How Ava Community Energy Is Saving Millions Of Dollars – CleanTechnica

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It was just four months ago that Ava Community Energy announced its e-bike rebates program for 9,000 e-bikes. More recently, Ava announced big savings for its customers: Stockton and Lathrop residents saved more than $4.4 million on their energy bills in just six months of service. 

I was able to ask Annie Henderson, Chief Customer Officer of Ava Community Energy, some questions about the savings and programs.

How has Ava Community Energy saved Stockton and Lathrop residents more than $4.4 million on their energy bills in just six months?

Ava’s Bright Choice plan saves customers five percent on electricity generation rates compared to PG&E – meaning customers are saving a little bit on every energy bill. 

When we became the default provider for Stockton and Lathrop on April 1, 2025, the 5% savings began. Now, six months in, they have already realized more than $4.4 million in savings. 

How is Ava able to offer lower rates than PG&E through building — and buying from — clean power plants?  

Ava is able to offer clean power at lower rates than PG&E through three avenues: 

• Ava buys power through a competitive process that encourages private energy companies to compete to provide more clean, renewable power at lower costs.
• Ava is a local government agency with low overhead costs. Ava maintains an A Credit Rating from S&P Global.
• Because there are no shareholder investors expecting dividends, Ava can reinvest excess revenue into the community and while maintaining a discount compared to PG&E.

How does Ava work with its customers who drive electric vehicles?

Ava helps customers who drive EVs to make the most out of the charging solution that fits their personal situation: 

• For customers who are able to charge their vehicle at home, Ava SmartHome Charging is a managed charging program Ava runs in partnership with Optiwatt. This program helps reduce strain on the grid by automatically shifting your charging to times when renewable energy is cheaper and more available – ensuring your vehicle is ready when you need it while taking advantage of low-cost, clean energy times.
• For anyone who uses public charging, Ava Charge, Ava’s network of publicly available fast chargers, recently launched its first location at City Center West Garage in downtown Oakland. With many sites planned in the places that people live, work, and gather throughout Ava’s service area, Ava Charge is intended to encourage the adoption of EVs overall, especially by those who don’t have access to charging at home.
• For those who don’t yet drive an EV, Ava’s incentive finder helps users locate savings and incentives to make buying or leasing an EV more accessible.

Does Ava have a virtual power plant program?

Yes, Ava currently runs a small Virtual Power Plant initiative and plans to expand it through several programs. The original VPP was created through a partnership with SunRun and included solar and home battery storage for homes in high fire threat areas. More recently, Ava launched SmartHome Charging which manages the batteries of EVs, shifting and distributing load to reduce demands on the grid. In early 2026, we will launch Ava SmartHome Battery, a solar and storage incentive program that will provide upfront incentives with on-going rewards for management of home batteries during specific event days. 

How easy is it for residents in your service area to sign up for Ava electricity?

It couldn’t be easier. In fact, there’s no need to sign up. Ava is the default electricity provider in Stockton, Lathrop, Tracy, and Alameda County. That means residents and businesses are automatically enrolled in Ava’s electricity generation service.

Customers in the Ava service area still receive one bill from PG&E. That bill covers both Ava’s generation charges and PG&E’s transmission and delivery charges.