If, like most Manhattan Beach residents, you got a mailing in the past week from Clean Power Alliance announcing itself as your new electricity supply provider, you may have been confused - and you're not alone.

While the city of Manhattan Beach voted to join the Clean Power Alliance in December 2017, most residents remained unaware of the shift until they received the mailing in the past few days. The changeover will take place in February 2019.

Clean Power Alliance is a public agency made up of 31 local governments across Los Angeles and Ventura counties ー including the city of Manhattan Beach ー that aims to bring clean, renewable power choices to its communities. Clean Power Alliance will purchase clean power and Southern California Edison (SCE) will deliver it. No other part of the service is expected to change. SCE will continue to send just one bill, and will be responsible for resolving any issues with electricity service.

Residents will not have to do anything to be automatically enrolled in Clean Power Alliance’s Clean Power rate option, which provides 50% renewable content and the opportunity to support building a cleaner future. The rates are expected to be in line with current SCE rates.

Here's where it gets interesting: Once enrolled, customers will also have the option to change over to Clean Power Alliance’s other two rate options, a less expensive and less "green" option, or a more expensive but the ultimate "green" option. The Lean Power program will provide 36% renewable content at the lowest possible cost, and the 100% Green Power program, will provide 100% renewable content and gives customers the opportunity to go the "greenest" route possible.

No matter the rate option, Clean Power Alliance aims to offer the shared benefits of local management and control, stable, competitive rates, and higher renewable energy content. 

According to the City of Manhattan Beach, customers will receive a total of four notices via mail before and after the switch from SCE to Clean Power Alliance for electricity generation. Service for residential customers will begin in February 2019, and customers will receive (or may have already received) their first notice this month containing additional details, including instructions on how to choose a different rate option and customer support contact information.

Clean Power Alliance service for non-residential customers is scheduled to begin in May 2019.

Clean Power Alliance will soon serve over three million Southern California residents and over one million customer accounts. Worth noting: Southern California Edison is seeking to have its departing customers pay $125 million to cover its shortfall following increased prices it had to pay during a summer heat wave. “Basic fairness and the law dictate that all customers responsible for the under-collection should pay a fair share; anything else would raise costs for other remaining customers,” SCE said in a statement to the L.A. Times earlier this week. Community choice advocates have asked the California Public Utilities Commission to deny SCE’s request.

More information about the new power program is available at www.cleanpoweralliance.org or by calling Clean Power Alliance at 888-585-3788.