Renewable energy plan offers choice, savings for Manhattan Beach residents
The Manhattan Beach City Council Tuesday night chose default rates for a new citywide plan that will allow residents to choose what percentage of power they receive that is derived from renewable sources.
The council unanimously chose a plan that will provide electricity from at least 50 percent renewable sources and is expected to also come at a rate 3 percent cheaper than Southern California Edison’s standard rate. Residents will have the option to choose a lower rate, 36 percent renewable, at an estimated 4 percent savings from current SCE rates, or a 100 percent renewable plan, which costs 7 percent more.
Residents can also chose to opt out and continue with their current SCE plan. The new, renewable energy choices will come through SCE billing. The change will be almost unnoticeable to consumers, other than a notice on their bill.
Mayor Amy Howorth stressed that within the new plan, known as the Community Choice Energy Program, choice is the keyword. The council’s decision Tuesday chose a default rate, but consumers can choose their own rates; in other such programs, 90 percent of residents utilized the default rate.
“If a resident does nothing, your energy will be received at a rate we will decide, and you don’t have to do anything and your bill will likely go down,” Howorth said. “You can always opt to pay more, or go down to less… Or opt out.”
The program is part of the newly formed Clean Power Alliance of Southern California, which utilizes a concept called Community Choice Aggregation, in which communities join together to purchase renewable energy. Manhattan Beach was among the founding cities in the alliance, which formed last July and now includes 27 cities from both LA and Ventura Counties. Howorth is on the board of Alliance, while Councilperson Steve Napolitano, in his former role as Supervisor Don Knabe’s deputy, helped in its formative stages.
Napolitano and Councilperson Richard Montgomery advocated for the 36 percent rate, to begin with in order to ensure greater savings, but were persuaded by Howorth and councilpersons David Lessor and Nancy Hersman to chose the 50 percent renewable rate.
“We can’t lose sight of the fact that it’s the renewable energy we are trying to get to,” Hersman said. “It’s also going to cost less, and that’s great…but really, as a community, we are trying to take a stand to say renewable energy is so important in our community and our state. And 50 percent makes that statement.”
The program is rolling out in three stages. LA County-owned municipal buildings started utilizing it on Feb. 1; commercial and industrial users will join in June, and residents will be included by December. The city, with the Alliance’s help, will roll out an education program in the next few months.
Hermosa Beach activist Dency Nelson, who along with Redondo Beach activist Joe Galliani has been a key advocated for Community Choice Aggregation, praised Manhattan Beach for being the first local municipality to implement the program.
“I stand here…with a great deal of envy that you as a city get to move forward with this program,” Nelson told the council. “Thank you very much, Manhattan Beach.”