2 days ago
- Business
- Business Journals
PG&E offers free energy, rate analysis for small business
Pacific Gas and Electric Company offers specific free programs for small businesses designed to make them more energy efficient and to get businesses onto the best rate.
PG&E's Simplified Savings and Finding Your Best Rate programs include on-site visits which support PG&E's small business customers with actions that may provide immediate savings on their bills, including upgrading, rate analysis and retrofitting projects at no cost.
One such small business that took advantage of the program was the Emergency Food Bank of Stockton. Established in 1968, it's a pillar of the community. In 2023, they served over 6 million pounds of food to more than 800,000 members of the community.
Alesha Pichler, community relations manager of the Emergency Food Bank of Stockton, feels pride in the work she does every day alongside volunteers, and she knows that every dollar counts for an independent, non-profit organization. She knew that one way to cut costs would be to upgrade outdated lighting and older equipment to help reduce their energy bill, but these upgrades could cost thousands of dollars.
Pichler reached out to Maria Ballesteros, Community Relationship Manager at PG&E, for guidance on how they could lower their energy bill without significant cost. Ballesteros connected the Emergency Food Bank of Stockton to the Simplified Savings Program.
'Energy savings and any measures we can take to stretch our dollars further are incredibly important to us,' said Pichler. 'The Simplified Savings Program helped us implement vital equipment upgrades without having to spend thousands of dollars. We really appreciate PG&E and Maria for being there for us every step of the way.'
Using the Finding Your Best Rate Plan, Ballesteros also ran a personalized rate analysis to see if the food bank was on the rate plan that worked best for their operational needs. In just a couple of minutes, PG&E was able to move the Emergency Food Bank of Stockton to an optimal rate plan and deliver an annual savings of $2,500 a year.
With the savings received from equipment upgrades through the Simplified Savings Program and moving to a better rate plan, the Emergency Food Bank of Stockton is now saving $3,154 a year— helping them invest more into feeding the community and developing educational programs.
'Small businesses like the Emergency Food Bank of Stockton are the backbone of our community,' said Ballesteros. 'Energy Advisors work hand-in-hand with our customers because we know every dollar they save matters to them and to the people they help.'
Factors like weather and operational setup affect energy bills. Businesses can evaluate rate plans and choose the best option for their business online.
