Enrolling in BIP

1. Customers may enroll directly with PG&E using:

• The Online Enrollment System
• Their sales representative

2. Customers can also sign up with third-party BIP aggregators.

How does BIP work?

• Customers are given at least 15- or 30-minutes advance notice, depending on their enrollment option. 
• There is a maximum of one event per day and six hours per event.
• The program will not exceed 10 events per month or 180 hours per year. 

When is BIP called?

BIP may be called:

• When CAISO has determined that an emergency is imminent
• During an EEA Watch, EEA 1, EEA 2, EEA 3
• During a transmission or distribution system contingency
• When needed based on forecasted system conditions

Firm Service Level

Once enrolled, customers may adjust their Firm Service Level (FSL) or discontinue participation once each year during the month of November and becomes effective December 31.

The FSL must be:

No more than 85% of each customer's highest monthly maximum demand during the summer on-peak and winter partial-peak periods over the past 12 months.

 Note: Customers have the option to add an Under-frequency Relay (UFR) device and earn more incentives.

Applications for the Base Interruptible Program are accepted on a year-round basis. Contact your PG&E account representative for further details.

Enroll now

To qualify for BIP, the following is required:

• Customers must take service on a demand time-of-use (TOU) rate schedule
• At least 100 KW or higher maximum demand during the summer on-peak and the winter on-peak for at least one month over the previous 12 months

Who is eligible?

• Bundled customers
• Direct Access (DA)
• Community Choice Aggregation (CCA)

Who is ineligible?

• Rate schedules AG-R and AG-V

Your facility must have an electric interval meter that can be read remotely by PG&E.

• PG&E we will install an electric interval meter at no cost to you provided you: 
  • Meet the minimum program requirements
  • Agree to remain in the program for at least one full year
• If you are a direct access customer, but do not have an electric interval meter that can be read remotely by PG&E, contact your electric service provider. For more info, see Electric Schedule E-BIP Base Interruptible Program (PDF).

Incentive payments will be paid on a monthly basis based on the directly enrolled customers or aggregated portfolios monthly potential load reduction (PLR) amount:

Excess energy charge

Participants are penalized at $6.00/kWh for energy usage over their FSL during a curtailment.

 Note: Current incentive rates are authorized by the CPUC through 2027.

What is an aggregator?

An aggregator is an entity appointed by a customer to act on behalf of the customer with respect to all aspects of the program, including:

• Receipt of notices
• Receipt of incentive payments
• Payment of penalties

Current Base Interruptible Program participants can manage participation options:

• Modify, add or delete Base Interruptible Program event alert contact information
• Review enrolled Service Agreements, Firm Service Levels and Prohibited Resource Attestation options
• View Base Interruptible Program event information for each Service Agreement

Manage your Base Interruptible Program participation

Capacity Bidding Program offers one option:

Elect

• Maximum of one event per day
• Participant may choose more than 6 events per month
• Event duration between 1 and 8 hours
• Program hours 1-9 p.m., Monday through Friday

Each aggregator submits monthly capacity nominations for customers enrolled in their portfolio.

The curtailment commitment level comes from their portfolio of customers.

The capacity payment is a CPUC-approved price that is listed in the Capacity Bidding Program tariff.

• The capacity payment is what PG&E pays the aggregators monthly for their commitment.
• Energy payment is what PG&E pays the aggregators for an event curtailment.
• If no CBP Events were called during the operation month, then the monthly energy payment is zero.
• Aggregators then pay incentives to their customers based on their own agreement between aggregator and customer.

The aggregators are penalized if they fail to deliver their committed load reductions.

• The penalties vary based on the shortfall, with larger penalties for larger shortfalls.
• Aggregators determine compensation and/or penalties for their participating customers.

For the Elect option, PG&E may trigger a Capacity Bidding Program event for one or more SubLAPs when:

• The CAISO day-ahead market price exceeds the aggregator-specified offer price.

PG&E will notify the affected aggregators by 4 p.m. on a day-ahead basis of a CBP event for the following calendar day.

To participate in Capacity Bidding Program, customers must meet the following criteria:

• Have an Interval Meter (MV90 or SmartMeter™).
• Be on a residential, commercial, industrial, or agricultural rate schedule.
• Be a Bundled, Direct Access (DA), Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), partial standby, Net metered, or Auto DR customer.

Customers not eligible to participate in the Capacity Bidding Program program:

• Customers receiving electric power from WAPA or other 3rd parties that are not DA or CCA.
• Customers that are full standby.
• Customers on NEMCCSF rate schedule.

• CBP customers on the Day-Ahead product may also participate in PG&E’s E-OBMC program.

No minimum demand load requirement.

Each SA must have an interval meter capable of recording usage in 15-minute intervals installed that can be read remotely by PG&E. An approved interval meter and/or approved meter communications equipment must be installed and operating prior to participating in the program.

• All bundled and unbundled customers receiving electric service from PG&E
• Customers who can reduce their electric load within 15 minutes of an alert
• Customers who can achieve a 15 percent load reduction below their established baseline

PG&E will send an alert by email or text with the required load reduction (five to 15 percent). This alert will also give you the start and end times of the event, which will:

• Occur on any day (holidays and weekends included) without limitations to frequency and duration
• Exempt you from “block progression” rotating outages
• Require you submit a load-reduction plan each year

 Note: PG&E calculates the load reduction levels for this program as a percentage of the baseline on your circuit. The baseline is determined by calculating the energy usage of the 10 days prior to the curtailment event day. The previous 10 days will include Monday through Friday, excluding PG&E holidays and event days. PG&E will ask you to reduce the load on your circuit to a specific level during each event. If you share an electric circuit with other PG&E customers and you are the OBMC lead customer, you will need to work with the affected customers to ensure the load reductions for the entire circuit meet the program requirements.

You also have an option to elect a “day-of adjustment” to this baseline. The day-of adjustment allows an adjustment to the baseline (up or down) based on the energy usage the morning of the event. The day-of adjustment is based on the first three of the four hours prior to the event and is capped at +/- 20 percent. You may select the day-of adjustment annually during your option election period.

There are no financial incentives for participating in OBMC. Your benefit is exemption from rotating outages. However, if you are not able to reduce your load to the level specified in each notice, there are penalties:

• A $6 penalty for each kWh above your power reduction commitment
• Plan termination for failure to reduce load a second time during a 1-year period
• OBMC participation denied for a period of five years after termination

• If you are the only customer on your circuit, standard interval metering may be sufficient for you to participate in the program.
• For multi-customer circuits, substation-level metering is required.
• Program participants will pay the cost of any additional required metering equipment.
• PG&E will facilitate communications between customers on a shared electric circuit for the purposes of participating in this program.

Mail or fax completed Agreement for Schedule E-OBMC Form No.79-966 (PDF) to:
Pacific Gas & Electric Company
Demand Response Program
Attn: OBMC Program Manager
P.O. Box 28209
Oakland, CA 94604 

Fax to: 415-973-4177

You can receive either one or two incentive payments. The number depends on whether the project uses the Standard or FastTrack application. You can be reimbursed for up to 75% or 100% of eligible ADR project costs.

With the Standard application:

• Option one requires three years of participation. It pays up to 75% of eligible project costs in two separate payments.
• Option two requires five years of participation. It pays up to 75% of eligible project costs after:
  • A successful project inspection
  • DR test event
  • Confirmed enrollment in an eligible demand response program

With the FastTrack application, you’ll receive 100% of the incentive after: 

• A successful project inspection
• DR test event
• Confirmed enrollment in an eligible demand response program

You must:

• Receive electric services from PG&E
• Have a PG&E interval meter on-site
• Have an existing service account with at least 12 months billing and usage history
• Be enrolled in a PG&E Demand Response program:
  • Peak Day Pricing
  • Capacity Bidding Program
  • Demand Response Automation Mechanism

ADR control requirements include:

• Operability with OpenADR communication protocols and standards (OpenADR 2.0a or 2.0b)
• Previously demonstrated Demand Response capability
• Manufacturer warranty for a minimum of three years
• Ability to poll PG&E’s virtual top node (OpenADR server) on a one-minute interval
• Ability to set the market context field to recognize all DR Programs

Automated Demand Response pays you rewards whether you’re updating your energy management system or setting up a new one. Automated Demand Response can:

• Offset your project cost with installation and equipment programming at little or no cost to you
• Shorten your payback time
• Provide technical help for equipment installation
• Customize strategies for energy savings
• Provide direct payment or request that your payment be sent to a vendor or contractor.