Tell Irvine’s City Council to Implement Community Choice Energy (CCE) Now

CCE will bring Irvine families choice, clean electricity, lower bills and millions of dollars for city programs

November 10, 2019 -- The City of Irvine has yet to implement an energy program that a city-funded study released in June said would bring Irvine $10.6 million in annual net revenue, save Irvine families $7.7 million a year and significantly reduce the city's carbon footprint.  It also gives Irvine families and businesses a choice in electricity providers other than monopoly SoCal Edison, which is planning a 20% rate increase for all customers in 2020*.

Community Choice Energy (CCE) programs already serve over
10 million California families in 63 cities across 9 counties.  All of them have consistently delivered cleaner power at rates equal to or lower than traditional power companies.

In September 2018, Irvine paid over $180,000 to consultants to study CCE and develop the city’s energy plan. The study found that in addition to bringing the city $10.6 million in annual net revenue and $7.7 million in annual savings for Irvine consumers, CCE will bring $120,000 in annual municipal electricity savings and achieve 100% clean energy by 2035 at no additional cost to customers. 

Six months after the study was completed, the Irvine City Council has yet to discuss the findings. We’ve watched patiently as the city scheduled a vote on CCE for October, postponed it to December, and then changed that meeting to a “study session,” with no vote scheduled. We cannot delay any longer.

SoCal Edison currently gets 66% of Irvine’s electricity from carbon-intensive sources such as coal and natural gas, and Californians pay 50% higher electricity rates than the national average.  In contrast, every CCE program launched to date has default rates that are lower than the monopoly utility.

Please sign this petition to tell Irvine’s leaders to schedule a vote and implement CCE now. No more delays. We deserve a CHOICE.

*At the 2019 California Community Choice Association Conference, an energy industry expert, attorney and member of the Conference of California Public Utility Counsel said during a panel discussion that SoCal Edison is expected to implement a 20.1% rate increase across the board in 2020.