Peninsula Clean Energy describes local rebates, EV chargers and member-agency grants for Millbrae

Peninsula Clean Energy CEO Sean Marshall told the Millbrae City Council on Jan. 14 that the community choice energy provider has expanded local programs that the city and residents can use to lower emissions and energy costs.

Marshall said Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) has reduced emissions roughly 94% for its portfolio since its start and has returned more than $100 million to customers countywide since 2016. He reviewed PCE programs now active in Millbrae, including an EV charger program focused on multifamily housing, a 0% loan for electrification projects of up to $10,000, expanded rebates for appliances and EVs, and member-agency energy grants that fund municipal projects.

The presentation said PCE serves almost 9,500 customers in Millbrae with about a 97% participation rate. Marshall reported that Millbrae customers have saved “a little over $3.6 million” since PCE’s launch. He said the city received member-agency energy grant funding for streetlight upgrades, EV charging and other equipment; the slide presentation referenced both “over $400,000” and “$302,000” for member-agency grants to Millbrae (see clarifying details).

Council members asked technical and programmatic questions. Council Member Duen asked how PCE calculates customer savings; Marshall said savings are calculated by comparing the exact rate billed to a PCE customer with the bundled generation rate that customer would have paid to PG&E, using PCE’s billing data. He said the calculation is not an average but a direct billing comparison, with a roughly 60-day lag for final reconciliation. Council members also asked about cost drivers; Marshall said roughly 90% of PCE’s budget pays for energy procurement and that grid upgrades and wildfire-hardening on the transmission and distribution side are significant upward cost pressures.

Mayor Fung and staff highlighted local benefits Marshall described: a PCE grant awarded to Millbrae and recent or planned local solar and EV charging installations, plus plans to expand customer service and multilingual support. Marshall said PCE is moving its customer service in-house and that its loan program and most rebate materials are available in multiple languages and through an 800 number.

Why it matters: PCE’s programs provide funding and technical assistance that local governments and residents can use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and add resiliency infrastructure such as EV chargers and solar arrays. Council members said they will continue to coordinate with PCE on projects at city facilities and on outreach for residents who may qualify for rebates and loans.

The council did not take action on this presentation; the item was informational.