Ava Community Energy Brings Energy Choice to Unincorporated San Joaquin County

Approximately 60,000 customer accounts will be automatically enrolled in May 2026

OAKLAND, CA, February 25, 2026 – Ava Community Energy (Ava), a not-for-profit public agency, will begin providing electricity generation service to eligible residential, business, municipal, and agricultural customers in unincorporated San Joaquin County in May 2026. 

The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to join Ava in 2024 to provide their communities with a more affordable option for electricity supply. Approximately 60,000 accounts in unincorporated San Joaquin County are eligible for Ava service beginning in May. Ava already serves the San Joaquin County cities of Tracy, Stockton, and Lathrop, as well as all of Alameda County except the City of Alameda. 

Ava procures clean energy at competitive rates on behalf of its member communities, replacing PG&E as the default electricity generation provider. PG&E will continue to deliver the electricity, maintain power lines, respond to outages, and send a single monthly bill including Ava’s charges.

Eligible customers will be automatically enrolled in Ava’s Bright Choice plan, which is currently priced 0.5% below PG&E’s electricity generation rates and prioritizes renewable energy sources, including wind and solar. Historically, this discount varies year-to-year based on energy costs and has ranged from 0.5% to 5%. Customers who prefer to remain with PG&E for electricity generation may opt out at any time.

“Keeping energy costs manageable is a top priority for families, businesses, and growers across San Joaquin County,” said County Supervisor Robert Rickman. “I was proud to bring Ava’s services to Tracy when I was Mayor, making it the first jurisdiction outside of Alameda County to join Ava. It’s gratifying to know we’ll soon be bringing Ava’s lower rates and local decision-making to our unincorporated communities.”

In addition to competitive electricity rates, Ava customers have access to programs that support energy efficiency and savings. Customers continue to receive any existing CARE, FERA, or Medical Baseline discounts, and can participate in both Ava and PG&E programs.

“Joining Ava means that San Joaquin County residents, businesses, and agricultural customers have an energy provider that reinvests in their community, not shareholder profits,” said Howard Chang, CEO of Ava Community Energy. “Since launching service in 2018, Ava has saved our customers more than $180 million compared to what they would have paid PG&E. We know that Californians have been burdened by rising energy costs, and Ava is committed to addressing affordability and transparency for all our customers.”  

Starting in March, eligible customers will receive the first of four notices with information about Ava’s service, rates, and how to opt out. Customers may opt out at any time, with no fees or penalties, by visiting AvaEnergy.org or calling 833-699-3223.

For more information about Ava Community Energy and service in unincorporated San Joaquin County, visit AvaEnergy.org/sjc.

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Ava Community Energy (Ava) is the not-for-profit public power provider for more than 2 million residents and businesses in Alameda County and San Joaquin County. As one of 25 community choice aggregation (CCA) programs operating in California, Ava is part of the movement to provide energy choice while expediting local and state-wide climate action goals. Ava is committed to creating a brighter future in our communities and beyond by providing clean power at competitive rates, reinvesting in our member communities, and developing programs that make it easy for customers to discover and adopt clean energy solutions. To date, Ava has saved customers more than $180 million and contracted for more than one gigawatt of renewable energy projects.