City powering up for MCE renewable energy option

Vallejo residents are moving ever-closer to a renewable-energy choice on their power bills beginning in April. Everyone will automatically be enrolled in MCE Clean Energy unless they “opt out.” Customers have 60 days to opt out, according to the company. If they opt out after that, they will be charged $5.

MCE is a local service offered by law from the Community Choice Aggregation program (CCA). PG&E will still remain users’ main service, but if residents choose different MCE plans, 60 percent of that energy can come from renewable sources, 100 percent from renewables from California, and 100 percent from locally produced solar energy, depending on which option they choose.

Current PG&E energy is only 29 percent renewable. Customers can choose a “Light Green” Option (60 percent renewable) or a “Deep Green” (100 percent renewable) option.

Vallejo City Councilmember Katy Miessner was instrumental in making the choice available to Valljoans. MCE touts its prices as being “less than” or comparable to current PG&E rates, though Miessner says it depends on the customer.

“CCA rates are comparable with PG&E,” she said, “sometimes lower, and allow customers greater control of their energy, offering ‘greener’ electricity than the local utility.”

She says that MCE is “about” $6 more a month, but that lower-income residents are given the option for reduced rates.

According to MCE, the “Deep Green” option adds $.01 cent to each kWh used (kilowatt hour).

The key to making MCE successful is customers — the more who sign up, the better our buying power, said Meissner. She also said that the company’s dividends will be invested back into the community and not given to stockholders.

MCE has been hosting informational meetings online and plans a slew of them in the coming weeks. Vallejo residents can go to a “virtual” enrollment information meeting on Wednesday, March 24 and Wednesday, April 7 from 6-8 p.m. There are also drop-in question and answer sessions on April 14, 21, and 28 (Wednesdays, twice daily). To get links to meetings and sessions and to sign up, go to mcecleanenergy.org.