Clean Energy Alliance or SDG&E: what a household pays beta
Clean Energy Alliance buys the electricity for 8 member cities; SDG&E delivers it and sends the bill. Pick your city, rate plan and usage to see the official comparison of a typical bill on each Clean Energy Alliance product and on SDG&E, with an estimate for your own usage.
Every plan on the official comparison
The typical monthly bill printed on the comparison for each residential rate plan, and the difference from SDG&E (red: more, blue: less).
All CEA customers
SDG&E–Clean Energy Alliance joint rate comparison: SDG&E implemented adjustments to its electric rates effective August 1, 2026. CEA updated · SDG&E rates effective August 1, 2026 | CEA rates effective June 1, 2026. Source (fetched 2026-10-20).
| Plan | Typical use | SDG&E | Clean Impact | Clean Impact Plus default | Green Impact Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Tiered · sheet: Standard – DR- Residential | 368 kWh | $176.13 | $170.54 −3.2% | $185.16 +5.1% | $187.55 +6.5% |
| DR CARE Tiered · sheet: Standard – DR- Residential – CARE | 368 kWh | $101.30 | $95.70 −5.5% | $110.32 +8.9% | $112.71 +11.3% |
| DR FERA Tiered · sheet: Standard – DR- Residential – FERA | 368 kWh | $136.71 | $131.11 −4.1% | $145.72 +6.6% | $148.12 +8.3% |
| TOU-DR1 Time-of-use · sheet: Time of Use – TOU-DR1—Residential | 346 kWh | $164.01 | $158.82 −3.2% | $172.56 +5.2% | $174.81 +6.6% |
| TOU-DR1 CARE Time-of-use · sheet: Time of Use – TOU-DR1—Residential – CARE | 346 kWh | $95.70 | $90.49 −5.4% | $104.23 +8.9% | $106.48 +11.3% |
| TOU-DR1 FERA Time-of-use · sheet: Time of Use – TOU-DR1—FERA - Residential | 346 kWh | $126.78 | $121.58 −4.1% | $135.32 +6.7% | $137.57 +8.5% |
| TOU-DR Time-of-use · sheet: Time of Use – TOU-DR-Residential | 395 kWh | $188.29 | $182.55 −3.0% | $198.21 +5.3% | $200.78 +6.6% |
| TOU-DR CARE Time-of-use · sheet: Time of Use – TOU-DR-CARE Residential | 395 kWh | $108.88 | $103.12 −5.3% | $118.79 +9.1% | $121.36 +11.5% |
| TOU-DR2 Time-of-use · sheet: Time of Use – TOU-DR2—Residential | 401 kWh | $184.92 | $179.04 −3.2% | $194.96 +5.4% | $197.56 +6.8% |
| TOU-DR2 CARE Time-of-use · sheet: Time of Use – TOU-DR2—Residential - CARE | 401 kWh | $109.10 | $103.21 −5.4% | $119.13 +9.2% | $121.73 +11.6% |
| TOU-ELEC Electric home · sheet: Time of Use – TOU-ELEC – Residential | 734 kWh | $323.10 | $315.42 −2.4% | $344.57 +6.6% | $349.34 +8.1% |
| EV-TOU-2 Electric vehicle · sheet: Time of Use – EVTOU2 – Residential | 656 kWh | $290.99 | $280.56 −3.6% | $306.60 +5.4% | $310.87 +6.8% |
| EV-TOU-5 Electric vehicle · sheet: Time of Use – EVTOU5 – Residential | 839 kWh | $290.52 | $273.12 −6.0% | $306.44 +5.5% | $311.89 +7.4% |
Why the bills differ
The delivery part of the bill goes to SDG&E whichever provider you choose. What differs is the price of the power itself and the exit fee (the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment, PCIA): a charge on CCA customers for power contracts the utility signed before they left, set by the CPUC each year by the year the customer's community left (its “vintage”). How it moved since 2018, by utility and vintage: the exit fee by year.
Time-of-use (TOU-DR1), Clean Impact Plus: the power price is 17.59¢ a kWh against SDG&E's 12.97¢ (4.62¢ higher). The exit fee (PCIA) and franchise fee is 2.97¢ for Clean Energy Alliance customers and 5.13¢ for SDG&E customers (2.16¢ less). Delivery is the same. Net: 2.47¢ a kWh, or $8.55 on the typical 346 kWh bill (+5.2%).
Time-of-use (TOU-DR1), CARE, Clean Impact Plus: the power price is 17.59¢ a kWh against SDG&E's 12.97¢ (4.62¢ higher). The exit fee (PCIA) and franchise fee is 2.90¢ for Clean Energy Alliance customers and 5.06¢ for SDG&E customers (2.16¢ less). Delivery is the same. Net: 2.47¢ a kWh, or $8.53 on the typical 346 kWh bill (+8.9%).
The difference over time
Every comparison found from 2021 on, most of them from archived copies (utilities overwrite these sheets in place).
| Rates as of | Plan | Utility bill | Products (vs the utility) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDG&E August 1, 2026 / CCA June 1, 2026 CEA member cities (Carlsbad, Del Mar, Solana Beach; later Escondido, San Marcos, Oceanside, Vista) | DR (Standard DR-Residential) · 368 kWh | $176.13 | Clean Impact $170.54 −3.2% Clean Impact Plus default $185.16 +5.1% Green Impact Premium $187.55 +6.5% | source |
| SDG&E January 1, 2026 / CCA February 1, 2026 CEA member cities (Carlsbad, Del Mar, Solana Beach; later Escondido, San Marcos, Oceanside, Vista) | DR (Standard DR-Residential) · 368 kWh | $179.02 | Clean Impact $176.67 −1.3% Clean Impact Plus default $191.29 +6.9% Green Impact Premium $193.68 +8.2% | source |
| SDG&E October 1, 2025 / CCA November 1, 2024 CEA member cities (Carlsbad, Del Mar, Solana Beach; later Escondido, San Marcos, Oceanside, Vista) | DR (Standard DR-Residential) · 384 kWh | $169.12 | Clean Impact $168.05 −0.6% Clean Impact Plus default $168.43 −0.4% Green Impact Premium $170.93 +1.1% | source |
| June 1, 2025 CEA member cities (Carlsbad, Del Mar, Solana Beach; later Escondido, San Marcos, Oceanside, Vista) | DR (Standard DR-Residential) · 384 kWh | $164.83 | Clean Impact $163.75 −0.7% Clean Impact Plus default $164.13 −0.4% Green Impact Premium $166.63 +1.1% | source |
| SDG&E February 1, 2025 / CCA November 1, 2024 CEA member cities (Carlsbad, Del Mar, Solana Beach; later Escondido, San Marcos, Oceanside, Vista) | DR (Standard DR-Residential) · 384 kWh | $157.76 | Clean Impact default $156.68 −0.7% Green Impact Premium $159.56 +1.1% | source |
| February 1, 2025 CEA member cities (Carlsbad, Del Mar, Solana Beach; later Escondido, San Marcos, Oceanside, Vista) | TOU-DR1 · 361 kWh | $144.68 | Clean Impact Plus default $142.98 −1.2% | source |
| SDG&E October 1, 2024 / CCA November 1, 2024 CEA member cities (Carlsbad, Del Mar, Solana Beach; later Escondido, San Marcos, Oceanside, Vista) | DR (Standard DR-Residential) · 386 kWh | $159.59 | Clean Impact default $173.83 +8.9% Green Impact Premium $176.73 +10.7% | source |
| SDG&E January 1, 2023 / CCA February 1, 2023 CEA member cities (Carlsbad, Del Mar, Solana Beach; later Escondido, San Marcos, Oceanside, Vista) | DR (Standard DR-Residential) · 441 kWh | $207.66 | Clean Impact default $205.78 −0.9% Green Impact Premium $209.09 +0.7% | source |
| SDG&E June 1, 2022 / CCA February 1, 2022 CEA member cities (Carlsbad, Del Mar, Solana Beach; later Escondido, San Marcos, Oceanside, Vista) | DR (Standard DR-Residential) · 408 kWh | $155.86 | Clean Impact default $156.89 +0.7% Green Impact Premium $159.95 +2.6% | source |
| SDG&E November 1, 2021 / CCA May 1, 2021 CEA member cities (Carlsbad, Del Mar, Solana Beach; later Escondido, San Marcos, Oceanside, Vista) | DR (Standard DR-Residential) · 435 kWh | $151.13 | Clean Impact default $149.88 −0.8% Green Impact Premium $153.14 +1.3% | source |
| SDG&E June 1, 2021 / CCA May 1, 2021 CEA member cities (Carlsbad, Del Mar, Solana Beach; later Escondido, San Marcos, Oceanside, Vista) | DR (Standard DR-Residential) · 435 kWh | $143.67 | Clean Impact default $143.85 +0.1% Green Impact $147.11 +2.4% | source |
| SDG&E June 1, 2021 / CCA June 1, 2021 (as printed) CEA member cities (Carlsbad, Del Mar, Solana Beach; later Escondido, San Marcos, Oceanside, Vista) | DR (Standard DR-Residential) · 435 kWh | $145.25 | Clean Impact default $143.85 −1.0% Green Impact $147.11 +1.3% | source |
Your options
Switch to another Clean Energy Alliance product
Web form (opt-up / opt-down pages). Clean Energy Alliance: change your product.
Return to SDG&E
Clean Energy Alliance: opt out · (833) 232-3110.
“Customers who opt out after the first 60 days of service with CEA are prohibited by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) from returning to CEA for one year and are subject to SDG&E's re-entry fees ($0.56 as of May 9, 2022).” source
“Yes. If customers opt out of CEA before or within the first 60 days of service, they may return at any time. Customers who opt out after the first 60 days of service with CEA are prohibited by SDG&E from returning to CEA for one year.” source
SDG&E's rules for returning customers
Within the first 60 days: “You may request to opt-out of a CCA beginning at least 60 days before your account is scheduled to switch to a CCA provider or after the initial 60-day enrollment period at any time. After 60 days of CCA service, there may be charges or conditions from SDG&E or the CCA. ... You will then be returned to SDG&E's bundled service on your next scheduled meter-read date.” source
After 60 days: six months’ notice: “To opt out, you should contact your CCA at least six months before the date you want to return to SDG&E's bundled Service(BPS). SDG&E needs six months advance notice to procure electricity on your behalf.” source
Or return at once: “You may immediately return to SDG&E bundled service without six months' notice. You'll be billed on SDG&E's transitional bundled rate (TBS) until six months after we receive the opt-out service request from your CCA. The TBS rate may be higher or lower than the bundled electric generation rate.” source
Then a minimum stay: “If you opt-out of CCA after 60-days CCA enrollment, you'll be required to make a twelve-month commitment to SDG&E's bundled service. Time spent on the TBS rate counts towards the one-year commitment.” source
Clean Energy Alliance also offers its own bill calculator, which takes your usage by time of day: Clean Energy Alliance bill comparison calculator.
Member cities and their default product
The default product is the one a city's customers are enrolled in unless they choose another; where a CCA offers several, each member city's council chooses it. Every city's default and the council decisions behind it.
| City | Default product | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlsbad | Clean Impact Plus since 2021-05 (launch) | source | |
| Del Mar | Clean Impact Plus since 2021-05 (launch) | source | |
| Escondido | Clean Impact Plus since 2023-04 (launch | source | |
| Oceanside | Clean Impact Plus since 2024-04 (launch | source | |
| San Clemente | Clean Impact Plus | source | |
| San Marcos | Clean Impact Plus since 2023-04 (launch) | source | |
| Solana Beach | Clean Impact Plus since 2021-05 (CEA launch) | source | |
| Vista | Clean Impact Plus since 2024-04 (launch | source |
Clean Energy Alliance in the CCA money pages: finances, credit ratings, money returned to customers, and money between Clean Energy Alliance and its member city governments. · Every CCA