Community Choice Energy (CCE) is coming to Goleta! On August 20, Goleta City Council voted to join Monterey Bay Community Power, a Community Choice Energy provider serving counties from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz. Community Choice Energy enables cities, counties and other authorized entities that aggregate electricity demand within their jurisdictions to purchase and/or generate electricity supplies for those residents and businesses. The day-to-day experience for the customer is the same; the difference being that the energy is purchased through the CCE.
The CCE model puts energy purchasing and pricing options into the hands of local decision-makers and allows the community to determine what type of energy mix serves its needs. This new partnership will make it easier and quicker for residents and businesses to adopt clean energy technologies while providing a competitive rate. Customers have the right to opt out of the CCE program and continue to receive service from the incumbent utility.
Joining a CCE program was a key component to the City of Goleta’s Climate Action Plan (2014) and Strategic Energy Plan (2019), and will help move the City towards its 100% renewable electricity goal and reduce local carbon emissions. Benefits of joining Monterey Bay Community Power include taking advantage of their incentive programs which will be available upon enrollment. These programs currently focus on reducing the cost of electric vehicles, developing renewable energy microgrids, building local solar projects, and increasing energy efficiency in the Central Coast region. Goleta will be enrolled in Monterey Bay Community Power starting in 2021.
Goleta’s decision to join Monterey Bay Community Power followed the County of Santa Barbara’s choice to pursue it as their Community Choice Energy provider on July 16. Other jurisdictions in the region, such as the Cities of Carpinteria, Santa Maria and Guadalupe have joined or are considering joining. Monterey Bay Community Power will likely rebrand to reflect the Central Coast communities.
Learn more about Monterey Bay Community Power here: www.mbcommunitypower.org, and stay tuned for more details. Sign up to receive news on Community Choice Energy and other sustainable topics here.