CCA money · CCA
Pioneer Community Energy
Serves Placer and El Dorado county communities, Grass Valley and Nevada City; Butte, Sutter and Tuolumne communities join in 2027.
PG&Eutility territory
2018started serving
18member cities in the index
+12.8%default bill vs utility, PG&E March 1, 2026 / CCA March 2026
Default product compared with the utility
| Rates as of | Utility | Schedule | Utility bill | Default product | Difference | All products | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG&E March 1, 2026 / CCA March 2026 | PG&E Placer County (Pioneer 2017 vintage) | E-1 · 580 kWh | $229 | $249 | +8.7% | Pioneer Community Energy $249; Pioneer Green100 $256 | source |
| PG&E March 1, 2026 / CCA March 2026 | PG&E El Dorado County, Grass Valley, Nevada City (2022 vintage) | E-1 · 543 kWh | $214 | $241 | +12.8% | Pioneer Community Energy $241; Pioneer Green100 $247 | source |
| September 1, 2025 | PG&E Placer County | E-1 · 632 kWh | $276 | $272 | −1.4% | Pioneer Community Energy $272; Pioneer Green100 $279 | source |
| September 1, 2025 | PG&E El Dorado County, Grass Valley, Nevada City (2022 vintage) | E-1 · 590 kWh | $255 | $234 | −8.3% | Pioneer Community Energy $234; Pioneer Green100 $240 | source |
| March 1, 2025 | PG&E Pioneer service area | E-1 · 613 kWh | $273 | $269 | −1.4% | Pioneer Community Energy $269; Pioneer Green100 $275 | source |
| January 1, 2025 | PG&E Pioneer service area | E-1 · 613 kWh | $268 | $265 | −1.4% | Pioneer Community Energy $265; Pioneer Green100 $271 | source |
| July 1, 2024 | PG&E Pioneer service area | E-1 · 612 kWh | $258 | $255 | −1.1% | Pioneer Community Energy $255; Pioneer Green100 $262 | source |
| April 1, 2024 | PG&E Pioneer service area | E-1 · 612 kWh | $284 | $273 | −3.8% | Pioneer Community Energy $273; Pioneer Green100 $279 | source |
| March 1, 2022 | PG&E Placer County area | E-1 · 690 kWh | $241 | $231 | −4.3% | Pioneer Community Energy $231; Pioneer Green100 $238 | source |
| June 21, 2021 | PG&E Placer County area (pre-2022 service area) | E-1 · 741 kWh | $213 | $222 | +3.9% | Pioneer Community Energy $222; Pioneer Green100 $230 | source |
Finances
| Year | Revenue | Power cost | Operating result | Change in net position | Net position / fund balance | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2021 | $82.6 million | — | — | $2.1 million | $24.1 million | audited From the Audit & Finance Committee packet (Jan 3 2024) that includes the FY2022-23 audited statements. | source |
| FY2022 | $115.6 million | $96.4 million | $11.9 million | $12.4 million | $36.5 million | audited Sales net $114,994,421; total opex $103,735,929. | source |
| FY2023 | $199.6 million | $154.8 million | $35.4 million | $35.9 million | $72.3 million | audited Sales net $199,266,165; total opex $164,224,209. | source |
Credit ratings
- S&P A- — assigned announced Feb 21 2024 (CalCCA post) source
Money returned to customers
- 2026-03-01 Third consecutive generation-rate cut (−16%, to a 10% discount to PG&E generation) — a rate action, not a credit: – source
Savings it reports
No method is published for these figures.
- 2025 “since launching in 2018, we have saved our customers $108 million and we project another $31 million in customer savings this year” source
- undated (commercial-rates page) “From 2018 – 2025, Pioneer has saved customers an estimated $145 million” source
Member cities
Auburn · Chico · Colfax · Colusa · Grass Valley · Lincoln · Live Oak · Loomis · Nevada City · Orland · Oroville · Paradise · Placerville · Rocklin · Sonora · Williams · Willows · Yuba City
Other money with member cities
| Date | City | Kind | Figure | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-21 | Oroville | Study / start-up | not to exceed $15,000 city pays | Strategic Energy Experts advisory contract up to $15,000 ($130–$285 an hour); scope includes withdrawing from Pioneer and its costs. | passage · city original |
| 2026-04-07 | Oroville | Study / start-up | NOT-TO-EXCEED $40,000.00 city pays | Oroville, already in Pioneer, hires NewGen (up to $40,000) to compare a municipal utility or city-run CCA with PG&E or Pioneer. | passage · city original |
| 2025-01-21 | Yuba City | Joining | no fiscal impact | Yuba City staff: no cost to join Pioneer; new members' costs are funded through Pioneer rates. | passage · city original |
| 2025-01-15 | Live Oak | Joining | no fiscal impact | Live Oak introduces its Pioneer ordinance; staff: no risk to the General Fund. | passage · city original |
| 2025-01-14 | Paradise | Study / start-up | $15,000 city pays · approved / budgeted | Jurisdictions joining Pioneer, including Paradise, split a cap of $15,000 to fund half the Impact Assessment Study cost; Pioneer paid the other half. | passage · city original |
| 2024-12-16 | Sonora | Study / start-up | $2,008 city pays | Sonora's usage-based share of Pioneer's $30,000 impact study: $2,008 (Tuolumne County pays $12,992). | passage · city original |
| 2024-12-10 | Willows | Study / start-up | $5,000 city pays · estimate / proposal | Willows would pay $5,000 as its share of a $30,000 Pioneer Community Energy Impact Assessment Study, with Pioneer funding half and Glenn County and Orland also paying $5,000 each. | passage · city original |
| 2024-10-02 | Live Oak | Study / start-up | $30,000 city pays · actual / audited | Total Impact Assessment Study cost $30,000; Pioneer paid half and Sutter County, Yuba City and Live Oak split the rest, $5,000 each. Marked figure is the total, not Live Oak's share. | passage · city original |
| 2024-10-02 | Live Oak | Study / start-up | $15,000 city pays · actual / audited | Remaining $15,000 of the $30,000 Impact Assessment Study for Pioneer expansion is split among Sutter County, Yuba City and Live Oak, $5,000 each; Pioneer paid the other half. | passage · city original |
| 2024-10-02 | Live Oak | Study / start-up | $5,000 city pays | Live Oak's share of Pioneer's $30,000 Impact Assessment Study: $5,000; Pioneer paid half. | passage · city original |
| 2024-10-01 | Oroville | Study / start-up | $30,000 city pays · actual / audited | Total Impact Assessment Study cost was $30,000; Pioneer paid half and Oroville, Butte County, Chico and Paradise each paid $3,750 of the rest. | passage · city original |
| 2024-10-01 | Oroville | Study / start-up | $3,750 city pays | Pioneer's Impact Assessment Study cost $30,000; Pioneer paid half and Oroville paid a $3,750 share. 'No additional General Funds are required.' | passage · city original |
| 2024-10-01 | Chico | Study / start-up | $3,750 city pays | Chico's $3,750 share of Pioneer's $30,000 Impact Assessment Study, as stated in Oroville's packet. | passage · city original |
| 2024-08-07 | West Sacramento | Study / start-up | $15,000 city pays · estimate / proposal | Mayor proposes West Sacramento spend $15,000 on a Pioneer Community Energy feasibility assessment for citywide CCA implementation, pending Council consideration. | passage · city original |
| 2024-07-16 | Oroville | Joining | no fiscal impact | Oroville sends Pioneer a letter of interest after Butte Choice's board decided not to launch; staff say a new CCA is still not financially feasible. | passage · city original |
| 2024-07-09 | Paradise | Study / start-up | $3750 city pays | Paradise authorizes up to $3,750 as its share of Pioneer's impact study; a resident objected to the Town paying. | passage · city original |
| 2024-06-18 | Yuba City | Study / start-up | $15,000 city pays · estimate / proposal | Yuba City's estimated share of a jointly commissioned Pioneer impact assessment study is about one-third of the $15,000 half-cost not covered by Pioneer; allocation to be finalized later. | passage · city original |
| 2024-06-18 | Yuba City | Study / start-up | $5,000 city pays | Yuba City's share of Pioneer's impact assessment study: $5,000 (about one-third of $15,000). | passage · city original |
| 2022-10-26 | Colfax | Joining | no fiscal impact | Colfax, a Pioneer founding member, considers admitting Grass Valley and Nevada City; no direct fiscal impact. | passage · city original |
| 2022-10-26 | Nevada City | Joining | no fiscal impact | Nevada City approves joining Pioneer (Resolution 2022-64, ordinance first reading); no risk to the general fund. | passage · city original |
| 2022-10-11 | Grass Valley | Joining | no fiscal impact | Grass Valley joins Pioneer (Resolution 2022-77, Ordinance 819 first reading); staff: study cost capped at $15,000 and no risk to the general fund. | passage · city original |
| 2022-08-10 | Nevada City | Study / start-up | $15,000 city pays | Nevada City pays $15,000, half of Pioneer's implementation study; Pioneer pays the rest. | passage · city original |
| 2022-03-22 | Grass Valley | Study / start-up | $15,000 city pays | Grass Valley's share of Pioneer's implementation study: $15,000; Pioneer pays the other $15,000. | passage · city original |