Clean Power SF reports 405,000 accounts, new rates and outreach push as IRP work accelerates

San Francisco — Clean Power SF has enrolled more than 405,000 customer accounts and sustained an opt‑out rate of about 3.9%, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s Clean Power program told the Local Agency Formation Commission on June 19.

“We've now enrolled more than 405,000 customer accounts in the city,” said Mike Himes, director of the Clean Power SF program. Himes added that Super Green, the voluntary 100% renewable option, represents about 2% of active accounts and roughly 4.5% of Clean Power SF’s annual sales.

Himes and Peter Galata, communications manager for Clean Power programs, briefed LAFCO on COVID‑19 effects, new rates, outreach results and the integrated resource plan (IRP) schedule. Himes said residential demand rose early in shelter‑in‑place but overall system demand is down roughly 7–10% compared with pre‑COVID forecasts and commercial demand is down about 20%.

On rates, Himes described a February SFPUC action that adopted a formulaic adjustment to keep Clean Power SF rates within plus or minus 1% of comparable PG&E generation rates after accounting for the power‑charge‑indifference adjustment (PCIA), the exit fee charged by PG&E to community choice customers. “Pursuant to the formulaic rate adjustment mechanism that was approved in February, Clean Power has reduced its rates to be 1% less than comparable PG&E rates after accounting for the PCIA effective May 2020,” he said.

Himes acknowledged a recent PCIA increase and pointed to an ongoing California Public Utilities Commission proceeding looking at PCIA reforms. He said the SFPUC and the CCA community are monitoring and participating in options to improve the PCIA methodology.

Outreach has been a major focus during the pandemic. Galata described a multilingual campaign launched May 24 that used direct mail, print and digital ads, emails and social media. He said the campaign mailed about 5,000 postcards to customers who requested communications in Spanish or Chinese, and sent a new e‑newsletter to 11,000 businesses and 220,000 residents.

“We've seen a 66% increase in website traffic” over a recent 30‑day window, Galata said, and he reported a 1,000% increase on the program’s “lower your bill” page and a 3,900% increase for the translated Chinese web page from a very low baseline.

Himes also outlined two projects under construction — Blythe 4 (solar) and Voyager 4 (wind) — that he said remain on schedule to begin delivering renewable energy in September and December 2020, respectively. He described Clean Power SF’s planning work toward a 20‑year IRP, required by state law, and said staff will start stakeholder engagement at the end of June and bring a draft schedule and stakeholder input to LAFCO in July; the plan is slated for SFPUC approval in August and submission to the California PUC by Sept. 1.

Himes and Galata repeatedly framed customer assistance measures available during the pandemic — CARE and FERA discounts, flexible payment options, medical‑baseline protections and suspension of disconnections pursuant to state and local directives — and urged customers to use the translated web resources and call center language services.

Public comment included praise for the proposed energy‑efficiency program and criticism of the PCIA and CPUC actions. Jen Holzman of 350 Bay Area said the PCIA represented “a transfer of wealth from SF residents to PG&E” and welcomed the energy‑efficiency proposal’s inclusion of fuel switching and low‑GWP refrigerants.

The SFPUC presenters said they will return with IRP updates and more details on contracting and program design in upcoming meetings.