Skip to main content

Power For the People

In this episode – Power For the People . . .

People often ask me, "You work for a solar company; don’t you have solar on your home?”

Nope!

“With an astonished look, they exclaim, “Why not?”

Here’s the short answer: "I monitor our yearly electricity consumption, which totals approximately 2,500 kWh.”

For comparison, a Walmart Supercenter could use about 10,000 kWh daily on average.

Okay, I get it. Most people might not be familiar with this terminology; they only care about how much they're billed monthly.

Welcome back to On the Fly! Today, our virtual assistant, Professor Watts, will join us to discuss a program called Community Choice Aggregation, or CCA, that helps Californians choose a cleaner energy future with better rates.

San Diego County is known for its beautiful beaches and vibrant community. Now, the cities of Solana Beach, Del Mar, Carlsbad, Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos, and Vista are leading the way in sustainability thanks to their participation in a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program.

This is very recent. On May 1, 2021, The Clean Energy Alliance (CEA) began offering energy services, providing residents with cleaner energy, competitive rates, local programs, and local control. In July 2022, CEA expanded into the cities of Oceanside and Vista.

What exactly is CCA?

Professor Watts: Community Choice Aggregation allows communities to join forces and buy electricity. This gives residents more control over their energy source and potentially lower rates. Traditionally, your electricity comes from a big utility company; in San Diego County, it’s San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), but with CCA, communities have more autonomy.

That's an interesting explanation, Professor Watts! But how can CCA specifically benefit Vista residents?

Professor Watts: Here’s how it works:

Clean Energy Alliance purchases electricity directly from energy suppliers for residents and local businesses. San Diego Gas & Electric manages billing, transmission, and distribution, ensuring customers receive energy at competitive prices.

"OK, but what are the financial advantages for residents?"

Patrick: Here’s a direct example from our most recent SDG&E bill. Our utility rate for electricity is about $0.41 per kWh, while our CCA rate varies between $0.05 and $0.13 per kWh, depending on time-of-day usage.

How is this possible?

Residents benefit from lower rates with the CCA provider because they buy electricity in bulk as a community. Additionally, some CCA plans offer more renewable energy, which might cost a bit more but allows residents to support clean energy sources directly.

That’s a win-win in my book! Investment-wise, owning a rooftop solar system does not provide a better electricity rate. Rooftop solar benefits its owner during peak production hours, typically 10 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The highest rates charged by the utility are from 4:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. When you're not using the power generated by your solar system at home, it is sent to the grid for the utility to sell to others on demand. Since you're connected to the grid, you will be billed by the utility at a higher rate. Check your utility bill for the On-Peak rate to see the difference.

How can local residents discover more and potentially switch to a CCA provider?

Click the link to view the Clean Energy Alliance (CEA) provider. The provider offers detailed information on plans, pricing, and a straightforward enrollment process.

Thanks, Professor Watts, for that breakdown! Residents of San Diego County, if you're interested in cleaner, potentially cheaper electricity, explore the options offered by the Clean Energy Alliance.

Remember, with CCA, you can choose a greener future for your city!

Power for the People!

I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. I'll see you in the next episode.

Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thanks Patrick - a good simple explanation - keep up the good work. 0
May 18, 2024 at 12:25 PM
Post a Comment

Most Popular of All Time

Night Before Christmas

I n this episode, Night Before Christmas . . .  (In the spirit of Edgar Albert Guest) I’ve wrestled with the tangled lights the way I always do— With just enough patience left to see the project through. I climb the ladder carefully; the years have taught me how. To take my time with every step and keep a steady brow. We hang the faded ornaments I’ve known since I was small, the chipped, the cracked, the tilted ones—I love them best of all. Santa’s lost a bit of paint, the stars’ leaning right, but oh, it casts a holy glow across the room tonight. The kitchen hums with activity, with laughter, and with cheer, as voices drift like echoes from a long-forgotten year. The floor is strewn with paper scraps, the clock is ticking slow, As Christmas finds its own sweet pace and sets our house aglow. The hallway grows a little still; the lights are dimmed, and low, Small shoes are lined in messy pairs to wait for morning’s snow. The fire's warm, the room is full, the world is deep and wide,...
2 comments
Read more

Un-Work the Old-Fashioned Way

🎩   In this special episode. How to Un-Work the Old-Fashioned Way It’s 2026! Yes— this is the year! A different kind of start—you feel it right here? No lists! No demands! No fix-all-your-flaws! No “New You by Tuesday!” No rules! No laws! Those resolutions? Bah! Dusty and dry! We’ve tried fixing everything —so let’s ask why. Why rush and correct and improve and compare, When noticing quietly gets you right there ? So here’s a new project—no charts, no clocks, No boxes to check in your mental inbox. It’s bigger than busy and smaller than grand, It’s called Un-Working —now give me your hand! Un-Working’s not quitting or hiding away, It’s setting things down that shout “Hurry! Hey!” The hustle! The bustle! The faster-than-fast! The gotta-win-now or you’re stuck in the past! That’s the work of Un-Working— plop! —set it free! The titles! The labels! The “Look-At-Me!” The crown that kept sliding and pinching your head— You never looked comfy . . . let’s try this instead: Pick up a tel...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Catch A Reindeer–Christmas 2025

🎧 In this episode, How to Catch A Reindeer Merry Christmas, everyone — and welcome to this year's special holiday edition of On the Fly! Since 2020, Lori and I have been happily creating a special Christmas gift for our nephews, nieces, and close friends: a children's story recorded in our voices, filled with delightful sound effects, music, and just the right touch of seasonal magic to make Santa smile. It's become one of our most cherished traditions — and honestly, it's way easier than trying to wrap a real reindeer! Over the years, we've shared some favorite classics: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, The Night Before Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Santa's Toy Shop. (We've created our own North Pole audiobook library.) This year, we're excited to introduce a new book:  How to Catch a Reindeer  by Alice Walstead. And let me tell you — this one is a ride. It's a high-flying, whimsical Christmas Eve chase starrin...
1 comment
Read more

The Thought Experiment–Revisited

In this episode. The Thought Experiment–Revisited The Boy on a Light Beam In 1895, a sixteen-year-old boy did something we rarely allow ourselves to do anymore. He stared into space and let his mind wander. No phone. No notes. No “Optimization Hacks” for his morning routine. Just a question: What would happen if I chased a beam of light—and actually caught it? That boy was Albert Einstein . And that single act of curiosity—a Gedankenexperiment , a thought experiment—eventually cracked open Newton’s tidy universe and rearranged our understanding of time itself. Not bad for an afternoon of daydreaming. Imagine if Einstein had been “productive” instead. He would have logged the light-beam idea into a Notion database, tagged it #CareerGrowth, and then promptly ignored it to attend a forty-five-minute “Sync” about the color of the departmental logo. He’d have a high Efficiency Score—and we’d still be stuck in a Newtonian universe , wondering why the Wi-Fi is slow. In a post I wrote back in...
2 comments
Read more