Alert: Get the Latest on Public Safety Power Shutoffs
05/01/2019 (Version 2019)
These terms and conditions relate to Southern California Edison Company’s (SCE) Smart Energy Program.
Eligibility & Requirements
In order to qualify for the Smart Energy Program, you must have enabling technology authorized by SCE for direct participation in energy events. Presently, Wi-Fi-enabled smart thermostats controlling a working central air conditioning system (central A/C) are the only enabling technology available for participation in the Smart Energy Program. You must enroll your qualifying new or existing smart thermostat in the program through a Qualified Smart Thermostat Service Provider (i.e., Energy Hub, Nest Labs, Simple, Venstar Inc., Whisker Labs, or Zen Ecosystems). Please note that the Qualified Smart Thermostat Service Provider may refer to this program as the Smart Energy Program or use a different brand name (e.g., Rush Hour Rewards). You must also meet the following eligibility requirements.
Requirements to Register Your Qualifying Thermostat with an Authorized Smart Thermostat Service Provider:
- You must have a Qualified Wi-Fi-enabled smart thermostat connected to a working central A/C
- You must have an internet connection
Smart Energy Program Requirements:
- You must be a Residential “Bundled Service” customer with an eligible Edison SmartConnect® meter.
- You must receive service under rate schedule D, D-CARE, D-FERA, TOU-D or TOU-D-T
- You must not be enrolled in any of the following programs, rate schedules, rate options, or services:
- Demand Response programs or rates offered by Non-Utility Demand Response Service Providers
- All types of Medical Baseline Allocations
- Critical Peak Pricing (CPP)
- Domestic Multiple (DM)
- Domestic Multiple Service 1 (DMS-1)
- Domestic Multiple Service 2 (DMS-2)
- Domestic Multiple Service 3 (DMS-3)
- Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Service
- Direct Access (DA) Service
- Summer Discount Plan
Participation Period
Eligible customers may elect to opt-in or opt-out from the program at any time by contacting their Qualified Smart Thermostat Service Provider, and the change will be effective within three business days. Customers may also call SCE to opt-out from the program.
Smart Thermostat Rebates
SCE customers may earn up to two rebates for purchasing a qualifying energy efficient smart thermostat, for a total savings of up to $150. Both rebate types are explained below:
$75 Smart Energy Program Sign-Up Bonus
SCE offers a one-time sign-up bonus of $75 to customers who enroll in the Smart Energy Program through a Qualified Smart Thermostat Service Provider. The sign-up bonus is provided to customers, in the form of a bill credit, following successful enrollment.To qualify for the $75 sign-up bonus, the following conditions apply:
- The sign-up bonus is for new enrollments and available until funding is exhausted.
- Customers previously enrolled in the Smart Energy Program for the same service account will be ineligible for the sign-up bonus.
- If your service account closes or you disenroll from the Smart Energy Program before SCE can process any portion of the sign up bonus, your sign up bonus will be cancelled.
- Sign-up bonuses are limited to one per service account and will not exceed $75. Enrolling multiple smart thermostats for the same account will not increase your sign-up bonus amount.
- Customers who have more than one service account (e.g., a second home) and enroll in the program may be eligible for more than one sign-up bonus.
- SCE will not pay a sign-up bonus for a thermostat that SCE has already previously paid for. This includes payment to any previous owner of the thermostat. SCE will monitor this by thermostat serial number.
- Customers who received their thermostat from an SCE program (e.g., the residential direct install program) are not eligible for the $75 sign-up bonus.
- Bill credits can be processed within one to two billing cycles.
Energy Efficiency Smart Thermostat Rebate of up to $75
SCE residential customers who purchase and install a Qualified Smart Thermostat may be eligible for a one-time Energy Efficiency (EE) rebate offered by either SoCal Gas® or SCE. SoCal Gas currently offers a $75 (EE) rebate, while SCE offers a $50 (EE) rebate. Customers are eligible to receive only one EE rebate from either SoCal Gas® or SCE, per household. SCE customers who have a natural gas furnace and are serviced by SoCalGas should consider applying for the $75 EE rebate through SoCal Gas to maximize their rebate amount.
SCE EE Rebate Terms:
- Rebate Amount: $50.
- Limit one rebate per household.
- Customers will need to provide a proof of purchase during the rebate process.
- Qualifying thermostats must be purchased between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019.
- Rebate amount cannot exceed the actual cost of the thermostat.
- Rebates are provided to qualified customers on a first-come, first-served basis until the program funds are no longer available. An on-site verification for the products purchased and installed may be required before the rebate is paid.
- If all rebate requirements are met, SCE will issue a rebate within 4-6 weeks. If you applied through SoCalGas, SoCalGas will process your rebate (Visit www.Socalgas.com/rebates for details). Rebates may be postponed if your application is selected for inspection, which may take additional time. This program may be modified or terminated without prior notice.
Customers with a natural gas furnace who are serviced by both SCE and SoCalGas may apply for the Energy Efficiency Smart Thermostat Rebate through SoCalGas directly at: socalgas.com/smarttstat
All other SCE customers must apply for the SCE Energy Efficiency Smart Thermostat Rebate through the SCE Marketplace at: marketplace.sce.com/thermostats
Smart Energy Program Events
Smart Energy Program events (“energy events”) may be called in response to emergencies, overworked electrical grids, high wholesale energy prices, or for testing purposes.Energy events can occur anytime throughout the year for a maximum duration of hour-hours per event.. Multiple events may be called in the same calendar day; however, the total number of event hours will not exceed a maximum duration of four hours in a calendar day.The total number of hours that can be called in a calendar year is 180 hours. When an energy event is called, SCE will notify your Qualified Smart Thermostat Service Provider 20 minutes prior to the event start time.Your Qualified Smart Thermostat Service Provider will notify you of the event and may adjust the temperature setting to reduce A/C usage during the event. You always have the option to override by re-adjusting your temperature setting based on your comfort and choice during an energy event. However, customers who override all events dispatched in a calendar year may be removed from the program.
Smart Energy Program Bill Credits
Customers can earn up to $40 in bill credits annually for their enrollment on the Smart Energy Program.This bill credit will be provided to customers who maintain enrollment in the program from June 1 through September 30. Disbursement of credits will coincide with customer scheduled bill periods. Customers who enroll after June 1 or disenroll prior to September 30 will have their credits pro-rated to the summer season days with which they were actively enrolled in the program.Customers will earn $0.3275 per summer season day.
Qualified Smart Thermostat Service Providers
Qualified Smart Thermostat Service Providers authorized by SCE for this program are EnergyHub, Nest Labs, Simple, Venstar, Whisker Labs, and Zen Ecosystems. Neither SCE nor SoCalGas endorses, qualifies or guarantees, and neither is responsible or liable for the products or services offered by the Qualified Smart Thermostat Service Providers. Customers who choose to participate in this program are not obligated to purchases any additional goods or services.
Minimum Usage Eligibility Requirement
Customers participating in the Smart Energy Program must register the use of a minimum of 1.5 kWh, one hour before or after the energy event at least once in a calendar year to remain eligible to participate in the Smart Energy Program.
SCE will conduct an annual review of customer’s electric usage by no later than January 31 of each calendar year. At the annual review time, any customer who does not meet the minimum usage requirement may be removed from SEP and must wait 12 months before re-enrolling in SEP again.
Complete Tariff Information
This information is meant as an aid to understanding SCE’s Smart Energy Program. It does not replace the CPUC-approved tariffs. Any inconsistencies between this material and SCE’s tariffs are unintended, and the tariffs prevail. Please refer to Schedule SEP Smart Energy Program in SCE’s Tariff Books for a complete list of terms and conditions of service.
This program is funded by SCE utility ratepayers and administered by SCE under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission. The energy efficiency rebate is administered by SCE and SoCalGas under the auspices of the CPUC. The selection, purchase and ownership of any goods and services are the sole responsibility of the customer.
© 2019 Southern California Edison, SoCalGas, Smart Connect, EnergyHub, Nest Labs, Venstar, Inc., Whisker Labs, and Zen Ecosystems are registered trademarks of their respective companies. All rights reserved.
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What is the purpose of the Smart Energy Program?
The Smart Energy Program is one of several Demand Response programs offered by SCE to help our customers lower their energy costs, while also contributing to the reliability of the grid.
Can I join the Smart Energy Program if I don’t have a central air conditioner?
No.Customers must have a qualifying smart thermostat setup to control a central A/C.
Can I cancel my enrollment at any time?
You can disenroll from the program at any time; however, please consider that this program does provide the option to override any event at any time. Overriding a few events during the year instead of disenrolling from the program is a win-win solution for all. You still can provide valuable energy reduction during periods where you may have greater flexibility with your A/C usage while continuing to earn bill credits on the program.
Can a customer enrolled in Summer Discount Plan (SDP) enroll in the Smart Energy Program?
Customers cannot dual participate in both programs because both programs control the same energy load and can be called at the same time. SCE cannot double pay customers for the same load reduction.
How do I enroll?
Once you install a qualifying smart thermostat, you may sign up for the Smart Energy Program through one of our Qualified Smart Thermostat Service Providers (i.e., EnergyHub, Nest Labs, Simple, Venstar Inc., Whisker Labs, and Zen Ecosystems Inc.).
What triggers an energy event?
We may call an energy event in response to emergencies, overworked electrical grids, high wholesale energy prices, or as part of testing.
Will I know how long an event is supposed to last?
Your smart thermostat service provider should provide you with details of the event duration. SCE also offers an SCE DR Alerts Mobile App that can notify you anytime a Smart Energy Program event is activated. You can download the SCE DR Alerts Mobile App at no charge from the App Store® and Google Play store™. You can download this app at any time and configure the app to receive notices of Smart Energy Program events.
Can you pre-cool my home?
Twenty minutes prior to an event, SCE will notify all authorized smart thermostat service providers (Energy Hub, Nest, Simple, Venstar, Whisker Labs, and Zen) that an event has been scheduled. Because of this time frame, your service provider will have a limited time to pre-cool your home for the duration of one hour.
Why do I get the daily bill credit rate of $0.3275 only from June 1 through September 30?
Energy events can occur at any time, year-round. We anticipate that most will occur during the summer, when A/C usage is highest. We apply the bill credits between June 1 and October 1 to help lower your bill during this time.
Why can’t customers receiving their energy service from a Community Choice Aggregator or Direct Access participate on the program?
The Smart Energy Program is fully funded by customers who receive their energy services directly from SCE. As such, CCA and DA customers do not qualify.
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Why does SCE need to have a minimum usage eligibility requirement?
Establishing a minimum usage eligibility requirement helps improve the effectiveness of the program by identifying and removing customers who are not able to demonstrate A/C usage reduction. The Smart Energy Program rewards customers who show A/C reduction when there is a need to conserve energy. These savings can be reallocated to other programs or services that may benefit SCE customers.
How did SCE determine the minimum usage eligibility requirement of 1.5 kWh?
SCE has evaluated hourly energy usage information for customers with air conditioning enrolled in a demand response program. SCE identified that customers with usage consistently below 1.5 kWh in the hour before or after events were dispatched, did not provide energy load reduction. Customers with usage of 1.5 kWh or greater do exhibit energy load reduction. SCE concluded that 1.5 kWh is an accurate threshold to determine A/C usage reduction.
Does SCE only evaluate the energy usage from my A/C?
Air Conditioners are not individually metered. Therefore, SCE must rely on whole house usage data to evaluate performance towards the minimum usage eligibility requirement. SCE considers this fact to have no negative impact on customers with regard to evaluating performance towards the minimum usage eligibility requirement.
My neighbor has a larger A/C unit than I do, why do we have the same minimum usage eligibility requirement?
SCE did not deem it necessary to establish different minimum usage eligibility requirements per customer. The 1.5 kWh minimum usage eligibility requirement is an accurate metric for A/C usage reduction determination and is conservatively set by only requiring customers to meet the threshold once per calendar year in the hour before or after, during energy events. If customers do run the A/C in the hour before or hour after an event, meeting the 1.5 kWh usage threshold should not be an issue.
Do customers participating in the Net Energy Metering (NEM) program have a different minimum usage eligibility requirement?
The analysis which established the minimum usage eligibility requirement of 1.5 kWh did not reveal a concern with NEM customers. SCE anticipates the NEMcustomers with A/C usage reduction will meet the minimum usage eligibility requirement in the late evening, once the sun sets and much of the usage demand is transferred back to SCE’s electric power grid.
What happens if I do not meet the minimum usage eligibility requirement?
Customers who do not meet the minimum usage eligibility requirement at least once in a calendar year, in the hour before or hour after energy events, will be removed from the program and must wait one year to re-enroll into SEP again.
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How will I know I was approved for the sign-up bonus?
SCE will send an email to all customers who successfully enroll in the Smart Energy Program indicating whether or not they qualify for the $75 sign-up bonus.
How will the $75 sign-up bonus reflect on the bill?
The sign up bonus will be displayed as a miscellaneous adjustment within the “Your Account Summary” section of the bill.
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Why does the Energy Efficiency Smart Thermostat Rebate require a copy of the purchase receipt?
California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) requires the California Investor Owned Utilities to collect the proof of purchase receipt on the smart thermostat as part of the incentive rebate process.
Why don’t all thermostats eligible for the Smart Energy Program qualify of for the Energy Efficiency Smart Thermostat Rebate?
The Smart Energy Program requires that eligible thermostats be Wi-Fi enabled to accommodate Demand Response energy events. The Energy Efficiency rebate requires that aside from Wi-Fi capability, products should also include other capabilities such as occupancy sensing, schedule learning, humidity control and other smart, technical features. Unfortunately not all Wi-Fi enabled Smart Thermostats offer these technical capabilities.
Why should joint utility customers with a natural gas furnace apply for the Energy Efficiency Smart Thermostat Rebate through SoCalGas?
The Public Utilities Commission requires that customers are only eligible to receive one (1) Energy Efficiency smart thermostat rebate per household. Customers serviced by both SCE and SoCalGas can receive the rebate from either utility; however, SoCalGas prefers to take the lead on providing that single rebate to the customer and currently offers a rebate of $75, whereas SCE offers $50.
Why does the energy efficiency rebate differ for joint SCE/SoCalGas customers from those customers that are serviced by SCE only?
Customers in the joint SCE and SoCalGas service territory receive a larger rebate because the rebate is funded by both utilities.The $50 rebate provided by SCE is for those customers that are serviced by SCE only.
How long will SCE or SoCalGas offer the Energy Efficiency Smart Thermostat Rebate?
The rebate will end on December 31st, 2019 or earlier if funds have been exhausted, or if the CPUC requires us to stop offering the rebate.
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