{"id":12839,"date":"2014-03-31T18:40:51","date_gmt":"2014-03-31T23:40:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=12839"},"modified":"2016-04-01T17:39:46","modified_gmt":"2016-04-01T22:39:46","slug":"climate-action-is-turning-green-to-gold-for-californians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2014\/03\/31\/climate-action-is-turning-green-to-gold-for-californians\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate Action is Turning Green to Gold for Californians"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lauren Navarro<\/a> and Emily Reyna<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

What would you do with extra cash? Starting this April<\/a>, customers of California\u2019s biggest utilities will experience first-hand how the state\u2019s fight against climate change is actually paying off \u2013 in the form of real money.<\/p>\n

Wait\u2026 real<\/i> money? How does that work?<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Source:<\/a>
Source: Flickr\/Mike Schmid<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yes. Millions of household customers of Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and other investor-owned utilities will automatically receive a \u201cClimate Credit<\/a>\u201d twice a year through 2020 \u2013 every April and October \u2013 as a line item on their utility bill. This money comes from California\u2019s cap-and-trade program<\/a>, which holds the state\u2019s largest emitters, including electric utilities, accountable for their climate pollution.\u00a0With cap and trade, regulated companies must buy \u201callowances,\u201d or permits, if they plan to emit carbon pollution \u2013equivalent to nearly $1.7 billion\u00a0to date<\/a>.\u00a0Now, part of this money is being returned to these utilities\u2019 customers. For average Californians, the Credit will cover the slightly higher rates that cover California\u2019s green transformation. But if you\u2019re conscientious about your energy use – and are a below average energy user \u2013 your Credit will be a bonus for you.<\/p>\n

The Climate Credit is one way Californians are benefiting from the state\u2019s action on climate and it will help people participate in building a clean energy economy. This smart policy builds on years of people-focused efforts, like energy efficiency standards and clean energy installations. In fact last year California more than doubled<\/a> its rooftop solar capacity to 2,000 MW of power.<\/p>\n

In California, we spend less overall on energy because we use it wisely and waste less, even though we pay more per unit of electricity.\u00a0 In fact, while the state is ranked 8th<\/sup><\/a> in average cost of electricity (cents\/kWh), we rank 47th<\/sup><\/a> in total energy expenditures per capita.<\/p>\n

The exact amount each household will be credited varies based on the utility and its costs in complying with cap and trade, but eligible customers will receive an average of $70 this year, which is expected to increase over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Household Credit<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
April and October Electricity Bills<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Electric Bill Provider<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nCredit Applied to Bill in 2014<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
PG&E<\/td>\n$29.81<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
SCE<\/td>\n$40.00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
SDG&E<\/td>\n$36.24<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pacific Power<\/td>\n$194.37<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Liberty Utilities<\/td>\n$41.60<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Source: CPUC<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Californians can use their climate credit in any way they\u2019d like. But given the commitment so many have to protecting California\u2019s air quality, natural beauty, and fighting climate change (as evidenced by the recent trend<\/a> of more Californian\u2019s biking and using public transit to get around), we wanted to share some ways to invest in our environment and save money along the way. Energy Upgrade California<\/a> is encouraging residents to use the Climate Credit for energy-saving home upgrades like more efficient light bulbs or appliances. And these types of investments save money in the long term.<\/p>\n

So\u2026 the not-so-hypothetical question: what would you do with $70 a year?<\/b><\/p>\n

For example, a programmable thermostat can cost as little as $25,\u00a0and, if used properly in combination with a well-designed time-of-use rate, can save hundreds of dollars <\/a>a year in reduced utility bills.<\/p>\n

The Energy Upgrade California website has a host of ideas listed here [PDF]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

No matter how we spend this credit, one thing is for sure: the Climate Credit is part of California\u2019s down payment for healthier and cleaner communities. We know there\u2019s more work to be done to achieve our long-term emissions reduction goals<\/a>, but this is the first of many steps that will pay dividends to the future health and economic prosperity of California.<\/p>\n

For more information about California\u2019s Climate Credit visit: <\/i>http:\/\/www.energyupgradeca.org\/climatecredit<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Lauren Navarro and Emily Reyna What would you do with extra cash? Starting this April, customers of California\u2019s biggest utilities will experience first-hand how the state\u2019s fight against climate change is actually paying off \u2013 in the form of real money. Wait\u2026 real money? How does that work? Yes. Millions of household customers of …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42996,439,254],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-12839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-smart-power","category-climate","category-energy-efficiency"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nClimate Action is Turning Green to Gold for Californians - Energy Exchange<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2014\/03\/31\/climate-action-is-turning-green-to-gold-for-californians\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Climate Action is Turning Green to Gold for Californians - Energy Exchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Lauren Navarro and Emily Reyna What would you do with extra cash? 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