San Diego Gas & Electric to expand effort to upgrade mobile home park utility services

SAN DIEGO – Mobile home park residents throughout San Diego County will have their electric and natural gas systems upgraded through a program expansion approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, San Diego Gas & Electric recently announced.

The commission’s unanimous decision authorizes SDG&E to expand the Mobile Home Park Utility Upgrade Pilot Program and upgrade antiquated natural gas and electric systems that are currently owned, operated and maintained by the park owner, with new individually metered utility systems.

By December, SDG&E will have completed the conversion of 3,150 mobile homes at 28 parks. With this expansion of the program through 2019, an additional 1,700 mobile home residents, many of whom are seniors or low-income residents, will receive individual metered service.

“Modernizing these energy systems will provide residents and the community peace of mind by enhancing safety and service reliability,” Gina Orozco-Mejia, vice president of gas operations for SDG&E, said. “This effort also gives mobile home residents direct control over their energy use and direct access to SDG&E’s residential assistance programs.”

Currently, SDG&E provides electricity and natural gas service to a single master meter at most mobile home park communities. From the master meter, the mobile home park has its own privately owned and maintained distribution system that serves each resident’s mobile home through a sub-meter.

With the upgraded system, each individual mobile home will have new, professionally installed and dedicated electric and natural gas meters that will be maintained and serviced by SDG&E’s highly trained crews.

The commission first approved the pilot program in 2014 to allow utilities statewide to voluntarily replace aging energy distribution systems owned and operated by the mobile park owners. An application is pending with the commission to expand the program even further. If approved, SDG&E could upgrade an additional 4,900 mobile residences to direct utility service over a six-year period.