Officials say the purpose of the alliance is to expand the access and use of renewable energy at a competitive price.“The bottom-line mission of the CEA is to get everybody at 100 percent renewable” by 2035, said Dave Druker, a Del Mar council member and chair of the CEA board, which is comprised of elected representatives from the member cities.
Residents won’t notice much change in their bills, which will continue to be processed by SDG&E, said Escondido deputy city manager Chris McKinney. The utility will continue to charge for use of its transmission system but show a line item for energy purchases through CEA.In addition to choosing between SDG&E and the alliance, customers will have the option of purchasing a mix of electricity that is 50 percent renewable, 75 percent carbon-free or 100 percent renewable.
However, McKinney said the city received some anxious calls earlier this year when natural gas prices spiked and customers thought it was related to the changeover to the energy alliance, due to the timing of a public notice about the switch.