Determined to make do this summer with California's meager supply of megawatts, state power regulators are looking into expanding the menu of programs that offer cheaper energy to customers who voluntary cut their power use.
The state Public Utilities Commission could also begin looking into whether baseline, a level of residential power use upon which recent record rate hikes are allocated, is accurate and fair.
In March, the PUC released a package of so-called interruptible load programs, which offer discounted electric bills to factories, schools and other big users if they agree to be first in line for rolling blackouts.
By cutting their use, these customers help managers of the state's power grid leave more power to residents and services necessary for public health and safety, such as fire stations, hospitals and military bases.
Loretta Lynch, PUC president, said the commission hopes to boost participation by allowing customers who participated in interruptible programs earlier in the year to also join new programs.
Under one such program, businesses could avoid surprise blackouts by opting for dimmed lights and reduced power during the duration of outages throughout the state.
The PUC is also considering funding interruptible programs for the state's three largest investor-owned utilities as they go into effect, rather than forcing utilities to wait for retroactive funding a year later.
The commission also plans to examine whether the PUC should change how residential customers' baselines are calculated to better reflect household size and a spike in electronic gadgets.
Baseline is a certain amount of electricity guaranteed at the lowest price utilities charge. Customers who exceed their baselines by more than 30 percent are subject to rate hikes.
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