Terms and Conditions

Enrollment

Desert Community Energy (DCE) was set up as a joint powers authority by Palm Springs, Cathedral City and Palm Desert. It will start serving customers in Palm Springs in early April 2020 and will be the default electric generation service provider for that city. Accounts within DCE’s service area in the City of Palm Springs are automatically enrolled in the Carbon Free service unless the account holder chooses to opt down to the Desert Saver program or to opt out and remain with Southern California Edison.

Rates

DCE’s electric generation rates are designed to provide cleaner electricity at competitive rates. Any changes to rates will be adopted at duly noticed public meetings of the DCE Board. SCE charges DCE customers a monthly Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (PCIA) and Franchise Fee Surcharge, both of which have been accounted for in calculating rate comparisons. You may view DCE rates and SCE cost comparisons on our website or by calling (855) 357-9240. These rates and cost comparisons may change over time.

Financial assistance programs such as CARE (California Alternative Rates for Energy), FERA (Federal Electric Rate Assistance) and Medical Baseline Allowance remain the same with DCE; your benefits will continue if you participate in any of these programs.

Billing

You will receive a single monthly bill from SCE that includes DCE’s electric generation charges. These simply replace SCE’s electric generation charges and do not duplicate them in any way. SCE will continue to charge you for electric delivery services they continue to provide. If you opt out of DCE, SCE will resume charging you for both electric generation and delivery, referred to as bundled service.

Opt Out

You may request to opt out of Desert Community Energy (DCE) at any time by calling toll free (855) 357-9240 or clicking here. Please have your SCE account information on hand to process your request. DCE does not charge a fee to opt out at any time.

Palm Springs residents and businesses that are enrolled in DCE for their electricity generation can choose to opt out and return to SCE bundled service. If you plan to opt out of DCE, you will be given two options. Option #1:  Opt-out immediately and go back to SCE where you will be placed into SCE’s Transitional Bundled Service. Option #2:  Stay with DCE for at least 6 months until you are placed back into SCE’s regular bundled rates, bypassing SCE’s Transitional Bundled Service rates.  If you choose Option #1, SCE will require you to remain on the Transitional Bundled Service for 6 months, and your service will not be eligible to return to Direct Access service or CCA service until a 12-month commitment has been fulfilled. To learn more and to opt-out, visit www.DesertCommunityEnergy.org/your-options/opt-out/ or call our customer service center at (855) 357-9240 M-F 8am-5pm PST.

If you would like to review current Transitional Bundled Service (TBS) rate schedules, you can visit SCE’s website here: https://www.sce.com/sites/default/files/inline-files/ce221-12.pdf.

Accounts will be transferred on the day the electric meter is read and cannot be transferred during the middle of a billing cycle. Opt out requests received at least 5 days prior to a customer’s meter read date will be processed for that meter read date; all other opt out requests will be processed on the next meter read date. Customers who opt out and stop receiving service from DCE will be charged for all electricity used before ending DCE electric service.

Customers have 3 businesses days to rescind their opt-out with no penalties. After 3 business days from opting out of DCE, customers are locked into SCE’s Transitional Bundled Service rate.

To opt out, please call (855) 357-9240 or visit DesertCommunityEnergy.org. Have your electric bill handy so that we can help you.

Failure to Pay

Desert Community Energy may transfer your account to SCE upon 60 calendar days’ written notice if you fail to pay your bill. If your service is transferred, you will be required to pay a termination fee to SCE.

Customer Privacy Policy

DCE’s policy on Customer Confidentiality can be found at Customer Privacy – Desert Community Energy or by calling (855) 357-9240.