Seven years ago, a desire for competition in the local electricity market sparked a neighborly revolution in the foothills region: the creation of Pioneer Community Energy, a customer-owned, not-for-profit electricity provider that serves the unincorporated areas of Placer and El Dorado counties and the incorporated areas of Auburn, Colfax, Grass Valley, Lincoln, Loomis, Nevada City, Placerville and Rocklin.

“The leadership of each jurisdiction took a vote to join the effort,” says Alice Dowdin Calvillo, now serving her fourth term as the chair of Pioneer’s governing board — and her fourth non-consecutive term as a City of Auburn councilmember. A proud native of the region, she has also been the city’s mayor (three times) and serves on the board of directors of both the League of California Cities and the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), for which she chairs its policy committee.

Pioneer has saved its customers more than $108 million since launching service in 2018.

“Pioneer Community Energy is an electricity provider, not a utility,” Dowdin Cavillo clarifies. Pioneer has saved its customers more than $108 million since launching service in 2018 and its board of directors project that it will save ratepayers an additional $31 million this year.

Pioneer purchases the power on the open market and prioritizes efforts to buy from local sources, while PG&E manages the transmission and delivery of electricity through its lines and poles.

While Pioneer’s name honors the history of the region, the provider has also proven itself an innovator when it comes to offering renewable products. Its Green100 product is the only totally renewable energy option in the region. For the City of Auburn, which adopted Green100 for all city operations, Green100 has reduced emissions from levels measured 20 years ago by 50%.

And there’s more! Pioneer’s impressive savings and dedication to the communities it serves haven’t gone unnoticed. In fact, 13 additional jurisdictions likely will be included in Pioneer’s expansion, with a service launch targeted for October 2027. 

Those new customers will hail from five regional counties, seven cities and one resilient town. An implementation plan with details for service expansion is being submitted to the CPUC this month.

“We would be honored to extend the savings and benefits to other like-minded communities,” Dowdin Calvillo adds with a smile.