MCE is a local electricity provider that offers residents and businesses within our service area a choice of greener, non-polluting renewable energy.

We partner with PG&E to deliver electricity and maintain the power lines as they always have, but the electricity our customers receive is 50-100% renewable energy. PG&E continues to read the electric meters, issue monthly bills to customers and provide the same maintenance and other repair services just like they always have. MCE provides electricity (called generation) from alternate sources and sets affordable rates for its services.

By offering a much higher percentage of renewable energy than is available from PG&E, MCE lowers customers' greenhouse gas emissions and offers customers an easy choice for a greener way of living. Greater use of renewable energy also reduces our reliance on foreign and domestic fossil fuels, which helps protect our consumers from spikes in energy prices.

The MEA is a not-for-profit public agency that was created in December 2008 following six years of careful study and development. The agency includes the County of Marin, and the cities and towns of Belvedere, Corte Madera, Fairfax, Larkspur, Mill Valley, Novato, Richmond, Ross, San Anselmo, San Rafael, Sausalito, and Tiburon. Together, they administer and oversee the MCE program. MEA is governed by a thirteen-member Board of Directors representing each of the participating jurisdictions. The Board conducts its business in monthly meetings that are always open to the public. For a schedule of meetings, please see the MEA calendar.

MCE began serving our first customers in May 2010. We are currently procuring electricity for about 75% of electric customers in Marin County, including households, businesses, and municipalities. We currently offer voluntary enrollment into our Deep Green program to customers in Richmond, and will be offering Light Green enrollment to most Richmond customers in July 2013.

If you have questions about your account status with MCE, please call us at 1 (888) 632-3674.

No. MCE only replaces PG&E’s charge for the procurement of electricity, also known as generation. MCE procures cleaner, greener energy on your behalf. Everything else, including your billing, electricity delivery, and power line maintenance will still be provided by PG&E.

MCE procurees 50-100% renewable electricity on our customers behalves. Our customers have the option of choosing between two ultra-green, non-depleting, non-polluting, renewable energy products! Light Green is 50% renewable and Deep Green is 100% renewable.

Light Green electricity is 50% renewable, more than twice what is otherwise available to customers in Marin. Light Green is an alternative to PG&E’s electric supply. Customers who are enrolled with MCE are automatically enrolled in our Light Green service option unless they choose Deep Green.

Deep Green electricity is 100% renewable energy and is available to anyone in Marin County or Richmond right now. Deep Green costs just a penny more per kilowatt-hour than our Light Green rates. For a typical MCE household, the extra cost adds up to $5 per month more than the cost of Light Green. When you consider the environmental benefits associated with using 100% renewable energy, we think you’ll agree that it’s worth it.

Signing up for Deep Green 100% renewable energy is easy! Sign up online or by phone at 1 (888) 632-3674. Please have a recent PG&E bill handy for account information that you will need to complete your enrollment.

Deep Green is available to both residential and business customers!

Yes, MCE customers can switch between the Light Green and Deep Green products. To switch between Light Green and Deep Green or make any other rate changes, please call us at 1 (888) 632-3674.

Customers enrolled in early Deep Green in Richmond may not switch to Light Green until July 2013.

Our energy is mostly produced from non-polluting, renewable sources such as water, wind, and sunlight. The projects that produce our electricity are located in California, Oregon and Washington. The exact proportion of each varies with time, based on demand and availability. For example, MCE may use a higher proportion of hydroelectric energy during the spring and summer months when winter run-off generates more power at affordable prices.

MCE has signed contracts to purchase over 70 megawatts of new renewable energy that will be built in California and is working on plans to build a 1 megawatt solar carport shade structure right here in Marin County. MCE also purchases the electricity generated by the largest solar project in Marin County, recently built at the San Rafael Airport.

Get detailed information about our power sources by clicking here.

MCE offers a cleaner, more sustainable energy product with many of the same rate schedules as PG&E. We’re proud to offer you rates that are stable and affordable and we’re committed to keeping costs as low as possible for all of our customers.

As of PG&E's rate changes effective January 1, 2013, the typical residential customer on MCE's Light Green (50% renewable energy) service pays about $0.90 more than they would with PG&E's regular rates. The typical commercial customer can expect to pay $8.07 less in a summer month and $2.05 less in a winter month. When you choose to power your home or business with MCE, you’re really paying a small price for a more responsible way of living which minimizes your carbon footprint and your impact on the environment.

For more detailed information on our rates, please click here.

The MEA Board of Directors sets electric generation rates for MCE customers. We value public participation and transparency, which is why our rates are developed, discussed, evaluated and approved at public meetings right here in San Rafael. We invite you to attend and give us your feedback. Rate-setting typically occurs on an annual basis and new rates are usually approved in April. MCE rates were last adjusted in April of 2013 and are expected to stay in place until April 2014.

In July 2012 PG&E introduced a "flat" generation rate for residential customers which replaced the previous tiered generation rates. MCE also introduced a flat generation rate in July 2012 in order to remain competitive with PG&E rates. Tiered generation rates, which are no longer in effect, charged customers different rates per kilowatt-hour based on their monthly usage. The effect of tiered rates was replaced by PG&E’s establishment of a Conservation Incentive Adjustment (CIA) line-item, which provides a credit to customers with low electricity usage and an added charge to customers with high electricity usage. If you have any further questions about this new policy, please contact PG&E at 1-866-743-0335.

The CARE program provides a monthly discount on energy bills for income-qualified households and housing facilities. Qualifications are based on the number of persons living in your home and your total annual household income.

CARE is available to MCE customers as well as PG&E customers and provides the same discount regardless of enrollment with MCE or PG&E. Customers enrolled in MCE will continue to receive their CARE discount within their PG&E delivery charges, and there is no need to reapply with MCE. New CARE enrollments or renewals must still be done through PG&E's customer service center or website.

If you think you may be eligible to receive a CARE discount and would like to sign up, please call PG&E at 1-866-743-2273 or visit PG&E's website.

The Medical Baseline program is a financial assistance program for residential customers that have special energy needs due to certain qualifying medical conditions. Customers who have medical equipment operating in their household may be eligible for a Medical Baseline, which protects them from incurring additional charges for their added electricity usage. Additionally, these customers are exempt from PG&E's Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (PCIA) fee.

Medical Baseline Allowance is available to MCE customers as well as PG&E customers and the same discount will be provided regardless of enrollment with MCE or PG&E. MCE customers are eligible to receive Medical Baseline Allowance discounts through PG&E. Customers enrolled in MCE will continue to receive their full Medical Baseline Allowance discount and there is no need to reapply with MCE. New Medical Baseline Allowance enrollments or renewals must still be done through PG&E's customer service center or website.

If you believe you are eligible for the Medical Baseline Allowance program and would like to sign up, please call PG&E at 1-866-743-0335 or visit PG&E's website.

If you are a customer who uses the Balanced Payment Plan (BPP) option with PG&E, you will continue to receive your gas and transmission and distribution electric charges from PG&E in the BPP form. However, your generation electric charges from MCE will not be included as part of the BPP and will vary from month to month depending on your usage. Therefore, you will see some variance on your monthly bills. MCE is currently working on implementing a BPP program for its charges as well.

Yes. The California Public Utilities Commission authorizes PG&E and the other investor-owned utilities to collect fees (called public goods charges) from all ratepayers to fund energy efficiency and renewable energy incentive programs. PG&E will still collect these fees and MCE customers will remain eligible for these incentives and services.

As an MCE customer, you are also eligible for the rebate programs that are exclusively available to our customers. We recently provided 40 energy efficiency and solar rebates for $500 to our customers.

MCE is also now offering its own energy efficiency program, which is in addition to programs available through PG&E. For more information about MCE's energy efficiency program, email ee@marinenergy.com or call 1-415-464-6033.

MCE provides electricity generation services only; when our customers pull electricity off the grid, we ensure that enough electricity is put back onto the grid to compensate for that usage. However, MCE customers continue to receive electric services related to transmission, distribution, and other non-generation services from PG&E. Electricity meters continue to be owned and read by PG&E.

As a Community Choice Aggregation program, the scope of MCE is limited to generation services and cannot expand to include metering services. Therefore, MCE does not have any control over whether or not our customers receive SmartMeters from PG&E.

MCE executes both short and long-term contracts with a variety of power suppliers to meet the energy demands of its customers. Current power suppliers include Shell Energy North America (SENA), 3 Degrees, GenPower, and the San Rafael Airport. MCE also has contracts for new renewable energy development signed with EDF Renewable Energy, G2 Energy, One Energy, Recurrent Energy, and the Western Area Power Association. Each year, MCE has an "open season" event where developers or owners of existing renewables can propose contracts with MCE. Additionally, MCE operates a Feed-in-Tariff program, through which local developers can create and sell small renewable energy projects directly to MCE at a set price, provided that they are located in the County of Marin or the City of Richmond.

Most customers are enrolled in our Light Green service; we buy power for these customers that is 50% renewable energy. Customers that enroll in our Deep Green service have 100% of their energy demand met through renewable energy purchases. In 2011, MCE's power supply was more than 66% carbon-free. MCE's energy portfolio enables it to provide electricity with a lower emissions factor than other utilities.

MCE has contracted for additional new power supply that will be built on behalf of our customers. In fact, MCE has signed contracts for more than 70 megawatts of new solar to be built in California starting this year! MCE purchases the electricity generated by the largest solar project in Marin County, recently built at the San Rafael Airport. Additional solar projects are contracted in both Marin and central California, expected to be operational in 2013 and beyond. MCE has also contracted for new biogas projects in Yuba and Solano County.

MCE is required to report to the California Public Utilities Commission on an annual basis to verify the amount of renewable energy procured by MCE. This is the same standard used by other California utilities, such as PG&E, to verify its power content with the CPUC. Green-e Energy, an independent third-party, also verifies MCE's renewable energy supply and ensures that it meets the minimum environmental and consumer protection standards established by the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions. Learn more about Green-e here, or learn more about certification on the United States Environmental Protection Agency's website here.

Yes. MCE currently receives enough power from Shell Energy North America, GenPower, and the San Rafael Airport solar project to provide to our customers with clean power until 2015. MCE has also contracted for new biogas projects in California and 70 megawatts of new California solar projects that are being built to supply MCE customers.

To help facilitate the sale of renewable electricity nationally, a standard industry-wide system has been established that separates renewable electricity generation into two parts: the electricity or electrical energy produced by a renewable generator and the renewable “attributes” of that generation. The renewable attributes or “green” attributes can be sold separately as RECs. The electricity that was split from the REC is no longer considered "renewable" and cannot be counted as renewable or zero-emissions by whoever buys it. The REC product is what conveys the attributes and benefits of the renewable electricity, not the electricity itself. RECs, which have been endorsed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are also an integral element of affordable, voluntary green pricing programs, such as the Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s Greenergy®, the City of Palo Alto (Palo Alto Green), and Silicon Valley Power (Santa Clara Green Power).

RECs provide buyers flexibility in procuring green power across a diverse geographical area and in applying the renewable attributes to the electricity use at a facility of choice. This flexibility allows organizations to support renewable energy development and protect the environment when green power products are not locally available.

For more information, please visit the U.S. EPA website.

With the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs), MCE is buying the renewable attributes (i.e. environmental benefits) of a specific amount and type of renewable energy generation. MCE’s purchase of renewable certificates is from specific projects and helps offset conventional electricity generation in the region where the renewable generator is located. As renewable generators produce electricity, they have a positive impact, reducing the need for fossil fuel-based generation sources to meet consumer demand. RECs embody these positive environmental impacts and convey these benefits to the REC owner. For example, MCE is purchasing RECs from the Middle Fork Irrigation District, a cooperative of family farms which uses the power on site to irrigate their local orchards. Our purchase also helps build a market for renewable electricity by promoting renewable project development in line with MCE’s mission, and may also have other local and global environmental benefits such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions and regional air pollution. RECs provide buyers flexibility in procuring green power across a diverse geographical area when green power products are not locally available and also ensure reduced overall renewable procurement costs.

MCE's service area includes all of Marin County as well as the City of Richmond. Specifically, Marin County includes Belvedere, Corte Madera, Fairfax, Larkspur, Mill Valley, Novato, Ross, San Anselmo, San Rafael, Sausalito, Tiburon, and the County of Marin. The County of Marin includes unincorporated areas located outside of the boundaries of any of Marin County's 11 cities and towns. All Marin County residents and businesses (except for some Direct Access customers) have now been offered enrollment into MCE service. Enrollment for the City of Richmond will commence in July 2013.

MCE began serving customers in May 2010. We are currently serving about 91,000 customers made up of residential, commercial, and municipal accounts from all over Marin County. Current customers were notified of service through four to five notification mailers, and have an MCE line item included on their electric bill. Richmond customers will be offered Light Green service in July 2013.

If you have questions about your account status with MCE please call us at 1 (888) 632-3674.

Yes. Anyone in Marin County or Richmond can choose to power their home or business with Deep Green 100% renewable energy, right now. It costs just a penny more per kilowatt-hour than our standard Light Green service. For the average residential customer, Deep Green will cost $5.00 more per month than our Light Green 50% renewable energy.

No. If you are within our service area, you may choose whether or not you would like to participate in MCE. Any customer may opt out and not participate. State law mandates that all CCA entities like MCE operate as opt out programs. Ultimately, the choice is yours.

No. Customers can only choose to participate if they are located within the MCE service area.

Historically, investor-owned utilities have been the default service provider to customers in their jurisdictions. However, in 2002 when state legislators passed California’s Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) law, this default status was transferred from the investor-owned utility to the local community choice aggregator, if available. MCE is California’s first operating CCA program, although there are several others in development. The original CCA legislation, seeing the wisdom of collective community action, mandated that the customers residing in the service area would automatically be enrolled, unless they chose not to participate by opting out.

Establishing service is easy. Contact PG&E one week before you will need service at your new address and schedule an appointment by calling PG&E at 1 (800) 743-5000 or visit the PG&E website.

New customers who move into the MCE service area will be automatically enrolled into MCE and will be mailed two notices within the first sixty days of service with information about the program and how to opt out.

MCE customers that relocate within the MCE service area will have their MCE service continued at the new address and will also receive two notices within the first sixty days of service. MCE customers that move out of the MCE service area will not continue to receive service from MCE.

Customers may opt out by phone at 1 (888) 632-3674 or online here. Customer service representatives are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help process your request. Please have your PG&E bill on hand because we will need your account information in order to process your request.

Customers who opt out of MCE before or within the first 60 days after the start of service with MCE can return to MCE at any time. Customers who opt out after the first 60 days of service with MCE will be prohibited by PG&E from returning to MCE for one year.

Yes. You can request to opt out of MCE at any time. However, customers who opt out after the first 60 days of service with MCE will be prohibited by PG&E from returning to MCE for one year. In addition, PG&E provides two options for customers who wish to return to PG&E after the first 60 days of service:

1. A customer may request to return to PG&E by providing 6 months advance notice. The customer will continue to receive energy from MCE for 6 months after which time they will return to PG&E. PG&E will apply their standard rates upon the customer’s return.
2. A customer may request to return to PG&E immediately, but will be subject to PG&E’s Transitional Bundled Commodity Cost (TBCC) rate program for 6 months instead of PG&E’s traditional rates. PG&E’s TBCC rate is transitional and varies from month to month.

Customers should contact PG&E for more information about TBCC and their options for returning to PG&E after the first 60 days of service with MCE.

MCE will charge customers who opt out after the first 60 days of service a small one-time administrative opt out fee, which is currently set at $5 for residential customers and $25 for commercial customers.

There is no charge for opting out of MCE before or within the first 60 days of service. After the first 60 days of service MCE will charge a one-time $5 (residential) or $25 (commercial) fee.

MCE is financed by the revenues received from our customers based on the electricity they consume. MCE is self-funded and does not use any tax dollars or public funds. MCE is a not-for-profit public agency.

No. The Directors are not paid a salary by MCE. The MEA Board of Directors is comprised of elected city and county officials, one from each area serviced.

No. MCE is funded by revenue it receives from our customers based on the electricity they consume.

No. The cities and the County have firewalled their general funds through the formation of a Joint Powers Authority (JPA). The debts and liabilities of the JPA do not extend to the member cities and county. This firewall is protected by state law.

No. PG&E must provide the same rates for all customers in their service territory whether or not they receive electricity from MCE or another third party energy service provider.