West Hollywood Switches to 100% Renewable Power Next Month

West Hollywood residents will find their electricity coming from a new source next month, something businesses will experience beginning in May.

Starting in February, Clean Power Alliance will be the new electricity provider for the community. The CPA provides renewable energy, reducing the impact on the environment from other energy providers.  The city’s current power provider is Southern California Edison.  Customers may choose to opt out of the automatic transfer to the CPA program and remain with SCE.

“Responsibility for the environment is a core value of the City of West Hollywood,” said West Hollywood Councilmember Lindsey Horvath, who represents West Hollywood on the Clean Power Alliance board of directors. “Our city has consistently worked to develop and implement policies that help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save energy, and promote sustainability,”

“I’m thrilled that the City of West Hollywood is taking a huge step forward in providing our community members with cleaner energy on their terms. Our new energy provider, Clean Power Alliance, will provide West Hollywood customers with options for greener, renewable electricity at a lower cost than Southern California Edison. I’m particularly proud that West Hollywood has opted-in at a default of 100% renewable energy, which is the greenest plan available. Importantly, this shift will allow West Hollywood’s residents and businesses to have more control over how our energy is generated, which is good for the environment and for our community.”

Clean Power Alliance is a public agency made up of 31 local governments across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, including the City of West Hollywood, which are working together to bring clean, renewable power choices to communities across Southern California. West Hollywood joined the Clean Power Alliance in September 2017 in anticipation of delivering services in 2019. Clean Power Alliance purchases clean power and Southern California Edison (SCE) will deliver it — nothing else changes about the delivery of electricity. SCE will continue to deliver power to homes and businesses, send one bill, and will continue to be responsible for resolving any issues with electricity service.

The State of California has established goals for communities across the state to move toward 100% clean energy. Clean Power Alliance will more quickly move West Hollywood toward meeting this goal. Residents will be automatically enrolled in Clean Power Alliance’s 100% Green Power rate option, which provides 100% renewable content and gives customers the opportunity to support sustainability. If customers decide 100% Green Power is not the right fit for them, they will be able to select one of Clean Power Alliance’s other two rate options: Lean Power, which provides 36% renewable content at the lowest possible cost, and Clean Power, which provides 50% renewable content and the opportunity to support building a cleaner future. No matter the rate option, Clean Power Alliance offers the shared benefits of local management and control, stable, competitive rates, and higher renewable content.

Customers will still have access to special rates or programs such as CARE, FERA, Medical Baseline, Level Pay, and Summer Discounts. Customers currently enrolled in the CARE, FERA, and Medical Baseline assistance programs will be charged the same rates they would have paid to SCE. Clean Power Alliance will also develop new and unique programs exclusively for local customers. Clean Power Alliance’s 100% Green Power rate option is also subsidized for low-income customers.

Community members currently receiving SCE services received their first notice from Clean Power Alliance in December 2018, which contained additional details, including instructions on how to choose a different rate option and customer support contact information. Customers in West Hollywood will receive a total of four notices by mail before and after the switch from SCE to Clean Power Alliance. Clean Power Alliance service for residential customers will begin in February 2019, and service for non-residential customers is scheduled to begin in May 2019.

West Hollywood is dedicated to sustainability and preserving the environment. In 2011, the city released its Climate Action Plan, which is designed to address climate change and reduce the community’s greenhouse gas emissions at the local level. Although climate change is a global problem, the city has recognized that many strategies to adapt to a changing climate are best enacted at the local level. The city’s Climate Action Plan outlines a series of actions that West Hollywood is taking to reduce its contributions to global climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

More information about the City’s participation in the Clean Power Alliance is available online.