Pleasanton joins most of Alameda County in using renewable energy

Customers to make the switch in April

PLEASANTON >> Pleasanton residents will have an alternative energy option this April, more than a year after the city agreed to join a community choice nonprofit committed to providing clean energy.

The City Council on Tuesday approved the default plans customers will receive starting in April from East Bay Community Energy, the energy service provider for its residents, which will offer customers the option of 100% carbonfree electricity.

The council in 2019 agreed to join EBCE, a notfor-profit public agency that provides electricity from clean and renewable sources in Alameda and San Joaquin counties, according to the city. PG&E still will deliver the power, maintain the grid and manage billing.

Pleasanton customers will be given a choice of whether they want to optout of EBCE’s energy plan. They also can decide if they want a different level of service other than the default choice, or continue to purchase power directly from PG&E, which may come with a fee after the first year.

The City Council chose the Brilliant 100 as the default plan for residential and commercial customers, which includes 40% renewable energy and is 100% carbon-free.

Municipal accounts will automatically receive “Renewable 100,” which is 100% renewable and 100% carbon-free energy. Another choice is Bright Choice, which is 38% renewables and 85% carbon-free. The Renewable 100 rates are expected to cost customers one penny per kilowatt more than PG&E; Brilliant 100 choice is expected to be on par with PG&E prices and Bright Choice is expected to be 1.5% lower than PG&E rates, according to the city staff report.

Despite the council agreeing to join EBCE in 2019, the agency needed time to procure the needed energy, according to the city. The energy provider buys solar, wind and renewable hydroelectric energy.

Meanwhile, Dublin has been enrolled in EBCE since 2018, but as of last week, its city council agreed to change the default preferences to the Renewable 100 choice. They were previously enrolled in Bright Choice, and it will be at least six months or more before the new plan takes place. Residents can still opt out of the default Renewable 100.

Other Alameda County cities that enrolled in November 2018 include Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Piedmont, Oakland, San Leandro and Union City, plus the unincorporated areas of Alameda County.

EBCE also announced Newark would commit to starting the energy service this year. The city of Alameda has its own municipal utility.

The initial rollout of EBCE offerings toward the end of 2018 caused some confusion among residents throughout Alameda County, with some not clear about what the opting-out meant. Many residents were not aware that they were automatically enrolled, and others found the bills confusing.