Critical Peak Pricing (CPP)

What is Critical Peak Pricing (CPP)?

Critical Peak Pricing (CPP) is an optional rate that provides four months of summer season bill credits in exchange for paying higher electricity prices during 12 to 15 annual CPP events.

How It Works

12 to 15 CPP events are called every year between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. CPP events can be called year round any day of the week.
Bill credits are applied during the summer months (June 1 – September 30) to reduce your power costs.
Energy used during a CPP event is charged at a higher rate for the duration of the event.
CPP event notifications are sent a day ahead of the event, so you can plan your usage. Go to sce.com/CPPupdatecontact to update or register your contact preferences for alerts. Additionally, you can download and configure the SCE Demand Response (DR) Alerts mobile application to receive event scheduled, event start, and event end notifications
For the first 12 months your business is enrolled in this rate, we provide bill protection—you won’t pay more than you would have paid on your previous rate.

Ready to Apply?

If you would like to enroll in CPP, contact your SCE Account Representative or visit sce.com/ratetool to compare your current rate costs with other rates to see if CPP is right for your business and enroll online. Please note, some rates are not available in the Rate Plan Comparison Tool.

FAQs

Is my business eligible?

Most business customers receiving bundled service (delivery and generation of electricity) from SCE are eligible for CPP. If you’re a bundled business customer, your rate may already be enrolled on CPP.

Can I try CPP first?

To help you determine if CPP is a good fit for your business, we’re offering our one-time Bill Protection guarantee for a full 12 months. With Bill Protection, we guarantee if you pay more during your first year on CPP, we’ll credit you the difference. You can choose to unenroll from CPP at any time. Keep in mind if you unenroll from CPP, you will not be able to make another change to your account for at least one year.

How will I be notified if a CPP event is scheduled?

If you have signed up to receive notifications from SCE, we will notify you of a CPP event one day in advance. You can choose to receive an automated message from one of the following courtesy communications: phone, text, or email. You are responsible for keeping your contact preferences up to date with any changes.

For added convenience, you can also use our SCE Demand Response (DR) Alerts mobile application. Have notices delivered straight to your smartphone when an event is scheduled, when it starts, when it ends, or all three.

How can I confirm a CPP event is being called?

To check the status of active and historical events, visit the Demand Response Event Status at sce.com/drp/events or download and configure the SCE Demand Response (DR) Alerts mobile application.

Am I required to shut off power during a CPP event?

No. You are not required to completely shut off power during a CPP event. However, all electric usage during an event will be charged at a rate significantly higher than normal.

Can a CPP event be canceled after it is called?

No. Once an event is called, it cannot be canceled.

Am I still responsible for the higher CPP energy charges during an event if I do not receive a notification?

Yes. Failure to receive a courtesy alert does not exempt you from reducing your energy use during an event, and you will be subject to paying higher charges for the duration of the event. You are responsible for setting up and keeping your contact preferences up to date.

Why does CPP only pay bill credits during the summer, even though an event may be called year-round?

CPP events support grid reliability year‑round, but bill credits are focused on summer, when both system stress and customer bill impacts are greatest. This seasonal design is defined in the CPP rate schedule approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

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