CCA Frequently Asked Questions

In the past, SCE customers typically received power, including the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity, solely from SCE. Electric service for these customers is referred to as “Bundled Service” because all the components of providing electricity to a home or business are supplied by one electric service provider.

With CCA Service, cities or counties (or aggregated groups of cities and counties who have partnered together) are responsible for the generation (procurement) portion of their customers’ electric service; SCE is still responsible for transmitting and delivering the power to homes and businesses. Unlike SCE, a Community Choice Aggregator (CCA) does not own the transmission and delivery systems (i.e., the poles and wires).
Therefore, SCE and CCAs work together to bring electric service to communities served by a CCA.

If your home or business falls within the boundaries of a CCA, you are considered to be part of that CCA’s territory customer and you will automatically switch to CCA service unless you affirmatively opt-out. CCAs have the discretion to offer CCA Service to any Commercial and Industrial (C&I) customer within the CCA’s service area.

Once you become a CCA Service customer, you will continue to receive your monthly bill from SCE. CCA electric generation charges, as well as SCE transmission and distribution charges, will be included on your SCE bill.

When you pay your bill, SCE will transfer the electric generation portion of your payment to your CCA.

Unless you choose to opt-out and remain on Bundled Service with SCE, if you are an eligible customer in a CCA service territory, your existing electric service account will automatically be transferred to CCA Service.

Once a CCA’s implementation plan is accepted and approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and if you fall within that CCA’s service territory, you will be automatically enrolled in CCA Service on your first scheduled meter read date after CCA Service commencement according to the implementation schedule unless you opt out of CCA service. As part of the CCA enrollment notification process, you will receive two notices from the CCA within 60 days prior to your account being automatically enrolled in CCA Service. Two additional notices will be sent within 60 days immediately after your account is enrolled in CCA Service. These notices will inform you how to opt out of CCA Service, if you so choose. In some instances, a CCA may choose to phase in customer enrollment over a planned period of time.
 

Once a CCA completes its enrollment process, new customers establishing service in that area will be automatically enrolled in CCA Service and must contact their CCA if they choose to opt out of CCA Service.

View the list of all active CCAs operating within SCE's service territory here.

CCA Service may affect participation in certain SCE programs. Please review each of our programs listed below to understand how your participation may be impacted. *

• Critical Peak Pricing (CPP)
• Direct Access (DA) 
• EDI (Electronic) Billing
• Green Rate
• Net Energy Metering (NEM)
• Real-Time Pricing (RTP)
• Renewable Energy Self-Generation Bill Credit Transfer (RES-BCT)
• Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP)
• Smart Energy Program (formerly Peak Time Rebate)

* This information is meant as an aid to understanding SCE’s Programs and Rates. It does not replace the CPUC-approved tariffs. Any inconsistencies between this material and SCE’s tariffs are unintended, and the tariffs prevail.

Please refer to SCE’s Tariff Books at SCE Tariff Books for a complete list of terms and conditions of service.

For EDI Billing, please refer to the EDI Billing Guide or go to https://www.sce.com/customer-service/billing-payment/business-billing.

To transfer to CCA Service if you were not automatically enrolled or wish to re-enroll after opting out, please review the Six Month Advance Notice to Transfer to Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) for more instructions. 

Yes. If your account is being served under one of SCE’s Net Energy Metering (NEM) rate plan schedules and you transfer to CCA Service, your rate plan will remain the same. However, your current NEM relevant period will end upon your transfer to CCA Service and any remaining SCE credits will not carry over to the new relevant period. If your CCA offers NEM service, once your account transitions, a new relevant period will be initiated by the CCA and they will provide your generation NEM credits. SCE will continue to provide your transmission and distribution NEM credits.

Learn more about recent changes with NEM.

Non-Residential Direct Access (DA) Customers

Some CCAs exclude commercial and industrial (non-residential) DA accounts from eligibility for CCA service. If you are a non-residential DA customer and your CCA is not enrolling non-residential DA customers, then you will not be impacted.

If you are a non-residential DA customer in a CCA jurisdiction where the CCA has chosen to automatically enroll non-residential DA customers, you will need to opt out of CCA Service to continue receiving DA service. See below for information about opting out of CCA Service and remaining on DA Service.
 

Residential Direct Access (DA) Customers

California law and California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) rules state that, within a CCA’s service territory, all residential customers, including residential DA customers, will be automatically enrolled into CCA Service, unless they opt out of CCA Service. As a residential DA customer located within a CCA’s jurisdiction, you will be automatically enrolled in CCA Service unless you affirmatively opt-out in order to continue to receive DA Service.

If you want to continue to receive DA service, it is important that you opt out of CCA Service by contacting your CCA directly. If you are automatically enrolled into a CCA Service and do not affirmatively opt-out, please be aware that SCE must remove your service account from DA service and place it on CCA Service.

If you opt out of CCA Service before your transfer to CCA Service, no action is needed, and you will remain on DA Service. If you opt out of CCA Service during the 60-day period after your enrollment into CCA Service, you will be returned to DA Service. However, if you do not opt out of CCA Service during either of these periods and subsequently elect to leave CCA Service, you will be returned to service with SCE for a 12-month Bundled Service period and you will not have the option to re-enroll in DA service during that period. Please refer to “CCA Switching Exemptions” in Rule 22.1 for more details.

You will also be responsible for any costs, fees, or penalties that may be imposed under your existing DA Service as a result of your service account’s automatic enrollment in CCA Service. SCE is not responsible or liable in any way for any such costs, fees, or penalties. SCE recommends that you contact your CCA to identify any conditions that may apply in the event your service account is transferred to CCA Service.

Pre-Enrollment Opt Out

Your CCA will provide opt-out instructions during the 60-day Initial Notification Period (pre-enrollment). Opt-out requests to the CCA will be accepted during the pre-enrollment period and the two-month period following the enrollment of your account (post-enrollment). If you choose to opt out of CCA Service before or after your account is transferred to CCA Service, you must initiate the opt-out request with your designated CCA. The choice is completely yours if you wish to opt out of CCA Service.

Post-Enrollment Opt Out and Subsequent Request to Return to SCE

If your account is initially transferred to CCA Service, but later you decide to opt out of CCA Service, your account can be returned to SCE service; however, some additional rules apply depending on the timing of your notice to opt out:

• If you opt out within the first 60 days after transferring to CCA Service, your account will be 
  transferred from CCA Service and to the same bundled service you were on prior to being
  transferred to CCA Service. at no cost to you and with no penalty.**
• If you opt out of CCA service more than 60 days after being transferred to CCA Service, you will be 
  required to provide a completed Six-Month Advance Notice to Return to Bundled Portfolio Service (Form 14-955) before you will be eligible to return to SCE bundled service. You have two options listed below:
  • Request an immediate return to SCE (during the six-month advance notice period), in which case your service account will be served on Schedule Procurement Charge — Transitional Bundled Service (Schedule PC-TBS) for the six-month advance notice period. You will continue to pay CCA CRS charges while on TBS service.
  • Request to return to Bundled Service at least six months in advance.
    Note: Either option is subject to a one-time re-entry fee to cover costs associated with account processing. Please see CCA Info Tariff.
• Following the end of the six-month advance notice period, your account will be returned to SCE’s 
  bundled service for a minimum commitment of 12 months. During this 12-month period, customers will not be allowed to switch to CCA Service or Direct Access Service until their 12-month commitment has been fulfilled* See SCE Rules 22.1 and/or Rule 23 for more details.
• You should also contact your CCA to determine if any additional requirements or fees may apply or to request to opt-out of CCA Service after the 60-day period. 

^{*The time served under TBS shall apply toward the 12-month minimum commitment with SCE.}

^{**There are exceptions depending on the programs in which the customer was enrolled.}

In most cases, customers will be transferred to CCA Service with no changes to their special or optional rate plans. However, CCA Service customers may not be eligible for certain optional rate plans. If your account is taking service under an optional rate plan that is unavailable to CCA Service customers, SCE will automatically remove your account from the optional rate plan.

If you wish to remain on your current optional rate plan schedule and it is unavailable from your CCA, you will need to opt out of CCA Service. See above for instructions on how to opt out of CCA Service.

Note: D-CARE customers will continue to receive their full CARE discount through their SCE distribution rates.

The Point of Delivery (POD) ID is a unique fixed identifier for each service location. This identifier is used in all Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) transactions between the CCA and SCE. Your CCA will need your POD ID in order to discuss and address any account inquiries you may have.

How Do I Obtain the POD ID for My Service Location(s)?

You can obtain the POD ID on the last page of your bill right next to your service account number.

Learn more about CCA

You must notify SCE if you are declaring bankruptcy. When SCE receives notification of a CCA end-use customer filing bankruptcy, the CCA will be advised only when the new bankruptcy service account and customer account must be created. SCE will create and schedule CCA Service Requests on behalf of the CCA.

SCE will only file a claim for SCE charges. The CCA must file its own claim for unpaid CCA charges. When SCE receives notification of the customer’s bankruptcy filing, SCE will return all unpaid CCA charges.

SCE will continue to handle emergency repair situations and outages.

To report a power outage, go to sce.com/outage.

Visit our online Outage Center for information on what to expect during an outage and how to prepare.

While there, sign up for Outage Alerts to receive emails or texts regarding outages near you and when power is estimated to be restored.

Rates differ by CCA. SCE and active CCAs jointly provide comparisons of average rates, sample bills, and power generation resources.

View the Joint Rate Comparisons.

While customers cannot be exempted from automatic enrollment if they are eligible to be served by the applicable CCA, a customer always have the right to opt out of CCA Service. Please see ‘How do I opt out of CCA Service’ in the next section. CCAs have the discretion to offer CCA Service to any commercial and industrial (C&I) customer within the CCA’s service area. C&I customers to whom the CCA elects to offer CCA Service will also automatically switch to CCA generation service unless they affirmatively opt out of CCA Service.

Always contact SCE to start or stop your electric service. If your service address is located in a CCA Service area, SCE will let you know your service account will be established on CCA service and will provide the CCA name for your use. View the list of all active CCAs operating within SCE’s service territory. You may choose to opt out of CCA Service within 60 days and return to Bundled Service with SCE.

If you are a customer moving to a city or county that has implemented CCA Service, you will automatically become a CCA Service customer unless you are a customer that is not eligible for CCA Service based on your CCA’s Implementation Plan (e.g., certain categories of C&I customers may be excluded) or you contact your CCA to opt out. If you are eligible for automatic enrollment into CCA Service, you will receive two notices from your CCA that include instructions on how to opt out during the first two months of your service. If you opt out after the first 60 days, different terms and conditions will apply to your new service. 

Point of Delivery (POD) ID
The Point of Delivery (POD) ID is a unique fixed identifier for each service location. This identifier is used in all Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) transactions between the CCA and SCE.
 

Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (PCIA)
CCA Service customers will see a Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (PCIA) charge on their electricity bill. This charge is intended to ensure any above-market costs of electric resources that SCE procured on behalf of customers, who later switch to another electric generation provider, are not transferred to remaining SCE Bundled Service customers.
 

Transmission
Transmission is the bulk movement or transportation of electricity from a generating site, such as a power plant, to an electrical substation.
 

Transitional Bundled Service
Transitional Bundled Service provisions require that:
(1) DA Customers returning to Bundled Service while changing to a new Energy Service Provider (ESP),
(2) CCA Customers during the advance notice period as required under Rule 23 for switching to Bundled Service, or
(3) for similar or related reasons where TBS is needed, pay for procurement at the short-term spot price as established by the CAISO for the applicable period, with adjustment for additional costs incurred by SCE.

Once you become a CCA Service customer, you will continue to receive your monthly bill from SCE. The CCA’s electric generation charges, as well as SCE’s transmission and distribution charges, will be included on your SCE bill.

You will receive a consolidated bill from SCE that includes charges from both SCE and your CCA. While all of your electric charges are shown together in one bill, SCE lists your SCE delivery charges (to get electricity to your home/business) and your CCA generation charges(to procure the electricity you use)separately, along with the total amount due for all charges. In addition, the bill for all CCA Service customers will include a Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (PCIA) charge and Compensation Transition Charge (CTC). Residential CCA customers only, will also be assessed the Conservation Incentive Adjustment (CIA) through the CCA’s delivery charges.

• View Residential Bill Sample
• View Business Bill Sample

Along with your CCA’s electricity generation charges, the charges for using SCE’s electrical transmission and distribution system are included and separately listed in your consolidated SCE bill statement as delivery charges. All customers pay delivery charges, which are the same whether electricity is provided by SCE or a CCA.

To learn more about SCE’s available rate plans or to access the Rate Comparison Tool, click one of the links below based on your account type — residential or business — and click on “My Account” to locate your rate. Then toggle back to the previous web page and click on “Rate Comparison Tool” to compare your specific rate plan. The price you pay for delivery appears under Rates in the left column.

• RESIDENTIAL RATES
• BUSINESS RATES

To learn more about SCE’s transmission and distribution charges, please refer to your rate schedule located at Rates & Pricing Choices. Your rate plan name can be found under “Your Rate” in the “Summary of your billing detail” heading on the first page of your SCE bill.

Due to unintended billing delays, your current billing statement may show CCA charges and/or SCE charges from multiple past billing cycles that were not included in your prior bills. As a result, your current bill amount may be higher than normal. However, this does not represent incorrect bills or duplicate charges. We are working closely together with CCAs to resolve these delayed billing issues for our customers.

You will continue to pay your bill to SCE as usual. SCE will be responsible for transferring the CCA portion of your payment to your CCA. You may continue to access and pay your bill online at sce.com. Or, for greater convenience, sign up for Auto Pay. Each month, ten days after your bill is generated, Auto Pay automatically deducts your total amount due from your bank account. Log into My Account and click Sign up for Auto Pay in the Billing and Payment Preferences section.

Non-payment:

Customers are obligated to pay SCE for all SCE and CCA charges consistent with existing tariffs. SCE is responsible for collecting the unpaid balance of all charges and sending notices informing customers of unpaid balances.

Should the service be disconnected for non-payment, and the service is not reconnected within two days, SCE notifies the CCA of the account being disconnected for non-payment.

For questions regarding your generation charges or any other charges on the CCA portion of your bill, please contact your CCA directly. For all other questions regarding SCE services, such as your meter or recorded energy usage, a change of address request, a request for account details, or if you have a question about the transmission and distribution of your energy, please contact SCE. Contact information can be found on PAGE 2 and the CCA contact information can be found on the last page of your monthly SCE billing statement.

View the registered CCAs here.