Direct Access (DA)

DA is an option that allows eligible customers to purchase their electricity directly from third-party providers known as Electric Service Providers (ESPs). Under this service option, PG&E will continue to deliver electricity and provide all safety-related services—regardless of which electric supplier the customer chooses.

The amount of load space available for DA service is currently limited to an annual load of 11,393 gigawatt-hours (GWh). Customer who are interested in enrolling in DA service must submit their enrollment request in the June Direct Access Lottery described below.

 Note: Per Decision D. 10-02-022 residential customers are not eligible for the Limited Direct Access (DA) Re-opening. Any residential customers currently on DA may remain, but no other residential customers are allowed to participate in the open enrollment periods.

To participate in PG&E's Direct Access Lottery, non-residential customers must submit a Six-Month Notice to Transfer to Direct Access Service form (Electric Form 79-1117) (PDF), along with their list of SAIDs using PG&E’s acceptable excel file (SAID list for DA Lottery)(XLSX), during the Direct Access submission period scheduled in June of each year. The next Direct DA Lottery enrollment period will be held from 9:00 am Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on June 10, 2024 until 5:00 pm PDT on June 14, 2024.

PG&E holds a weeklong submission period in June of each year (DA Lottery) for customers who are interested in enrolling in Direct Access (DA) subject to the availability of load space under the Overall Load Cap of 11,393 gigawatt-hours (GWh) established by the California Public Utilities Commission. Customer requests submitted during this period will be entered into a lottery to determine a customer’s priority for any load space that may be available. Customers who do not receive an offer of load space will be placed on a wait list for any DA load space that may become available during the next following calendar year.

How Direct Access works

PG&E will be accepting Six-Month Notices to Transfer to Direct Access Service forms (PG&E Form 79-1117 dated February 4, 2021) ("Notice") from 9:00 am Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on June 10, 2024 until 5:00 pm PDT on June 14, 2024. All Notices submitted on behalf of a customer must be accompanied by a customer's written authorization on PG&E's Authorization to Receive Customer Information or Act Upon a Customer's Behalf form (PG&E Form 79-1095). All accepted Notices will be entered into lottery to determine their random numerical position for any load space that is available under the Overall Load Cap at the time of the DA Lottery, or for placement on a wait list for any load space that becomes available during the next following calendar year.

 Note: For timely processing, download the current spreadsheet template to submit your list of service agreements. Please ensure that the, PG&E Electric Service Agreement numbers, are submitted in the Lottery.

1. Complete PG&E's form(s)
2. Print completed form(s)
3. Sign as required
4. Submit

 Note: If you're submitting multiple service agreements, PG&E requests that you use the sample spreadsheet template found below under "Instructions". If you've used our sample spreadsheet template in the past to faciliate accurate processing, please use the updated template for this year's DA Lottery.

DA customers choosing to return to bundled service must submit an Electric Form No. 79-1011, Notice to Return to PG&E Bundled Portfolio Service (BPS) (Notice to Return), indicating that they wish to return in six (6) months. Customers have three (3) business days after PG&E receives their Notice to Return form to rescind the Notice and remain on DA service. Customers electing BPS make a binding, minimum eighteen (18) month commitment and will not be eligible to return to DA service until their eighteen (18) month minimum commitment has been completed.

The Notice to Return forms and attachments must be emailed to the following address: DANOI@pge.com

2001 Suspension of Direct Access for retail end-users

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) suspended the right of retail end-users (customers) to acquire DA electric service from ESPs.

2009 Phases reopening

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 237 into law. This provided for an increase in the annual maximum total kilowatt-hour limit for DA previously established under Senate Bill 695. The Commission issued two decisions, Decision (D.) 10-03-022 and D.10.-05-039, which established Annual Load Caps for a phased reopening over a 4-year period and an Overall Load Cap of 9,520 GWh.

2010 Limited Direct Access reopening

On March 11, 2010, the CPUC approved a limited reopening of DA for non-residential customers. PG&E continues to transport and deliver electricity to all customers on DA service.

Per Decision D. 10-02-022, residential customers are not eligible for the Limited Direct Access Reopening. Any residential customers currently on DA may remain, but no other residential customers are allowed to participate in the open enrollment periods.

Decision D.10-05-039, approved May 20, 2010, extended the initial open enrollment window from April 16, 2010 to July 15, 2010, and changed the DA enrollment date for 2011 to July 16, 2010.

Under the Limited DA Reopening rules, customers can enroll in DA, up to a maximum allowable annual limit (measured in gigawatt-hours (GWh). The PG&E DA load cap increased from 5,574 GWh in November 2009 to a 9,520 GWh total cap in November 2013.

Direct Access annual increases allowed under Limited Direct Access reopening:

• 2010: Up to 35 percent of the room available under the cap (1,381 GWh).
• 2011: Up to 70 percent of the room available under the cap (an additional 1,381 GWh).
• 2012: Up to 90 percent of the room available under the cap (an additional 789 GWh).
• 2013: Up to 100 percent of the room available under the cap (an additional 395 GWh).

2018 Established annual load caps and overall load cap

Governor Edmund Brown Jr. signed Senate Bill 237 into law. This provided for an increase in the annual maximum total kilowatt-hour limit for DA previously established under Senate Bill 695. The Commission issued two decisions, Decision (D.)19-05-043 and D.19-08-004, which allocated an annual load increase of 1,873 GWh to PG&E, established Annual Load Caps for a phased reopening over a two-year period (2020 and 2021) with enrollments beginning on January 1, 2021 and an Overall Load Cap of 11,393 GWh.