SDG&E to begin switching customers to more flexible plans next month

SAN DIEGO - San Diego Gas and Electric announced plans on Thursday, Feb. 21 to move its roughly 750,000 customers to energy plans that incentivize decreased energy use, especially during peak hours.

SDG&E has offered so-called Time-of-Use plans for more than a decade, with roughly 150,000 residential and 80,000 business customers enrolled in the program. The energy company plans to convert roughly 75,000 to 100,000 customers to TOU plans each month, beginning in March, with the expectation of moving its entire customer base to the plans by the middle of next year.

The crux of the plan allows customers to save money on their monthly energy bill if they use energy outside of the peak hours between 4 and 9 p.m. In addition to using energy outside of peak hours, the TOU plan also allows customers to save by reducing their overall energy use.

"The transition to Time-of-Use plans marks a big milestone in California's journey toward a clean energy future,'' said Scott Crider, SDG&E's vice president of customer services. "We are committed to helping our customers through this transition.''

Customers who are being transitioned to a TOU plan can try it risk-free for a year, according to SDG&E. The company said it will also offer a credit to customers who spend more on their bill than they would have with their old plan. Customers will be able to switch back to their old plan at any time by accessing their SDG&E account online.