Pioneer Update
Planning for October 2027 Service Launch
Town of Paradise
July 14, 2026
1 Introductions
2 Lisa Rhoads
Community Outreach Manager
Jake Trumbull
Communications Coordinator
Background
2024 • Town of Paradise, Butte County, Chico, and Oroville began initial conversations into the benefits of Community Choice Aggregation.
• Initial meeting with Pioneer Community Energy.
Spring/Summer 2024 • Paradise Town Council received presentation from Pioneer Community Energy with staff recommendation to join Pioneer.
• Pioneer Board agreed to commission an Impact Assessment Study to determine the feasibility of service expansion.
• Butte County, City of Chico, City of Oroville, and Town of Paradise agree to co-commission the study.
o Expansion must make financial sense for all parties.
o Pioneer must have the ability to serve the increased load.
Summer 2024 • Impact Assessment Study was conducted.
Fall 2024 • Study results were shared with Pioneer’s Expansion Committee and Board of Directors. Board recommended moving forward with expansion.
o Pioneer shared study findings and Board recommendations; presents findings to Town Council and staff.
o October 2027 recommended as optimum time for service launch.
February 2025 • Paradise Town Council approved an ordinance and resolution to join Pioneer.
March 2025 • Pioneer filed an Implementation Plan with the CPUC.
Summer 2025 • CPUC approved plan; Pioneer began procuring power for the Town after final confirmation of What is a CCA?
Community Choice Aggregators (CCA) allow local governments to purchase electricity on behalf of customers in place of investor-owned utilities (i.e., PG&E for Pioneer Community Energy’s territory)
Energy crisis in the early 2000s prompted the California Legislature to pass Assembly Bill 117 in 2002, enabling community choice in its electricity provider
The first CCA launched in 2010. Today:
More than 25 CCAs throughout California
Serving more than 200 communities
Providing generation for approximately 15 million
customers
4 How Does a CCA Work?
Pioneer buys electricity on the open
market from various suppliers. Our
buying team works with sources to
negotiate pricing and ensure a
steady, affordable energy supply.
PG&E delivers electricity,
maintains the infrastructure of
power lines and poles, and
sends out bills to customers.
As a customer of both Pioneer and PG&E,
customers get a choice in electricity
providers. With Pioneer, you'll receive
competitive rates, a choice in energy
options and exceptional customer service.
5 Who is Pioneer?
• A Joint Powers Authority established in 2017 by Placer County and launched service in 2018 – community owned, not-for-profit • Prioritizes ratepayer savings, strong community partnership and reinvestment, and excellence in customer service
• $145 million in ratepayer savings since 2018
• Expansion is focused on serving like-minded areas
• Currently serves more than 170,000+ customers
• Committed to community reinvestment through local renewable energy projects, programs, and goods and services procurement • Awarded an A- issuer credit rating from S&P Global (formerly Standard and Poor’s) and an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau
6 Who Pioneer Serves
Current members
7 Planned expansion for Fall 2027
Butte County
Nevada County
Tuolumne County
Live Oak
Orland
Willows
Town of Paradise
Glenn County
Sutter County
Chico
Oroville
Sonora
Colusa County
City of Colusa
Williams
Yuba City
El Dorado County
City of Auburn
City of Grass Valley
City of Nevada City
City of Rocklin
Placer County
City of Colfax
City of Lincoln
City of Placerville
Town of Loomis
Pioneer will become one of the geographically largest CCAs in California 8 Benefits for Paradise
Benefits to Paradise
• Provides a choice for residents and businesses
• Cost savings
• Local governance/representation
• Rate-setting transparency
• Opportunities to meet Climate Change/RPS goals
• Member agencies and customers are Pioneer’s priority
• Community reinvestment
• Potential for economic development projects
• Early access to programs
Early Access to Programs
• Clean Fleet Revenue Program & Solar RECs Program: Pioneer’s member agencies can receive quarterly payments for renewable energy credits generated from existing electric vehicles/infrastructure and solar arrays
• As a member of Pioneer, the Town of Paradise is currently eligible to participate in both programs prior to official launch in October of 2027
Benefits to Paradise Citizens
11 Lower Utility
Bill
Local
Control
Customer
Service
Energy
Future
Programs
Stability
Choice
Community
Saves money. From 2018 – 2025, customers
have saved $145 million compared to PG&E.
Customers are our shareholders. Board
is comprised of elected officials from
the communities we serve.
Excellent customer service. We
live in the community and know
most of the questions you have
and can relate.
Customers decide if they want
100% renewable energy or less
and influence what energy projects
we invest in.
Customers decide the energy
efficiency programs we launch. Not
PG&E. Approved $2M for funding.
Track record of success
Pioneer is financially stable with
an A- credit rating from S&P
Customers have a choice for
the first time in 100 years.
Customers are being served by a utility
that is a member of the community. We
buy, invest, and support the community.
Your
Citizens
12 Expansion Planning
Strategic Considerations
The expansion efforts must take the mystery out of the process, address misperceptions, and educate future customers and stakeholders on a variety of important topics.
RISK MITIGATION
• Complexity: Energy is complex, and most people don’t know anything about Pioneer
• Simplify and amplify. Simplify messaging, focus on what’s most important
• Diverse audiences: Each territory is unique and has differing demographics
• Understand the audiences and meet them where they are • Skepticism: Fear of the unknown is real • Be prepared. Address misinformation directly; provide accurate facts
• People receive information differently: It is imperative to use a variety of communication mediums
• Use different communications practices to reach the right people at the right time and in the right way
• Misaligned messages and information gaps will undermine even the best efforts
• Involve customer care to ensure call center readiness and understanding of message platform
• A lot to do … • Phased approach, well-defined tactics, understanding of key milestones
Research and
Early Outreach
January – June 2026
14 Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3
Planning
.
July – December 2026
Pre-Launch
Ramp-Up
January – June 2027
Phase 4 Phase 5
Final
Countdown
July – September 2027
Launch + PostLaunch Evaluation
October – December 2027
• Join chambers
• Research community
groups, influencers
• Initial planning
• Map timeline
• Media monitoring
• Develop paid media
plan; reserve ad space
• Brief Pioneer Board
• Budget development
and approval
• Brief new member
agencies and staff
• Message and materials
development
• Early ads launch
“Pioneer Is Coming”
• Presentations to new
member governing
bodies
• Get customer data
• First Town Halls,
webinar and direct
mail #1 and #2
• Website updates
• Prep for required
regulatory notices
• Ad campaign continues
• Pre-enrollment
regulatory mailings
• Town Halls
• Presentations to civic,
fraternal, community
organizations
• Direct mail #3
• Ongoing media
relations
• SERVICE LAUNCH
• Ad campaign
adjustment
“Pioneer Is Here”
• Post-enrollment
regulatory notices
• Careful monitoring and
evaluation
• Direct mail #4
• Promote programs
• NEM enrollment
Planning A Phased Approach
15 Communications + outreach are the primary drivers of successful partnership Multiple parallel communications workstreams require tight coordination:
Planning is key and communications will be managed on a structured, phased timeline culminating with an October 2027 launch
Messaging must align and evolve with the timeline and take into account regulatory milestones
Key Takeaways
• Paid Media
• Direct Mail
• Website
• Earned Media
• E-mail
• On-site presence
• Town Halls
• Webinars
• Public Meetings
Call:
1 (844) YES-PIONEER
1 (844) 937-7466 or (916) 758-8969
Email:
[email protected]
Visit:
2510 Warren Dr., Suite B, Rocklin, CA 95677
Questions?
CONTACT
16 17
Appendix
Guiding Principles
Mission
Providing electricity to
customers with a focus on
stable and competitive rates
Since launching in 2018 through 2025,
Pioneer has saved our customers an
estimated $145 million
Vision
Being a strong community
partner
Excellent customer care
Local Power Purchase Agreements
Economic development
Involvement in local chambers
Event participation and sponsorships
Support local businesses through the
purchase of goods and services
Biomass & Advocacy
Pioneer is committed to supporting biomass energy.
1. Legislation: Pioneer sponsored and led AB 843, which passed on a unanimous bipartisan basis – this bill enabled CCAs to participate in the BioMAT program and launched in Spring 2024
2. Education: Recently hosted an event together with SPI, CalFire, and Placer APCD for legislators about the benefits of biomass to support future legislation for biomass
3. Advocacy: Ongoing advocacy with legislators and regulatory agencies to keep electricity costs low, promote biomass energy, local control, and grid stability, among other things
4. Feed-In Tariff: Pioneer-unique program that invests in biomass, storage, and small-hydro projects in our service territory to benefit the community and enhance local economic development
19 Commitment to Partnership
Active involvement with Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) to identify potential biomass projects that leads to economic development
Participate in member agencies’ Chamber of Commerce committees and events
Co-sponsor League of Cities divisional event annually
Sponsor of marquee events like Lincoln Potters Baseball Club and Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital gala as examples of
engagement
Work with Economic Development groups to entice project development and identify potential partnerships; offer Green100 product to assist with corporate climate initiatives; and prioritize competitive rates for both residents and businesses
Power Mix
Solar Customers
22 Nearly 51,000 solar customers
Pioneer pays a ½-cent premium over
PG&E for over-generation
Since 2018, Pioneer has issued more than
$5 million of payments for surplus
generation
This spring, more than 26,000 solar
customers received either a check or bill
credit from Pioneer
Money-Saving Programs
LED Discounts – subsidized LED lighting through local retailer partners. Find us in your Auburn hardware stores!
AC Tune-Up Rebate – provides rebates to incentivize tune-ups on A/C units to improve efficiency, lower customer utility bills, and make your system last longer PowerShift Rewards – provides residential customers rewards for lowering energy usage when the grid is stressed
GridGen - $0 upfront cost, no credit check program for
residents to get industry-leading solar and/or battery at their home or business, which will provide rate stability, savings, and resiliency during outages
• Battery retrofits for existing solar customers
• Provisions for CARE/FERA customers
Residential
Money-Saving Programs
Hourly Flex Pricing – Agriculture customers can
schedule their energy use up to a week in advance
to reduce energy usage during peak pricing times
After each 12-month program cycle, customers
receive a credit if energy savings is achieved using
the program versus previous energy cycle usage
Ice Energy – Commercial customers can install an Ice
Bear unit to their HVAC system to reduce AC
consumption during peak energy hours
The Ice Bear utilizes ice to cool the buildings during
peak energy periods, instead of using the regular
HVAC condenser, so customers save money by shifting
costly A/C load to times with lower energy costs
Commercial
PG&E Programs Carry Over
• Enrollment in any program with PG&E, carries over to Pioneer. Examples include but not limited to:
• CARE
• FERA
• Medical Baseline
• PG&E service will not be negatively impacted by joining Pioneer (e.g., service request placed last in queue with PG&E as a Pioneer customer)
• In addition, customers have access to Pioneer programs that are created to meet the unique needs of the communities we serve
How are customers billed?
PG&E Bill – Page #1
• Pioneer listed on the front page
• Customer pays total energy bill to PG&E – one payment • PG&E remits $ to Pioneer
Town of Paradise Customer Information
Expansion to Town of Paradise customers would represent an approximate 2% increase to Pioneer retail sales.
Data above are unadjusted for opt-out assumptions and excludes standby accounts.
Classification Account
s
Annual
Energy
(MWh)
Average
Customer
Usage
(kWh/Mo.)
Residential 4,909 21,023 357
Com/Ind 622 13,867 1,858
Ag/Pumping 3 4 114
Street Lighting 29 102 294
Total 5,563 34,997 524
Peak Demand
(MW)
8 -
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
GWh per Year
PIONEER PARADISE
-
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
Accounts
PIONEER PARADISE