EV Charging Rates with Clean Energy Alliance

Who this is for

Homes in Carlsbad, Del Mar, Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos, Solana Beach and Vista, where Clean Energy Alliance (CEA) supplies the electricity. SDG&E still delivers it and sends the bill.
All seven cities start customers on Clean Impact Plus. On EV-TOU-5 in 2026, that plan costs more than SDG&E's own power.
CEA's Clean Impact plan carries a 3.871¢ per kWh credit through the end of 2026, which makes it the cheapest choice by a wide margin.

What an EV household pays in 2026

SDG&E and CEA publish a joint comparison for a typical home on EV-TOU-5 using 839 kWh a month. The current one uses SDG&E rates from August 1, 2026 and CEA rates from June 1, 2026, and includes the Base Services Charge.

Plan	Power	Average monthly bill	All-in per kWh
Clean Impact	50% renewable	$273.12	32.6¢
Clean Impact Plus (where you start)	55% renewable, 75% carbon-free	$306.44	36.5¢
Green Impact	100% renewable	$311.89	37.2¢
SDG&E, for comparison	41% renewable	$290.52	34.6¢

For that household, moving from Clean Impact Plus to Clean Impact saves about $33 a month at current rates. Clean Impact Plus costs about $16 a month more than SDG&E's own power, and Green Impact about $21 more. The comparison leaves out the California Climate Credit, which is the same whoever supplies your power.

Why the default costs more this year

In January 2026, CEA's board approved rate relief for Clean Impact customers only: a credit of 3.871¢ on every kWh, from February 1 through the end of 2026. Clean Impact Plus and Green Impact don't get it. Before the credit, the three plans are only a fraction of a cent apart. CEA itself suggests that Clean Impact Plus and Green Impact customers consider moving to Clean Impact while the credit lasts.

The credit is scheduled to end with 2026, so check the joint comparison again in January before deciding whether to stay on Clean Impact.

Generation prices by the hour

CEA generation price on EV-TOU-5, per kWh, from June 1, 2026, before premiums and credits
Period	Summer (June–October)	Winter (November–May)
On-peak	51.7¢	24.4¢
Off-peak	16.0¢	15.8¢
Super off-peak	5.0¢	5.2¢

Clean Impact Plus adds 0.1¢ per kWh to these prices and Green Impact adds 0.75¢. Clean Impact subtracts the 3.871¢ credit, which takes its summer overnight generation price to about 1.1¢. SDG&E's delivery charge, the city's General Municipal Surcharge and the exit fee (PCIA) are added on SDG&E's side of the bill.

CEA's summer on-peak price is steep: from 4 to 9 p.m. between June and October, its generation alone costs about ten times the overnight price. Setting the charger to start at midnight matters even more here than in most of the county.

The hours are SDG&E's: super off-peak from midnight to 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays and from midnight to 2 p.m. on weekends and holidays, on-peak from 4 to 9 p.m. every day. One SDG&E plan, EV-TOU-5-P (Reduce Your Use), isn't open to CEA customers.

City by city

City	CEA customers since	Plan you start on
Carlsbad	Founding member	Clean Impact Plus
Del Mar	Founding member	Clean Impact Plus
Solana Beach	Founding member	Clean Impact Plus
Escondido	April 2023	Clean Impact Plus
San Marcos	April 2023	Clean Impact Plus
Oceanside	April 2024	Clean Impact Plus
Vista	April 2024	Clean Impact Plus

San Marcos adds something of its own: a city rebate of up to $900 per home charger while its funding lasts. Our San Marcos permit page has the details.

Changing plans

CEA's Your Options page links to the ways to opt down to Clean Impact, opt up to Green Impact, or opt out to SDG&E. The time-of-use plan itself, EV-TOU-5, is changed with SDG&E in My Energy Center.

Installing a charger in these cities

Each city runs its own permit process for home chargers. Our permit pages cover Carlsbad, Del Mar, Escondido, San Marcos, Solana Beach and Vista; for Oceanside, the permit guide lists what the city publishes.