What you need to know about San Diego Community Power (SDCP).
What is San Diego Community Power (SDCP)?
San Diego Community Power (SDCP) is a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program and “a community-owned organization that provides affordable clean energy and invests in the community to create an equitable and sustainable future for the San Diego region.” The SDCP states its goal is “to manage our electricity supply, taking advantage of the affordable, common sense options available for cleaner power, today and for future generations.”
Which cities are currently under SDCP jurisdiction?
The cities of Imperial Beach, La Mesa, Encinitas, San Diego, and Chula Vista all established ordinances and resolved to join together to form the SDCP in September 2019. National City and the County of San Diego voted and joined the SDCP in 2021. SDCP has a board of elected representatives from each city’s jurisdiction. San Diego Community Power is continuing to expand as more local and neighboring communities vote on energy matters and come to a decision on whether or not to join.
All residents of these jurisdictions are automatically enrolled in the SDCP NEM program.
How is SDCP’s Net Energy Metering (NEM) different?
50% to 100% of the energy drawn from the grid is renewable, while SDG&E’s is 31%. SDCP’s credits or charges are monthly compared to once annually for SDG&E. This also means SDCP’s standard monthly billing of generation saves you from the big bill shock at annual true-up (that was common with SDG&E’s billing cycle). SDCP’s compensation of the wholesale rate plus $0.0075 cents/kWh for net annual surplus, while SDG&E’s is only the wholesale rate. Lastly, a significant score for solar is no longer having to call to request a refund check for compensation. SDCP offers automatic compensation checks from the amount of $100 to $2,500 per account.
Important SDCP facts:
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- The SDCP program does not change your solar system operations.
- You keep your original account with SDG&E and therefore are still billed through SDG&E. (This also means the original agreement on who is responsible for all maintenance and transmission is unchanged and is SDG&E.)
- The energy you import is greener because it comes from renewable sources.
- Your electric generation will be slightly cheaper, however, there are separate SDCP fees. (All in all, we at Sungenia believe the cost will most likely still resemble a traditional bill from SDG&E.)
- The SDCP program billing rates are under a standard monthly plan – where the owner of the solar system will need to pay every month for any net import months. Credits will also roll over from month to month and you still true up at the end of the year.
- If you overproduce on the year, you are paid the standard surplus compensation (same as SDG&E) plus a small SDCP bonus incentive.
- You have the option to opt out of the SDCP program at any time, although it may take a billing cycle to complete the transition.
Sungenia’s Takeaway:
SDCP is still a new program so there’s not much data to analyze. Team Sungenia supports the initiative for more renewable energy sources. We have found the program to be a relatively easy transition as everything is still through SDG&E. Most importantly, you have to remember to pay your bill every month instead of your true-up once a year. Have more questions? We love talking solar! Contact Sungenia today!