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SFPUC outlines Clean Power SF auto‑enrollment, says PG&E exit‑fee outlook improved
Summary
SFPUC staff said Clean Power SF will auto‑enroll roughly 280,000 mostly residential accounts in April; opt‑out remains low (3.3%) and retention is 97%. Staff said a California PUC decision could reduce PG&E’s expected 2019 exit fee about 5% on average, improving Clean Power SF’s rate outlook.
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission staff said the city’s Clean Power SF program is preparing a major auto‑enrollment in April that will add about 280,000 mostly residential accounts, and that recent state action has moderated the expected near‑term rate pressure from PG&E.
Barbara Hale, assistant general manager for power, told commissioners on March 12 that Clean Power SF’s program opt‑out rate was 3.3% since launch and the retention rate is 97%. She said the program recorded more than 4,000 businesses and households that have elected 100% renewable service, and that “we’re enrolling approximately 280,000, mostly residential, customer accounts in April.”
Hale said the program has stepped up outreach — including mail, bus advertising and tabling at city events — because notices will be sent in large volume. “We anticipate sending over a million notices to customers during this time period,” she said, and reported a surge in customer interest: Clean Power SF’s website visits rose from about 1,200 to nearly 4,000 in one week, and call center volume increased from about 242 to more than 1,200 calls.
On the cost side, Hale said the California Public Utilities Commission on Feb. 21 issued an "alternate proposal" in the PUC’s generation and exit‑fee proceeding that staff estimates should reduce PG&E’s expected 2019 exit fee by "about 5% on average," improving Clean Power SF’s outlook against earlier projections. She cautioned that PG&E has 30 days to file implementing rates and that the full customer‑level impacts will be clear only after PG&E’s filing, anticipated March 23.
The commission asked follow‑up questions about the practical impact on customers; Hale said staff will provide a customer‑level analysis after PG&E files. She also noted staff were pausing enrollment for a small set of large accounts while conducting one‑on‑one conversations and are refraining from enrolling some accounts that may fall under the PUC’s Hetch‑Hetchy program pending a complaint before FERC.
The commission did not take further action on the update; commissioners thanked staff for outreach work and for preparing the final auto‑enrollment.
What happens next: PG&E’s rate filing (expected March 23) will determine precise customer impacts; SFPUC staff said they will report results and customer‑level estimates at an upcoming meeting.
