Ava Community Energy
Program Update
17 March 4, 2025
City Council Meeting
Agenda Item 15.3
Ava Community Energy
Alex DiGiorgio | March 4, 2025
What is Ava Community Energy?
Ava Community Energy (Ava) is a local government agency committed to providing Alameda County and the cities of Tracy, Stockton, and Lathrop with cleaner electricity at lower rates.
As a not-for-profit public agency (i.e., Joint Powers Authority), Ava reinvests revenue back into our communities through electrification programs, renewable power projects, and support for local, community-based organizations.
2 Service Territory
We serve Alameda County and
the City of Tracy. Stockton and
Lathrop will begin service with
Ava in April 2025.
Unincorporated San Joaquin
County will begin service in
2026.
Ava is the default provider of
electricity generation service
for all customers in our
service territory. Customers
are automatically enrolled in
our service and are billed by
PG&E.
3 Service
Timeline
East Bay Community Energy formed as a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) 4 Cities of Tracy, Pleasanton, and Newark joined JPA
Began service to Tracy, Pleasanton, and Newark
City of Stockton joined JPA
Lathrop joined JPA;
East Bay Community Energy rebranded to Ava Community Energy Unincorporated San Joaquin County joined JPA
Service begins to unincorporated San Joaquin County
2016
2018
2019
2021
2022
2022
2024
2025
2026
Service begins to Stockton and Lathrop
Launched service in 11 cities and in unincorporated Alameda County What Are the Benefits?
5 Lower rates Local control and
investment
Sustainability Customer choice
and programs
How It Works
Ava buys from, and is
building, clean power plants.
Ava sells the power to
customers at low rates.
6 1. Ava buys and generates
clean power
2. PG&E delivers the power
to homes and businesses
Ava’s power is delivered to
customers by PG&E.
Customers pay PG&E for
delivery as they always have.
3. Customers get the
power and local benefits
Customers benefit from
clean energy, low rates, local
governance, and innovative
programs.
How It Works: Customer Billing
• By law, PG&E manages billing.
Customers get a single bill each month
from PG&E that includes both Ava
charges for generation and PG&E
charges for delivery.
• It’s not an additional charge. Ava
charges replace what PG&E used to
charge for generation.
• Customers receive a monthly credit.
PG&E issues a Generation Credit to Ava
customers each month. That credit is
the amount PG&E would have charged
for generation services. Ava’s rates are
5% lower than that, and the customer
pockets the difference.
7 PG&E bill
before
joining Ava.
PG&E bill
after
joining Ava.
AvaEnergy.org/understand-your-bill
Rate Choice Options
55% renewable energy at
rates 5% below PG&E
8 Bright Choice Renewable 100
100% solar and wind energy
priced at 1/4 cent per kWh
above PG&E rates
vs.
PG&E
■ Wind
■ Solar
■ Hydro
■ Biomass & Biowaste, Geothermal,
Eligible Hydroelectric
■ Nuclear
■ Other or Unspecified
Default for Stockton
Power Purchasing Agreements (PPAs)
Ava Community Energy is looking to add more
California wind, solar, and storage to the grid.
These PPAs are enabling new construction of
clean energy solutions.
9 23 projects contracted
1,225+ MW
of wind, solar, and geothermal energy
632+ MW
of battery storage
Enrollment Process
10 California state law (AB 117)
requires Community Choice
Energy providers to become
the default provider of service.
Customers are automatically
enrolled unless they choose to
opt out.
Service begins April 1, 2025.
Customers are enrolled
throughout April based on their
meter read date.
Additional courtesy notices are being sent to customers on special programs such as NEM and Solar Billing Plan (SBP).
Ava is required to send 4 enrollment notices to all
customers, beginning 60 days before enrollment.
● Enrollment notice 1 was sent out beginning Feb. 3
● Notices 2, 3, 4 will be sent monthly through May 2025 All print notices are co-branded with the City and in
English and Spanish (email notices contain multiple
language options).
Enrollment Process for Solar Customers
11 Solar customers will be enrolled
throughout the year, based on their
true-up date.
● If their true-up with PG&E is
January–April, they will be
enrolled in April
● If their true-up is May–December,
they will be enrolled in the month
of their true-up or the month
following it
More information is available at AvaEnergy.org/welcome-solar
12 January 2025 PG&E provides full customer data to Ava February 2025 Customer Enrollment Notice #1 (Mail and email) March 2025 Customer Enrollment Notice #2 (Mail and email) April 2025 Customer enrollment begins based on bill cycle (each weekday) Customer Enrollment Notice #3 (Email first, mail if no email address available) May 2025 Customer Enrollment Notice #4 (Email first, mail if no email address available) First customer bill
Key Dates
13 Enrollment Notice
Examples
14 Opting Out
Customers can request to opt out of Ava service at any
time. There is no opt-out fee for customers in Stockton and Lathrop through April 2026.
• If customers opt out before March 21, they will not
be placed on Ava service at all
• Customers who opt out within the first 60 days of
service can return to Ava at any time. After 60 days,
customers must wait 12 months to return to Ava
(per PG&E’s terms & conditions).
Note: Ava’s website had a temporary glitch that
displayed a notice about a $5 opt-out fee. No customers were actually charged. We apologize for the
miscommunication and have sent an email to every
customer who saw the errant message.
How to Opt Out:
Call Ava’s customer support
center at 833-699-3223
(weekdays from 9am-5pm)
or
Complete the online form at
AvaEnergy.org/change-your-plan
Will I lose my CARE/FERA/Medical Baseline benefits?
No. Customers on programs such as CARE, FERA, medical baseline, time of use rates, etc, will remain on those programs and receive exactly the same benefits (plus the Bright Choice discount)
Why is our elected official on your Board?
Our Board is made up of elected officials from each of the jurisdictions we serve. As a not-for-profit public agency, we do not have shareholders and there are no profit motives.
The only compensation Board Members receive is $128 to attend Board meetings, which are entirely open to the public. This is typical when representatives are appointed to serve on governing boards. 15 FAQs & Common Misconceptions
16 FAQs & Common Misconceptions
How can Ava provide lower rates than PG&E?
As a public agency, Ava has three sustained competitive advantages compared to a for-profit, investor-owned utility.
1) No shareholder dividends: As a public agency, Ava does not turn rate-payer dollars into shareholder profits.
2) Lower tax burden: As a local government entity, Ava does not have the same tax burden as a for-profit corporation.
3) Municipal bonds: As a Joint Powers Authority (JPA), Ava can access cheaper capital by issuing municipal bonds
Plus, Ava is a relatively small, nimble organization; it has much less overhead than PG&E.
Ava has saved
customers over
$145 million
since 2018—
and has always
offered a discounted
rate on the Bright
Choice service.
FAQs & Common Misconceptions
17 Does Ava send salespeople door-to-door to enroll in their service? No, Ava does not go door-to-door, but this tactic is commonly used by for-profit third-party gas service providers.
Who do I call about a power outage?
Please call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000.
Sponsorships & Events
• Sponsoring the Stockton Ports and Stockton Cargo for their upcoming seasons
• Boothing and sponsoring major events like Asparagus Fest, Earth Day, July 1 in Lathrop, and more
• Ava provides Community Sponsorships 3x per year to a
dozen local orgs at $2,500 each
Advertising
• Local advertising channels include billboards, bus ads, streaming audio and video, Google, and print (Latino Times & SJ Mag)
• Partnered with Port City Marketing, a Stockton-based
marketing agency
18 Customer Outreach
Education: Webinars and in-person presentations for general customers, and targeted presentations for solar customers, seniors, and business owners.
19 Our marketing team monitors discussion about Ava and responds when helpful (to answer questions or clear up
misinformation)
• Primary channels: Facebook, Instagram, and NextDoor
• Paid posts are targeted to the zip codes we serve
Ava provides a social media toolkit each month for:
• Cities of Stockton and Lathrop
• Local CBOs
• Local Chambers of Commerce
Social Media
These landing pages include all of the information
customers in Stockton and Lathrop need to know:
• AvaEnergy.org/stockton
• AvaEnergy.org/lathrop
• AvaEnergy.org/welcome
• AvaEnergy.org/welcome-solar
Opt-Out Form:
• AvaEnergy.org/change-your-plan
Press Kit:
• AvaEnergy.org/press-kit
20 Key Resources
Online
Phone
Email
Social
Online
Phone
Email
Social
AvaEnergy.org
833-699-3223
[email protected]
PoweredWithAva
Online
Phone
Email
Social
21 Thank you!
Community Investment
$4.2 million
given to local programs in athletics, STEM
education, music and art, and more over 3 years
$26 million
budgeted annually for local programs
$145 million
saved since 2018 by our customers compared to
what they would have paid PG&E.
As of Fall 2024:
Local Programs
We help our customers save on electric
appliances (like water heaters and induction
ranges), solar and battery systems, clean
transportation, and more.
23 Savings and Incentives Programs
Resilience Programs
We’re building infrastructure and investing in
outage-resilient systems through solar and
storage initiatives and partnership with
community-based organizations.
Commercial & Municipal Programs
We work with cities and businesses in their
transition to clean energy by offering
building efficiency, fleet electrification, and
infrastructure solutions.
Ava invests annually in
programs to reduce
energy bills and help our
customers transition to
clean energy.
Commercial/Industrial
• Individual outreach by Juan Cortez,
Sr. Coordinator, Commercial Customers
Small Business
• Ava is a member of the Chamber of Commerce
and collaborates with the Stockton and
Lathrop’s Economic Development Departments
• Available to present at Chamber’s monthly
meeting
• Ava has joined other local business
organizations and Chambers of Commerce
24 Key Account Outreach
Rate Choice Options
55% renewable
energy at rates 5%
below PG&E
25 Bright Choice Renewable 100
100% solar and wind energy
priced at 1/4 cent per kWh
above PG&E rates
vs.
PG&E
■ Wind
■ Solar
■ Hydro
■ Biomass & Biowaste, Geothermal,
Eligible Hydroelectric
■ Nuclear
■ Other or Unspecified