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MCE Deep Green Is 100% Wind and Solar Powered 

The City of Walnut Creek has joined California’s renewable energy movement by upgrading all City-owned buildings and facilities to MCE’s Deep Green 100% renewable electricity service. By using MCE’s Deep Green electricity, which comes from California solar and wind power, the City eliminated all greenhouse gas emissions associated with its facilities' electricity use. That’s an estimated 900 metric tons of greenhouse gases eliminated annually, which is the same as taking 194 gas-powered cars off the road.* 

Using 100% renewable electricity sets the foundation for achieving much higher greenhouse gas reductions. Relying on a clean energy means that we can focus on switching appliances and vehicles from gas and other fossil fuels to carbon-free electricity powered by solar and wind. 

Join us in protecting human health and addressing climate change by choosing MCE Deep Green electricity! 

Deep Green is Affordable 

Deep Green costs just a penny more than MCE's base plan, Light Green, for each kilowatt-hour of electricity you use ($0.01 / kWh). Half of the premium you pay will fund the creation of local renewable projects, such as MCE’s SolarOne project in Richmond.  

For the average home, Deep Green electricity costs about $5 more per month than standard MCE service. Businesses’ electricity usage varies widely by sector and type, but for the average business, Deep Green costs about $11 more per month than standard MCE service. 

Visit MCE's website for residential and business cost comparisons. You can estimate your own annual Deep Green cost by reviewing how many kWh of electricity you used last year on your utility bill. To help, MCE has a guide to reading your utility bill. 

Walnut Creek residents and businesses can help offset the cost of choosing Deep Green by taking actions to improve energy and water efficiency, which will conserve resources and save money. Additionally, though Deep Green is slightly more expensive than Light Green, it is still almost always less expensive than PG&E's rates. On average, businesses who receive electricity generated by PG&E would save more than $8 each month by switching to Light Green and $3 each month by switching to Deep Green. 

Go Deep Green with Walnut Creek 

Join the City of Walnut Creek and fellow Walnut Creek residents and businesses in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and fighting climate change by signing up for Deep Green!  

Questions? 

Formed by the public and environmental leaders to build cleaner power and invest in our local economies, MCE is a not-for-profit, public electricity provider. Learn more about MCE on their website or on the City's webpage about community choice energy programs. 

Contact MCE with any questions at info@mcecleanenergy.org or (888) 632-3674. 

Adding Solar to Your Home 

There are many different financing options and discounts available to add solar to your home. Learn more on our Energy Incentives page. 

*Statistic from United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator

Residential Rebate & Incentive Finder

MCE's Residential Rebate & Incentive Finder helps you discover rebates and incentives for upgrading to eco-friendly electric appliances, electric vehicles, solar panels, and more. Income-qualifying households can also access extra savings, making sustainable upgrades more affordable than ever!

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Community Choice Energy

MCE is a community choice energy program that offers clean energy at affordable rates. Upgrade to 100% renewable energy by enrolling in MCE Deep Green!

Community Choice Energy is a hybrid approach between private investor-owned utilities and public municipal utilities that was approved by the California Legislature in 2002. MCE, Contra Costa's community choice energy provider, has been the default electricity provider for Walnut Creek since September 2016. Learn more about MCE by visiting MCE's website or calling (888) 632-3674.

PG&E continues to be responsible for transmitting and distributing electricity through the grid, maintaining infrastructure, billing customers, and providing customer services. 

MCE: Walnut Creek's More Renewable Energy Provider

MCE is a public, not-for-profit electricity provider offering a community choice energy program. The program enables Walnut Creek to partner with other local governments to purchase cleaner electricity for the city's residents and businesses. MCE offers consumers competitive rates and cleaner energy. Light Green, the base plan for customers, delivers 60% renewable energy. It's also easy and affordable to opt-up to Deep Green, which delivers 100% renewable energy for only 1 cent more per kWh of energy used. All City-owned facilities in Walnut Creek have been enrolled in Deep Green since July 2018.

Cost

MCE has rates that are competitive with PG&E’s; in most cases, MCE's rates are less expensive than PG&E's. Rates are approved by MCE's Board of Directors, which is made up of an elected official from each participating city and county.

• MCE's residential rates
• PG&E's residential rates can be found by logging into your PG&E account
• MCE's non-residential rates
• PG&E's non-residential rates can be found by logging into your PG&E account
• MCE's website has residential and commercial sample cost comparisons

Discount Customers

CARE, FERA, and Medical Baseline customers automatically receive the same discount with MCE as they would with PG&E.

Solar

MCE has a generous solar net energy metering policy. As an added bonus, the current 30% residential federal solar tax credit will continue through 2032. Additional resources on how to finance solar projects is available on our ECO Solar Incentives page.

Billing

PG&E will still send your monthly bill, but instead of one fee that combines both your electric delivery fees and electric generation fees, your bill will show separate charges – one for PG&E electric delivery and one for MCE electric generation. MCE’s generation rates will simply replace PG&E’s generation rates; they are not an added fee.

Renewable Energy Comparison Table

* Carbon-free energy is generated from sources that do not emit greenhouse gases. Power generated by nuclear power plants and large hydroelectric plants is considered to be carbon-free but not renewable. Power generated by natural gas is neither carbon-free nor renewable, since natural gas is mostly made up of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is 25 times more polluting than carbon dioxide.

Unincorporated Walnut Creek

Residents and businesses in unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County switched to MCE's service in 2018 after the county's Board of Supervisors voted to join MCE in 2017. 

FAQs

• Why am I automatically enrolled in MCE if I don't opt out?

  Community choice energy (CCE) programs are required by state law to be the primary power provider for the areas that they serve, rather than existing investor-owned utilities. Customers therefore receive service from MCE, Contra Costa's community choice energy provider, by default.

• Can I return to MCE if I previously opted out?

  Customers who opted out before starting MCE service or within the first 60 days of MCE service may return to MCE service at any time. Customers who opted out after the first 60 days of service with MCE will be prohibited by PG&E from returning to MCE for one year.

• Why did Walnut Creek join MCE in 2016? 

Walnut Creek joined MCE because they offer a more renewable alternative to PG&E. Using more renewable energy supports the city's efforts to combat climate change by implementing its Sustainability Action Plan. In July 2018, Walnut Creek opted up all City-owned facilities to participate in Deep Green, MCE's 100% renewable energy program.