www.pge.com/customer_service/bill_inserts/2006/july.html#topic7
back to top Get all the Important Details Here Keep your cool while summer sizzles The heat is on, but you can put a chill on your PG&E electricity usage. It's easy, and it can make your summer a lot more comfortable: * Get a new home desktop computer or server that uses 80PLUS^ certified power supplies.
back to top Save up to $400 a year in an ENERGY STAR^ New Home Lower the total cost of your new home by cutting energy bills $200-$400 every year. Get a handy video and brochure, maps to nearby energy-efficient developments plus valuable coupons for products and services.
back to top California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) cuts electricity rates by 20% If you're already enrolled, you most be recertified every two years. If your income qualifies you and you're not enrolled, you can apply now.
back to top Contact Underground Service Alert (USA)--a FREE service When you call, PG&E and other contractors can identify gas and electric lines, as well as communications, water and other underground lines.
back to top 4 Reasons Why We Trim Trees and 4 Ways You Can Help Tree trimming illustration Why We Trim Trees * It's the Law. State law requires PG&E to keep clearances between high-voltage power lines and all vegetation. Maintaining required clearances keep people safe from injury if they climb or work in trees located near power lines. Trimming trees to maintain required clearances prevents them from touching high-voltage power lines, which can start fires. Lower voltage lines, such as phone and cable TV lines, that are installed lower on the utility pole, don't require clearing because they present little or no fire hazard. Trimming trees to maintain required clearances reduce outages caused by falling branches. Ways You Can Help * Allow PG&E access to trees when trimming is necessary*. Many insurance companies do not cover these types of damages if the policy owner has refused to allow the hazard to be eliminated. Wildfire Defensible Space Checklist California Law (Public Resources Code 4291) requires the following: * Clear flammable vegetation from around your home. Minimum distance can range from 100' or more depending on where you live.
back to top Proposition 65--Public Warning The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, commonly referred to as Proposition 65, requires the Governor to publish a list of chemicals "known to the State of California" to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. It also requires California businesses to warn the public quarterly of potential exposures to these chemicals which result from their operations. Pacific Gas and Electric Company uses chemicals in its operations that are "known to the State of California" to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. For example, Pacific Gas and Electric Company uses natural gas and petroleum products in its operations. Pacific Gas and Electric Company also delivers natural gas to its customers. Petroleum products, natural gas, and their combustion by- products contain chemicals "known to the State of California" to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. A warning odorant is added to natural gas so that leaks of unburned gas can be quickly detected. If gas odor is detected, Pacific Gas and Electric Company should be contacted promptly. Pacific Gas and Electric Company provides a free service to check and adjust your home gas appliances. For additional information on this Proposition 65 warning, write to Pacific Gas and Electric Company at PO Box 7017, San Francisco, CA 94120.
back to top POWER CONTENT LABEL Energy Resources PG&E 2006 POWER MIX* (Projected) 2005 CA POWER MIX** (For Comparison) Eligible Renewable 13% 5% Biomass and waste 5% <1% Geothermal 2% 4% Small hydroelectric 4% 1% Solar 0% 0% Wind 2% <1% Coal 3% 38% Large Hydroelectric 19% 24% Natural Gas 42% 33% Nuclear 23% 0% Other <1% 0% TOTAL 100% 100% * At least 95% of PG&E's POWER MIX is provided by the California Department of Water Resources or from PG&E-owned resources, or specifically purchased from individual suppliers. For specific information about this electricity product, contact Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
The actual 2005 fuel mix for California statewide is not the "CA power mix" shown above, but rather is: 11% renewable; PG&E advocates changes to the mandated format so that statewide values would be provided for comparison.
back to top NOTICE OF APPLICATION FILING: PG&E'S 2007 ENERGY RESOURCE RECOVERY ACCOUNT (ERRA) AND ONGOING COMPETITION TRANSITION CHARGE (CTC) FORECAST REVENUE REQUIREMENTS Each year, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is required to file an application that forecasts in detail how much it will spend the following year to ensure adequate electricity supplies for its customers. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) carefully reviews the utility' s forecast to ensure that customers are not charged more than it costs PG&E to provide electricity. A-06-06-001, requesting that the CPUC adopt its forecast of fuel and electricity purchase costs for 2007. These uneconomic power costs are recovered as an ongoing Competition Transition Charge (CTC) as allowed by the Electric Utility Industry Restructuring Act (Assembly Bill 1890). In its application, PG&E also proposes that expected over-collections of electric procurement costs in 2006 be refunded to customers by reducing rates in 2007. Even though overall revenues from bundled customers (that is, customers who receive electric generation, as well as transmission and distribution, service from PG&E) will increase by approximately $218 million, some customers' bills will increase and others will decrease. This is because the reduction is allocated among customer classes differently. Detailed Information About PG&E's Application In December 2002, the CPUC ordered PG&E to establish the Energy Resource Recovery Account (ERRA). In this account, PG&E is to record the cost of fuels used in producing electricity at its own power plants and the cost of buying electricity from non-PG&E generators. Each year the utility submits a forecast of upcoming costs and reports on the previous months' activities. In its 2007 ERRA application, PG&E proposes a 2007 ERRA revenue requirement for bundled customers of $2,888 million and an ongoing Competition Transition Charge revenue requirement for bundled, direct access (customers who purchase their electricity from a non-utility supplier), and departing load customers (customers who receive electric generation, as well as transmission and distribution, service from a publicly-owned utility or municipality) of $269 million. This increases bundled ERRA revenue collection by approximately $291 million and reduces bundled, direct access, and departing load ongoing CTC revenue collection by approximately $85 million relative to present ERRA and ongoing CTC rates. PG&E is seeking to change total electric charges for bundled service customers. In addition, customers who purchase energy from non-PG&E suppliers (ie, direct access customers) will also see a change (a reduction) to their bill due to the reduction of the CTC rate. The following table illustrates how PG&E proposes to allocate the increase in the ERRA revenue requirement and the decrease in the CTC revenue requirement among bundled and direct access customers. THE CPUC PROCESS The CPUC's independent Division of Ratepayer Advocates (DRA) will review this application, analyze the proposal, and present an independent analysis and recommendations for the CPUC's consideration. The CPUC may hold evidentiary hearings where parties present their proposals in testimony and are subject to cross-examination before an Administrative Law Judge. These hearings are open to the public, but only those who are parties of record can present evidence or cross-examine witnesses during evidentiary hearings. After considering all proposals and evidence presented during the hearing process, the CPUC will issue a draft decision. When the CPUC acts on this application, it may adopt all or part of PG&E's request, amend or modify it, or deny the application. The CPUC's final decision may be di...
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