At a time when higher natural gas prices are driving up energy costs, the new Power Saver Rewards Program is providing over $55 million in bill credits to participating Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) customers. PG&E thanks its customers for their significant conservation efforts, which helped avert rotating power outages during extended periods of record-setting temperatures in the summer of 2022.
Power Saver Rewards Program rewards residential participants for temporarily reducing energy use when the demand for electricity is high. Event days are triggered by the state’s grid operator, the California Independent System Operator, calling a Flex Alert and/or an Energy Emergency Alert Watch. Notifications to customers to reduce energy use as part of the program are sent out the day before an event. Over the ten event days in 2022, the average customer bill credit for program participants was $35.
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Currently more than 1.6 million customers are enrolled in the program. Customers who reduced energy use between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. on event days will receive a bill credit on their February or March energy statement, depending on their billing cycle. The credit will be automatically applied; customers do not need to contact PG&E. Customers receive $2 per kilowatt hour (kWh)1 for decreasing electricity use during events. There is no penalty for not reducing energy.
“This new program is a win-win for our customers and the response was overwhelming. The financial reward for taking action not only lessened the demand on the grid, but it also ensured continued reliability and cleaner air,” said Aaron August, PG&E Vice President of Utility Partnerships and Innovation.
The program, initiated by the California Public Utilities Commission, encourages energy conservation to lessen the overall strain on the grid and prevent the need for rotating outages. Customers successfully shifted energy usage away from the times of peak demand on event days.
SOURCE: PR Newswire