Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice will launch on October 1st, 2022 for all residential and municipal accounts. Following this initial phase, EPIC will be rolled out to all energy customers citywide on March 1, 2023.
When California deregulated the energy market in 1997, many Californians switched to alternative energy providers. Following the energy crisis of 2000-01, consumer choice of electricity providers was suspended. As a response to the closing of the open market, Assembly Bill 117 was passed in 2002 to establish Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), which offers an opportunity for Californians to choose their electric provider and the source of their electricity. CCA is a model that allows communities to purchase power to meet their electricity needs, offering an alternative in the market. CCAs can provide the communities they serve competitively priced, clean energy choices while reinvesting revenues into projects and programs, supporting the local economy.
No. Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice and Southern California Edison work together so that you will receive just one bill from Southern California Edison each month. EPIC’s charges for electricity generation are included on your Southern California Edison bill, so customers enjoy a seamless transition from Southern California Edison generation service to Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice.
Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice charges for generating the electricity you use. When you begin receiving electric generation from Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice, the charges for generation that used to go to Southern California Edison are replaced by charges from Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice. Southern California Edison will continue to charge for the transmission and delivery of electricity, along with a variety of other regulatory and program charges at the same rates they always have. There are no duplicate charges for electricity generation. Any payment processes you have in place with Southern California Edison, such as automatic bill pay or online account access, will not be affected.
You will continue to get just one bill from Southern California Edison. A few lines on the bill will change, since the charges for power generation will go to Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice instead of Southern California Edison.
Yes. Those who are currently on a Budget Billing Plan with Southern California Edison (SCE) will automatically be enrolled in a Budget Billing Plan with Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice. If you would like to enroll in a Budget Billing Plan, please contact SCE at (800) 974-2356. You can read more about discounts and rebates here.
Southern California Edison charges Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice customers a Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (PCIA) calculated based on the number of kilowatt hours used each month.
The PCIA is intended to ensure that customers who switch to Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice pay for energy that was acquired by Southern California Edison to serve them prior to their switch. The PCIA is determined based on when the customer switched to Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice and whether they are a residential or a commercial customer.
If you ever have questions about the Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice portion of your bill, you can visit our website to see a detailed breakdown of the bill at PalmdaleEPICenergy.org, call us at (661)267-5419, or email us at EPICsupport@palmdaleepicenergy.com
If you have questions about the Southern California Edison portion of your bill, please contact Southern California Edison at (800) 974-2356.
Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice provides electricity generation only. As a Community Choice Aggregation program, our scope is limited to generation services and cannot expand to include metering services. Therefore, Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice does not have any control over whether or not our customers receive Smart Meters from Southern California Edison.
Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice generates power. Southern California Edison owns and maintains the energy distribution system, including the meters at your home or business. If you wish to opt out of a Smart Meter, please contact Southern California Edison directly.
EPIC gets its electricity from suppliers that have gone through a rigorous qualification and selection process. These suppliers, much like Southern California Edison, get their electricity from a variety of generation sources. Our EPIC Power option offers clean energy at the lowest possible rates, and meets or exceeds state mandates for renewable energy sourced power. The energy comes from renewable sources such as hydroelectric, wind, and solar. The EPIC Power100 option provides electricity from 100% renewable sources.
EPIC contracts with private firms to procure energy. Moving forward, we plan to incorporate steadily increasing amounts of renewable energy, with a goal of incorporating locally generated power.
EPIC Power is Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice’s default electricity service. All customers automatically start with EPIC Power. EPIC Power offers clean energy at the lowest possible rates, and meets or exceeds state mandates for renewable energy sourced power. This option is comparable to the local investor-owned utility Southern California Edison.
At Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice, we pride ourselves on giving our customers the power to choose. Our standard product, EPIC Power, offers clean energy at the lowest possible rates, and meets or exceeds state mandates for renewable energy sourced power. Alternatively, EPIC Power100 gives customers an opportunity to opt up to 100% carbon-free energy at a competitive price.
Yes! At Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice, we offer you the power to choose. That includes switching between our EPIC Power and 100% renewable EPIC Power100 products.
Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice’s standard product, “EPIC Power,” offers clean energy at the lowest possible rates, and meets or exceeds state mandates for renewable energy sourced power. Upon the start of service, all customers are automatically enrolled in EPIC Power. Customers also could choose to opt up to “EPIC Power100,” which is 100% renewable sourced energy. As an SCE customer you do not have a choice in the type of energy you buy, you simply take what SCE purchases. This makes Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice better for consumers and our community.
We are required to report to the California Public Utilities Commission and California Energy Commission on an annual basis to verify the amount of renewable energy procured for our customers. This is the same standard used by other California utilities, such as Southern California Edison, for verification purposes.
Simply contact our customer service center at (661)267-5419 or visit PalmdaleEPICenergy.org to opt up to 100% renewable service with EPIC Power100. It’s that easy!
Yes. Through Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice (EPIC’s) net energy metering program, called “EPIC Empowerment,” customers with net energy metering systems have the opportunity to receive credits for future energy service and even receive cash back when their systems produce excess energy. As part of EPIC Empowerment, your system’s energy production will be monitored on a monthly basis. If you use more energy than your system produces in a given month, you will be charged for the energy you draw from the grid. However, if you produce more energy than you consume, you will receive a credit on your bill that can be applied to charges in future months. If you have a credit of $100 or more during the October billing cycle of each year as determined by the EPIC Net Energy Metering Schedule, you will receive a check for that amount from EPIC. It’s that simple!
EPIC prides itself on offering cleaner, greener energy at affordable rates comparable to Southern California Edison. Historically, Southern California Edison has been the default power provider to most customers. However, in 2002 when state legislators passed California’s Community Choice Aggregation law, this default status was transferred from Southern California Edison to local community choice programs like Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice.
State law requires that as we begin to implement our service, we must contact our customers in writing a minimum of four times to notify them that they will soon begin receiving Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice electric service. We do this via mail.
For decades, Southern California Edison has been the default power provider in our region, with little or no alternative for most customers. In an effort to even the playing field and enable CCAs to launch and provide consumers with other choices, part of California’s CCA law requires Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice to operate as an opt-out program and become the default provider of electric generation for customers within our service area. Customer choice is very important to us, so we provide four written notices to our customers so that you can choose where your electricity comes from and how your dollars are spent.
Enrollment for all residential accounts citywide will begin on October 1st, 2022. You will receive four notices via mail informing you of your enrollment date and other details about commercial accounts, with one notice each month in August, September, November, and December 2022. Enrollment for commercial accounts will begin March 1, 2023, and will receive similar noticing about enrollment in January, February, April, and May 2023.
Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice (EPIC) customers who are already enrolled in Southern California Edison (SCE)’s net energy metering program will automatically be enrolled in EPIC’s net energy metering program, EPIC Empowerment. If you are new to net energy metering, please contact SCE at (800) 974-2356 to submit your interconnection application. Once you are enrolled with SCE’s program, you will automatically be enrolled in EPIC Empowerment.
At Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice (EPIC), we value choice, and we are happy to honor yours. EPIC prides itself on offering cleaner, greener energy at affordable rates comparable to Southern California Edison. However, if you would like to opt out of EPIC and remain with Southern California Edison, you are free to do so. If you have received an enrollment notice, you can choose to opt out now; otherwise, you must wait until your enrollment period begins, as it is during this period that Southern California Edison will provide us with your account information to allow us to make the switch.
If you are not located within our current service area, we cannot process your opt-out request. You will be able to make a choice of provider once your account is eligible for competitive service. It is not yet eligible, so we cannot process your opt-out request. This means that you will continue to be served by Southern California Edison and will receive notices in the mail when your account becomes eligible to make a choice of power provider.
All energy customers within the Palmdale City limits should receive four notices regarding their enrollment date of October 1st, 2022, with the first notice arriving in August. If your neighbor received a notice but you did not, you may be outside the City limits. If your service address is within Palmdale city limits and you have not received a notice, please contact us at (661)267-5419 or email us at EPICsupport@palmdaleepicenergy.com
If your service address is located within the City of Palmdale, yes, we would welcome you to join Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice (EPIC)! All residential accounts citywide will begin service in October 2022, with commercial accounts beginning service March 1, 2023.
No. Unfortunately, customers can only participate if their service address is located within the Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice service area, which is defined by Palmdale’s city limits.
Establishing service is easy. Simply contact Southern California Edison one week before you will need service at your new address and schedule an appointment by calling Southern California Edison at (800) 974-2356.
New customers who move into the Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice service area are automatically enrolled into Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice and will be mailed two notices within the first 60 days of service with information about their options.
No. Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice (EPIC) supports your power to choose! A customer may opt out of participation and remain with the Southern California Edison. The choice is yours.
If you have received an enrollment notice, you can choose to opt out now; otherwise, you must wait until your enrollment period begins, as it is during this period that SCE will provide us with your account information to allow us to make the switch.
To opt out, visit our Opt Out webpage here, or call (661)267-5419.
Customers who opt out before or within the first 60 days of Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice (EPIC) service may return to EPIC at any time. Customers who opt out after the first 60 days of service with EPIC will be prohibited by Southern California Edison from returning to EPIC for one year.
Electric customers in the City of Palmdale will be enrolled in Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice starting in October 2022 unless they choose to opt out. Those customers enrolled will have the opportunity to opt out within 60 days of the enrollment date with no penalty. After the first 60 days of service, Southern California Edison will charge a one-time administrative fee to make the switch. That fee is $0.47, as of August 2022, and any adjustments to that fee is set by SCE and approved by the CPUC. After the 60-day enrollment period, if you choose to return to SCE service immediately, Southern California Edison (SCE)’s transitional rates and customer responsibility surcharge will apply for a 6-month period. You may also choose to provide SCE with a 6-month Advanced Notice of your return. Under this option, your generation service will continue to be provided by EPIC for a period of 6 months. After the 6 months waiting period, your account will be transitioned back to SCE’s bundled service rates. With the 6-month advance notice, the transitional bundled rates and customer responsibility surcharge do not apply.
Under either option, you may apply to opt back into EPIC at any time but may be put on a waiting list in the event of a large number of return requests in that time period.
As an Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice customer, you may choose to switch between our two product offerings, EPIC Power and 100% renewable EPIC Power100, at any time.
Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice (EPIC) is the City of Palmdale’s new, locally controlled electricity provider designed exclusively for the Palmdale community. As a municipal service, we are proud to offer electric rates that provide our customers with green energy at competitive rates compared to Southern California Edison (SCE). We provide the energy for you, known as supply generation, and our charge replaces what SCE would have charged for that component of your electric bill. Southern California Edison still delivers the power over their lines and wires and continues to charge you for it. Customers will continue to receive one billing document from SCE, which will now display charges separately for both SCE Delivery and EPIC Generation. Note that there are no duplicate charges as the charges are for different services provided by each entity.
Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice was formed in 2019 and will begin serving customers in 2022.
To put it simply, we provide clean electricity, and Southern California Edison delivers it. In more detail, we supply green power to homes and businesses while our partner, Southern California Edison, continues to do the billing, delivers the energy, maintains the power lines, and handles all new service requests and emergencies.
To participate in Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice, your service address must be within the city limits of the City of Palmdale.
Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice provides electric generation, which is the source of your power, while Southern California Edison continues to provide electric delivery and billing services just as they always have. Southern California Edison still owns and reads your electric meter, sends your monthly bill, and provides the same maintenance and other repair services they did previously.
No. Southern California Edison continues to provide all electric delivery, billing, and power line maintenance. Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice only replaces the electric generation services providing renewable energy content at competitive rates.
All customers within the Palmdale city limits are covered by Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice service area.
The Palmdale City Council governs Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice. The program is administered by City staff.
There is no charge for opting out of Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice (EPIC) before or within the first 60 days of service. After the first 60 days of service, Southern California Edison will charge a one-time administrative fee to make the switch. That fee is $0.47, as of August 2022, and any adjustments to that fee is set by SCE and approved by the CPUC. After the 60-day enrollment period, if you choose to return to SCE service immediately, Southern California Edison (SCE)’s transitional rates and customer responsibility surcharge will apply for a 6-month period. You may also choose to provide SCE with a 6-month Advanced Notice of your return. Under this option, your generation service will continue to be provided by EPIC for a period of 6 months. After the 6 months waiting period, your account will be transitioned back to SCE’s bundled service rates. With the 6-month advance notice, the transitional bundled rates and customer responsibility surcharge do not apply.
Under either option, you may apply to opt back into EPIC at any time but may be put on a waiting list in the event of a large number of return requests in that time period.
Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice is funded by the rates customers pay for energy service from Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice.
No. The costs of Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice are funded by the rates customers pay for Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice service.
No. The Palmdale City Council governs Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice; there is no separate Board of Directors. Governing Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice is a component of their service as City Council Members.
Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice strives to provide its customers with increased renewable energy at a rate that is competitive with Southern California Edison’s rates. Our standard product, EPIC Power, is comparable to Southern California Edison’s service. Our 100% renewable product, EPIC Power100, costs just $0.01 per kilowatt hour premium above the applicable EPIC Power rate.
Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice is governed by the Palmdale City Council. Every year, the City Council goes through a rate-setting process based on the projected energy costs for that year. This process is held at public hearings during the City Council’s regularly scheduled meetings. The public is welcome to attend.
Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice rates are set annually based on the projected cost of energy. The Palmdale City Council, which governs Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice, is committed to providing Palmdale residents, businesses, and organizations with cleaner energy at an affordable rate. Unlike the rates of the local investor-owned utility, which are set by the California Public Utilities Commission in San Francisco, Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice rates are set right here in Palmdale at Palmdale City Hall. The public is welcome to attend the rate setting meetings and participate in the process.
Yes. Customers who have the appropriate Southern California Edison-approved direct load control device installed, programmed, and activated may continue to participate in the SDP demand response program.
Yes. CARE, FERA, and Medical Baseline are available to Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice customers. Customers enrolled in EPIC continue to receive their CARE, FERA, and Medical Baseline discount within their Southern California Edison delivery charges; there is no need to reapply with Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice. New CARE, FERA, and Medical Baseline enrollments or renewals must still be done through Southern California Edison’s customer service center or website.
Yes. The California Public Utilities Commission authorizes Southern California Edison to collect fees, called public goods charges, from all customers to fund energy efficiency and renewable energy incentive programs. Southern California Edison will still collect these fees and Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice customers will remain eligible for these incentives and services.
No. Southern California Edison must provide the same rates for all customers in their service area whether or not they receive electricity from Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice or another third-party energy service provider. EPIC does not influence the delivery fees charged by SCE. You may find more information about SCE rates here.