Silicon Valley Clean Energy or PG&E: what a household pays beta
Silicon Valley Clean Energy buys the electricity for 12 member cities; PG&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 Silicon Valley Clean Energy product and on PG&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 PG&E (red: more, blue: less).
All SVCE customers
PG&E–Silicon Valley Clean Energy joint rate comparison: PG&E rates current as of March 1, 2026 · SVCE rates current as of January 1, 2026. Source (fetched 2026-10-20).
| Plan | Typical use | PG&E | GreenStart default | GreenPrime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-1 Tiered · sheet: E-1 | 401 kWh | $165.71 | $165.24 −0.3% | $168.20 +1.5% |
| E-1 CARE Tiered · sheet: E-1L | 381 kWh | $88.22 | $87.77 −0.5% | $90.59 +2.7% |
| E-TOU-C Time-of-use, peak 4–9 pm every day · sheet: E-TOU C | 396 kWh | $159.76 | $159.32 −0.3% | $162.25 +1.6% |
| E-TOU-C CARE Time-of-use, peak 4–9 pm every day · sheet: E-TOU CL | 369 kWh | $83.12 | $82.70 −0.5% | $85.43 +2.8% |
| E-TOU-D Time-of-use, peak 5–8 pm weekdays · sheet: E-TOU D | 767 kWh | $295.65 | $294.76 −0.3% | $300.43 +1.6% |
| E-TOU-D CARE Time-of-use, peak 5–8 pm weekdays · sheet: E-TOU DL | 608 kWh | $139.91 | $139.20 −0.5% | $143.70 +2.7% |
| E-ELEC Electric home · sheet: E-ELEC The sheet does not print this usage legibly; derived as bill ÷ total rate. | 1,062 kWh | $373.64 | $372.64 −0.3% | $380.49 +1.8% |
| E-ELEC CARE Electric home · sheet: E-ELECL | 994 kWh | $206.51 | $205.58 −0.5% | $212.94 +3.1% |
| EV2-A Electric vehicle · sheet: EV2-A | 798 kWh | $260.32 | $254.66 −2.2% | $260.56 +0.1% |
| EV2-A CARE Electric vehicle · sheet: EV2-AL | 816 kWh | $153.23 | $146.88 −4.1% | $152.92 −0.2% |
Why the bills differ
The delivery part of the bill goes to PG&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, peak 4–9 pm every day (E-TOU-C), GreenStart: the power price is 7.40¢ a kWh against PG&E's 12.15¢ (4.75¢ lower). The exit fee and franchise fee (PCIA/FF) is 3.72¢ for Silicon Valley Clean Energy customers and −0.92¢ for PG&E customers (4.64¢ more). Delivery is the same. Net: −0.11¢ a kWh, or −$0.44 on the typical 396 kWh bill (−0.3%).
Time-of-use, peak 4–9 pm every day (E-TOU-C), CARE, GreenStart: the power price is 7.44¢ a kWh against PG&E's 12.19¢ (4.75¢ lower). The exit fee and franchise fee (PCIA/FF) is 3.72¢ for Silicon Valley Clean Energy customers and −0.92¢ for PG&E customers (4.64¢ more). Delivery is the same. Net: −0.11¢ a kWh, or −$0.42 on the typical 369 kWh bill (−0.5%).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG&E March 1, 2026 / CCA as printed: not stated separately SVCE service area | E-1 · 401 kWh | $165.71 | GreenStart default $165.24 −0.3% GreenPrime $168.20 +1.5% | source |
| January 1, 2026 SVCE service area | E-1 · 422 kWh | $174.29 | GreenStart default $173.79 −0.3% GreenPrime $176.91 +1.5% | source |
| PG&E September 1, 2025 / CCA May 1, 2025 SVCE service area | E-1 · 422 kWh | $183.49 | GreenStart default $180.86 −1.4% GreenPrime $188.04 +2.5% | source |
| March 1, 2025 SVCE service area | E-1 · 422 kWh | $187.59 | GreenStart default $184.96 −1.4% GreenPrime $192.14 +2.4% | source |
| January 1, 2025 SVCE service area | E-1 · 422 kWh | $184.78 | GreenStart default $182.14 −1.4% GreenPrime $189.32 +2.5% | source |
| PG&E October 1, 2024 / CCA July 1, 2024 SVCE service area | E-1 · 423 kWh | $184.72 | GreenStart default $182.08 −1.4% GreenPrime $188.42 +2.0% | source |
| PG&E June 2024 / CCA February 2024 SVCE service area | E-TOU-C · 428 kWh | $195.91 | GreenStart default $193.33 −1.3% | source |
| PG&E April 1, 2024 / CCA February 1, 2024 SVCE service area | E-1 · 423 kWh | $192.97 | GreenStart default $189.99 −1.5% GreenPrime $196.33 +1.7% | source |
| June 1, 2023 SVCE service area | E-1 · 435 kWh | $158.14 | GreenStart default $155.42 −1.7% GreenPrime $158.90 +0.5% | source |
| January 1, 2023 SVCE service area | E-1 · 435 kWh | $154.18 | GreenStart default $151.46 −1.8% GreenPrime $154.94 +0.5% | source |
| June 1, 2022 SVCE service area | E-1 · 444 kWh | $152.76 | GreenStart default $152.09 −0.4% GreenPrime $155.64 +1.9% | source |
| March 2022 SVCE service area | E-TOU-C · 387 kWh | $131.17 | GreenStart default $130.59 −0.4% | source |
| March 1, 2021 SVCE service area | E-1 · 513 kWh | $146.39 | GreenStart default $145.81 −0.4% GreenPrime $149.91 +2.4% | source |
| March 2021 SVCE service area | E-TOU-C · 491 kWh | $140.38 | GreenStart default $139.83 −0.4% | source |
Your options
Switch to another Silicon Valley Clean Energy product
Email ([email protected]). Silicon Valley Clean Energy: change your product.
The CCA's own pages disagree about this; check with the CCA.
Return to PG&E
Silicon Valley Clean Energy: opt out · 1-844-474-7823 (1-844-474-SVCE).
“There is no charge for opting out of Silicon Valley Clean Energy before or within the first 60 days of service. After the first 60 days of service, Silicon Valley Clean Energy will charge a one-time administrative fee of $5 for residential accounts or $25 for commercial accounts to process the opt-out.” source
“Customers who opt out before starting Silicon Valley Clean Energy service or within the first 60 days of Silicon Valley Clean Energy service may return to Silicon Valley Clean Energy service at any time. Customers who opt out after the first 60 days of service with Silicon Valley Clean Energy will be prohibited by state regulation from returning to Silicon Valley Clean Energy for one year.” source
PG&E's rules for returning customers
After 60 days: six months’ notice: “Former Bundled Service Customers that have been Automatically Enrolled in CCA Service returning to bundled service after the Follow-up Notification Period must provide the CCA with a six (6) month advance notice and are subject to the terms and conditions of Bundled Portfolio Service (BPS) as set forth below.” source
Or return at once: “Alternatively, customers have the ability to return immediately (at or about the next scheduled meter read) to Utility service and receive Transitional Bundled Service (TBS) commodity pricing terms as set forth in PG&E Schedule TBCC and be subject to the provisions and applicable charges of the CCA Cost Responsibility Surcharge as set forth in Schedule CCA-CRS for 6 months after returning to utility service.” source
Then a minimum stay: “Customers receiving this service make a one-year commitment and shall not be allowed to return to CCA service until their one-year minimum period has been completed. ... In the event a customer receives service under TBS during the six-month advance notice period, the time served under TBS shall apply toward the one-year BPS commitment.” source
Re-entry fee: “b. CUSTOMER RE-ENTRY This charge is imposed on the customer. This fee covers the cost of processing customer requests to switch back to PG&E Bundled Service after the Opt-Out period has expired. Fee ... $4.24 account” source
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell | GreenStart since 2017 (launch) | source | |
| Cupertino | GreenStart since 2017 (launch) | source | |
| Gilroy | GreenStart since 2017 (launch) | source | |
| Los Altos | GreenStart since 2017 (launch) | source | |
| Los Altos Hills | GreenStart since 2017 (launch) | source | |
| Los Gatos | GreenStart since 2017 (launch) | source | |
| Milpitas | GreenStart since 2017 (launch) | source | |
| Monte Sereno | GreenStart since 2017 (launch) | source | |
| Morgan Hill | GreenStart since 2017 (launch) | source | |
| Mountain View | GreenStart since 2017 (launch) | source | |
| Saratoga | GreenStart since 2017 (launch) | source | |
| Sunnyvale | GreenStart since 2017 (launch) | source |
Silicon Valley Clean Energy in the CCA money pages: finances, credit ratings, money returned to customers, and money between Silicon Valley Clean Energy and its member city governments. · Every CCA