SDG&E Encourages Customers To Save Energy, Earn Rewards This Summer

SAN DIEGO, CA — San Diego Gas & Electric is encouraging customers to save energy and earn rewards this summer. The company's Power Saver Rewards incentive program rewards residential customers with bill credits for reducing their electricity use on days when the statewide grid is stressed by high demand.

Enrolled customers who conserved energy during last summer's heat wave earned more than $11 million in bill credits, according to SDG&E.

"Customers receive a double benefit when they participate in Power Saver Rewards and conserve energy: 1. they can save on their energy bill, and 2. they help to keep the grid reliable for all Californians on hot summer days when the grid is stressed," said Hollie Bierman, director of customer programs for SDG&E. "The grid is interconnected statewide, and we appreciate our customers' willingness to do their part to help."

An extended heat wave late last summer drove up energy demand significantly in California. The state was able to avoid rotating outages, in large part because of consumers responding to the call for conservation, according to SDG&E.

The California Independent System Operator, which manages the state's flow of electricity on high-voltage power lines, issued nine consecutive days of Flex Alerts, which are voluntary calls for conservation typically issued during peak hours in the afternoon to reduce overall power consumption.

Last year's Flex Alerts triggered SDG&E's Power Saver Rewards program several times.

A Power Saver Rewards event may be called any day of the week from 4-9 p.m., May through October, according to SDG&E. Customers enrolled in the program who lower their energy use below their typical use during the hours of 4-9 p.m. can earn a bill credit of $2 per kWh on the following month's bill. There is no cap on the rewards.

The program is voluntary and participants are not penalized if they do not reduce energy usage.

The California Public Utilities Commission initiated the Power Saver Rewards program in 2022 to strengthen summer reliability statewide, according to SDG&E. More than 570,000 SDG&E customers were automatically enrolled in the program.

Residential customers can apply for the program at sdge.com/powersaver or by calling 866-291-9516. Commercial customers can enroll in a similar program called the Emergency Load Reduction program.