period of time.
Renewable energy facilities create electricity that is delivered to a network of transmission wires, often referred to as “the grid”. The grid is segmented into regional power pools and in many cases, these pools are not interconnected. To help facilitate the sale of renewable electricity nationally, a system was established that separates renewable energy generation into two parts: the electricity or electrical energy produced by a renewable generator and the renewable “attributes” of that generation. The renewable attributes or “green” attributes are sold separately as renewable energy certificates, or RECs. Only one certificate may be issued for each unit of renewable energy produced. The electricity that was split from the REC is no longer considered “renewable” and cannot be counted as renewable or zero-emissions by whoever buys it.
Pomona Choice is our default electricity service offering a renewable energy content that meets minimum state requirements. All customers default to Pomona Choice upon enrollment.
Pomona Choice 100 is our optional upgrade program that provides 100% renewable energy for just a few more dollars each month.
Signing up is easy! Simply visit our website www.pomonachoiceenergy.org and sign up there. If you decide to use our website, you will want to have your SCE bill on hand because we will need your account information to process your request. If you prefer to sign-up over the phone, please call (909) 620-2079 and a specialist will help you complete the process.
Yes—you can “opt up” to Pomona Choice 100 at any time. And if you want to switch back again, just call and let us know or log-on to our website and make the change there.
Customers who opt out before or within the first 60 days of Pomona Choice Energy service may return to Pomona Choice at any time. Customers who opt out after the first 60 days of service with Pomona Choice may be prohibited by SCE from returning to Pomona Choice Energy for one year.
Customers who elect to receive our default (Pomona Choice) product will see rates comparable with SCE generation service. Customers can also choose to pay just a little more each month and upgrade to our Pomona Choice 100 green product.
Pomona Choice Energy rates are set annually by the City of Pomona City Council, so you will have a steady, predictable outlook on your rates. You will also have the satisfaction of working with a local provider, governed by local leaders whose interests are aligned with yours.
Pomona Choice Energy rates are set right here at Pomona City Hall, by the City Council, annually based on the projected cost of energy. The public is welcome to attend the rate setting meetings and participate in the process.
Yes. CARE, FERA, and Medical Baseline continue to be available to Pomona Choice Energy customers as well as Southern California Edison customers and provides the same discount regardless of enrollment with Pomona Choice Energy or Southern California Edison. Customers enrolled in Pomona Choice Energy continue to receive their CARE, FERA, and Medical Baseline discount within their Southern California Edison delivery charges; there is no need to reapply with Pomona Choice Energy. New CARE, FERA, and Medical Baseline enrollments or renewals must still be done through Southern California Edison’s customer service center or website.
Yes. The California Public Utilities Commission authorizes Southern California Edison to collect fees (called public goods charges) from all customers to fund energy efficiency and renewable energy incentive programs. Southern California Edison will still collect these fees and Pomona Choice Energy customers will remain eligible for these incentives and services.
No. We work together with Southern California Edison so that you will get just one bill each month. Our charges for electricity generation are included on your Southern California Edison bill.
Pomona Choice Energy charges for generating the electricity you use. When you begin receiving our electric generation service, the charges for generation that used to go to Southern California Edison are replaced by charges from Pomona Choice Energy. Southern California Edison will continue to charge for the transmission and delivery of electricity, along with a variety of other regulatory and program charges at the same rates they always have. There are no duplicate charges for electricity generation.
You will continue to get just one bill from Southern California Edison. A few lines on the bill change since the charges for power generation will go to Pomona Choice Energy instead of Southern California Edison.
Southern California Edison charges Pomona Choice Energy customers a Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (PCIA) and a Franchise Fee Surcharge. Both are calculated based on the number of kilowatt hours used each month.
The PCIA is intended to ensure that customers who switch to Pomona Choice Energy pay for energy that was acquired by Southern California Edison to serve them prior to their switch.
The PCIA is currently less than one cent to just under two cents per kilowatt-hour, depending on when the customer switched to Pomona Choice Energy and whether they are a residential or a commercial customer. If you have additional questions about the PCIA please call Southern California Edison at 800-655-4555.
If you ever have questions about the Pomona Choice Energy portion of your bill, you can visit our website to see a detailed breakdown of the bill at www.pomonachoiceenergy.org call us at (909) 620-2079 or email us at CustomerService@PomonaChoiceEnergy.org. If you have questions about the rest of your Southern California Edison bill, call Southern California Edison at 800-655-4555.
All Pomona Choice Energy customers must have a service address within the city of Pomona. We are sorry, but residents and businesses outside the incorporated city limits cannot receive service from Pomona Choice Energy.
We will begin serving all non-NEM municipal and residential accounts in October of 2020. Customers will receive a minimum of 4 notices by mail advising them of their enrollment in Pomona Choice Energy. If you have your SCE customer account number available, I can also check your status right now. Other Commercial customers will be enrolled in June 2021 and NEM customers will be enrolled in October 2021.
Pomona Choice Energy serves customers within the legal boundaries of the City of Pomona. If your address is within these limits and you have not elected to opt-out and remain with SCE generation service, you will be automatically enrolled in our Pomona Choice program. Notices for customers are sent out in multiple stages. If you have not yet received a notice it may be on the way, or if you have your SCE customer account number available I can check your status right now.
If service has not yet been established with Southern California Edison: Establishing service is easy. Contact Southern California Edison one week before you will need service at your new address and schedule an appointment by calling Southern California Edison at 1-800-655-4555. New customers who move into the Pomona Choice Energy service area are automatically enrolled into Pomona Choice and will be mailed two notices within the first sixty days of service with information about their options.
If service has been established with Southern California Edison: We haven’t started serving customers yet but all new and existing customers in our service area will be automatically enrolled starting with their October meter read. Once enrolled you will begin receiving our Pomona Choice default energy product.
You get to decide! Any customer may opt out of Pomona Choice Energy. If you already received an enrollment notice, you can choose to opt out now.
Pomona Choice Energy is implementing in several phases. Phase 1 begins in October 2020 for non-net energy metering residential accounts. You will be able to make a choice of provider beginning in early August 2020. Pomona will be sending eligible customers 4 notices, beginning in August. You will continue to be served by (SCE) Southern California Edison, and will receive notices in the mail when your account becomes eligible to make a choice of power provider.
No. Customers can only participate if they or their businesses are located within the City of Pomona.
Historically, Southern California Edison has been the default power provider to most customers. However, in 2002 when state legislators passed California’s Community Choice Aggregation law, this default status was transferred from Southern California Edison to local community choice programs like Pomona Choice Energy. You now have the power to choose who provides your energy, Pomona Choice Energy or Southern California Edison.
The letter/postcard is a notification that your account is now eligible for Pomona Choice Energy service and you can choose between Pomona Choice Energy and Southern California Edison. We are now the default provider and all customers who elect to remain with Pomona Choice Energy will begin receiving our default Pomona Choice energy product. State law requires that as we begin to offer our service, we must contact our customers in writing a minimum of four times. We do this through a combination of letters, mailers, and postcards before and after the switch to our service.
Part of California’s CCA law requires Pomona Choice Energy to operate as an opt-out program and become the default provider of electric generation for customers within our service area. Customer choice is very important to us. We provide four written notices to our customers so that you can choose where your electricity comes from and how your dollars are spent.
If you have received an enrollment notice, you can choose to opt out now. If you have not received a notice yet, but have your SCE customer account number available I can check your status. While we do not want to lose you as a customer, you always have the choice to opt out.
If you wish to opt out right now, call (909) 620-2079 or you may visit our website www.PomonaChoiceEnergy.org and click the Opt Out button. Have your Southern California Edison bill on hand, because we will need your account information to process your request.
Customers who opt out before starting Pomona Choice Energy service or within the first 60 days of our service may return at any time. Customers who opt out after the first 60 days of service with Pomona Choice Energy will be prohibited by Southern California Edison from returning to Pomona Choice Energy for one year.
There is no charge for opting out of Pomona Choice Energy.
Yes. Through our net energy metering program, called Pomona Solar Choice, NEM customers with net energy metering systems have the opportunity to receive credits for future energy service and even receive cash back when their systems produce excess energy over the course of their annual relevant period! As part of Pomona Solar Choice your system’s energy production will be monitored on a monthly basis. If you use more energy than your system produces in a given month, you will be charged for the energy you draw from the grid. However, if you produce more energy than you consume, you will receive a credit on your bill that can be applied to charges in future months within the relevant period. If you have excess kWh generation at the end of the annual relevant period you will be eligible to receive a check for net surplus compensation (NSC) based on the current NSC rate times the excess kWh generation.
Pomona Choice Energy provides electricity generation only. As a Community Choice Aggregation program, our scope is limited to generation services and cannot expand to include metering services. Therefore, Pomona Choice Energy does not have any control over whether or not our customers receive Smart Meters from (SCE) Southern California Edison.
Pomona Choice Energy generates power. Southern California Edison owns and maintains the energy distribution system, including the meters at your home or business. So, if you wish to opt out of a Smart Meter, please contact Southern California Edison directly.
Pomona Choice Energy will be financed by the revenues received from our customers based on the electricity they consume. Pomona Choice Energy is self-funded and does not use any tax dollars, which ensures that any financial benefits directly serve the community.
No. Southern California Edison must provide the same rates for all customers in their service area whether or not they receive electricity from Pomona Choice Energy or another third-party energy service provider.
No. The Pomona City Council governs Pomona Choice Energy and do not receive a salary or any financial benefits from Pomona Choice Energy.
The City Council of the City of Pomona are the governing body of Pomona Choice Energy.
Yes. Customers who have been enrolled in Pomona Choice in October 2020, and subsequently install a qualified solar system, are eligible for the Pomona Solar Choice NEM program. Through our NEM program, customers with net energy metering systems have the opportunity to receive credits for future energy service and even receive cash back when their systems produce more energy than they use! Your system’s energy production will be billed on a monthly basis. If you use more energy than your system produces in a given month, you will be charged for the energy you draw from the grid. However, if you produce more energy than you consume, you will receive a credit on your bill that can be applied to charges in future months. If you are net kWh generator at the end of your annual relevant period you will be eligible for net surplus compensation (NSC) based on the current NSC rate times the excess kWh generation.
Pomona Choice Energy customers who are already enrolled in with Pomona Solar Choice and are planning to install a solar system, should contact SCE at (800) 974-2356 to submit your interconnection application. Once you are enrolled with SCE’s program, you will automatically be enrolled in Pomona Solar Choice.
Pomona Choice Energy’s Net Surplus Compensation Rate (NSC) can be found on the rate schedule at www.PomonaChoiceEnergy.org. Please note that NSC only applies if you are a net kWh generator at the end of your annual relevant period.
Pomona Choice Energy Net Energy Metering relevant period mirrors that of SCE.
For the months that you have been receiving charges on your bill, it is due to the fact that you are a net consumer for those bill periods (+kWh). As a net consumer, you are using more kilowatt-hours than you are generating, so you are paying for the excess kilowatt-hours you consumed. This payment being made makes up for the lack of kWh generated each monthly period. The Annual true-up is also based on kilowatt hours and because you do not have any additional kilowatt hours generated above the amount of kilowatt hours you consumed for the 12 months, there are no kilowatt hours for Pomona Choice Energy to buy back from you at the net surplus compensation rate.
Enrollment in Pomona Choice Energy’s NEM program will not affect the grandfathered status of NEM 1.0 customers. NEM 1.0 customers will continue to retain the grandfathered elements of the program after the switch, while also enjoying the Pomona Choice Energy’s Net Surplus Compensation rate.