Butte County could soon join 18 other California governments generating their own electric power.
Community Choice Aggregation programs have given California citizens “the ability to aggregate the electric loads of residents, businesses, and public facilities to facilitate the purchase and sale of electricity in a more competitive market,” according to a feasibility report that was issued earlier this year.
Community Choice Aggregation would allow the county to generate its own electricity for residents and businesses.
The main idea of CCA, according to the POWERButte website, is to “generate a more competitive market for the purchase and sale of electricity.”
“In Butte County, a program like this would take around $4.5 to $6 million to get the program started, but county officials are confident they can make that money back in two to five years,” said Erik Gustafson, one of the proponents of starting a CCA in Butte County
This option was first approved by the state legislature in 2002 when communities were looking for a way to break the PG&E monopoly. It allows governments to make decisions on how the electricity is distributed and priced because more than one company would be allowed to generate electricity.
But what does it mean for residents?
CCA means that power could be purchased from any source, not just PG&E, which currently generates power for Butte County. It would take away much of the power that PG&E has gained over the electricity in the county, and “creates local control of electricity generation, which can be responsive to local economic and environmental goals.” said Bill Seguine, director of Property Development and Facilities Management at Enloe Medical Center.
So while PG&E will still be in charge of distributing the power, as well as providing meter readings and maintenance, it would no longer be in charge of generating all the power.
The flexibility that comes with purchasing power from places other than PG&E could save Butte County, both residents and businesses, upwards of $4 million dollars a year, according to the feasibility report. The average residence in Chico could save about $29 a year, while places with higher energy consumption could see their savings reach hundreds of dollars.
Some of the program goals include:
• lowering costs of electricity bills for residents and businesses,
• giving the consumer choices in the type of electricity they choose,
• creating more local business tools, such as special rates for businesses, and generating more funding for local energy-related projects.
Chico residents have begun noticing an increase in their electricity bills in the last year, an issue that affects many people but especially students, who typically do not have the funds to adjust so quickly to steadily increasing bills.
“ I’ve noticed my electricity bills rising consistently when I have not changed the amount of power I used in all four years that I’ve lived in my house,” said Tiana Echols, a senior at Chico State. ‘I think it’s definitely time for Chico to do something about it.”
-- Natalia Marcus
Graphics Credit: LlDavis
