San Diego Community Power presents lower-rate options, battery pilots and local grants to Imperial Beach council

San Diego Community Power told the Imperial Beach City Council on Wednesday that it is offering new rate options and piloting home- and utility-scale battery programs intended to lower customers’ bills and reduce peak-grid pressure.

The presentation, given by Karen Burns, CEO of San Diego Community Power, explained the agency’s customer options — Power Base (a lower-cost option), the standard portfolio (at least 50% renewable and currently priced below SDG&E rates) and Power 100 for customers who want 100% renewable power — and described pilots to use batteries and smart devices to shift energy use away from costly peak hours.

The update matters because Community Power provides electric generation for nearly 1,000,000 customer accounts across member agencies including Imperial Beach and because its programs and grants directly affect local affordability, resilience and clean-energy job opportunities.

Burns said Community Power reduced generation charges for the second year in a row and introduced Power Base to provide a “5% discount from SDG&E,” adding that the standard service remains about “3% less expensive than SDG&E.” She described Power 100 and Power 100 Green Plus for customers seeking fully renewable supply and LEED-supporting options for new buildings. Burns said the program has an average participation rate of about 95%.

The agency has also moved to expand storage. Burns described a residential solar-battery savings pilot and a utility-scale “solar peaker” project and said the residential program used multiple suppliers and that the batteries are “typically lithium ion.” She said the pilots are aimed at shifting solar generation from midday into the 4–9 p.m. peak period when energy can cost “as much as 3 times” more than off-peak hours and when load-reduction yields the largest bill benefits.

Council members asked about customer tools and real‑time information. Council member Fisher told Burns residents often want to know what their usage will cost and suggested an app or similar real-time tool; Burns said third‑party devices exist and that Community Power would “look into that more.” Council member McKay asked whether home batteries yield advantages; Burns described the residential program’s intent to store rooftop solar for use during peak hours and said the agency is developing a virtual power plant that can dispatch aggregated residential batteries to the grid and compensate participants.

Burns reported local investments and grants: Community Power incentivized batteries on at least six single‑family homes in Imperial Beach, awarded roughly $50,000 to Imperial Beach for phase 1 of the city’s climate-action plan, and supported South Bay nonprofits through nearly $5.5 million in clean-energy grants. She also said the California Public Utilities Commission approved the agency’s application to form a regional energy network that will bring roughly $124 million to the region for efficiency and workforce programs.

Burns emphasized outreach, saying Community Power staff attended more than 150 events in the county last year and that the agency provides a contact center, a bill‑comparison mailer jointly with SDG&E, and online bill-explainer tools.

The presentation was informational; no council action was required.