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Clean Power SF nears citywide enrollment; outreach campaign raised awareness but 'Super Green' opt‑up remains low
Summary
SFPUC reported Clean Power SF had enrolled about 111,000 accounts and expects a major April cutover that will bring enrollment to about 365,000 accounts; Super Green opt‑up was 3.8% and staff and commissioners discussed outreach and sign‑up barriers.
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission staff and the Department of the Environment briefed the Commission on March 26, 2019 about Clean Power SF enrollment and a recent department outreach campaign intended to increase public awareness of the program’s 100% renewable “Super Green” option.
Mike Himes of the SFPUC said Clean Power SF was actively serving about 111,000 customer accounts (roughly 30% of potential city accounts), with a customer retention rate around 97%. He reported a Super Green opt‑up rate of about 3.8% — roughly 4,000 accounts — and said the SFPUC will welcome about 250,000 additional accounts in an April enrollment with customers starting to cut over on April 1; post‑enrollment service is estimated at roughly 365,000 accounts.
Himes outlined the program’s two product options: a competitively priced green default product (about 48% California RPS certified renewable at the time) and the Super Green opt‑up (100% renewable) available for a modest premium (about $4 per month for an average residential account). He described procurement activity that includes long‑term contracts for new solar and repowered wind projects and said the PUC is planning integrated resource and capital plans to expand local renewables and storage.
Becca Rabin, marketing and communications associate at the Department of the Environment, presented the department’s residential renewable outreach campaign. The campaign ran a two‑month flight with out‑of‑home, print and digital placements to address misconceptions (that renters cannot participate, cost concerns, or belief that switching requires solar installation). Staff reported campaign metrics of about 34 million impressions, more than 11,000 visits to the campaign landing page, over 2,000 visits to PUC’s Super Green page, and a 36% increase in Super Green enrollments during the campaign. Staff said the two‑month campaign cost approximately $200,000 and was funded with prize money from a separate energy efficiency challenge, not the department’s base budget.
Commissioners and public commenters pressed staff on barriers to easy enrollment — including the need for account numbers on sign‑up forms — and suggested simple in‑bill options (a checkbox), QR codes on ads, and more prominent URLs on creative. PUC staff noted statutory limits on bill inserts but said they are partnering with the Department of the Environment on outreach, and that procurement planning and new contracts are intended to grow local renewable supply as demand increases.
The Commission heard the presentations, asked questions about program targets and potential uses of Clean Power SF revenues for energy efficiency, and thanked staff for the outreach partnerships that aim to accelerate the city’s move toward 100% renewable electricity.
