City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) Rate Selection Guide
City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) is California's full-service municipal utility, delivering electric, gas, water, wastewater, and fiber to 52,411 customers across Palo Alto's 26 square miles. Its AMI rollout supports hourly and 15-minute data, Green Button Download is live in the MyCPAU portal, and the Utilismart Energy Manager and WaterSmart portals add interval analytics — but there is no public API, EDI, or aggregator integration, so automation relies on Green Button exports and manual workflows.
Market Overview
CPAU is a city-owned municipal utility providing bundled electric, gas, water, wastewater, and fiber service. As a publicly owned utility it sets rates through the Palo Alto City Council rather than the CPUC; there is no retail supplier choice, and commercial buildings face California AB 802 benchmarking requirements.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
City of Palo Alto Utilities sets rates annually by City Council action, effective July 1 (FY 2026 rates adopted June 16, 2025). Rates are fully unbundled into commodity, distribution, and public benefits components and are seasonal: Summer (May 1-Oct 31) and Winter (Nov 1-Apr 30). Commercial schedules tier by demand — E-2 small non-demand, E-4 medium (<1,000 kW), and E-7 large (≥1,000 kW) — with voluntary TOU variants and PaloAltoGreen options. CPAU's published comparison shows its average commercial rates ($0.18-$0.23/kWh) at roughly half of PG&E equivalents ($0.31-$0.44/kWh). Demand charges bill the highest 15-minute peak; TOU schedules add a separate 4-9 p.m. weekday peak demand charge.
Effective: July 1, 2025 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-2 Small Non-Residential Electric Service | commercial | Non-demand-metered commercial accounts and master-metered multi-family; demand meter installed once usage exceeds 8,000 kWh for three consecutive months | $6.22/month customer charge; energy-only seasonal rates: Summer $0.26485/kWh total, Winter $0.17290/kWh total (commodity + distribution + $0.00604 public benefits). No demand charge. | $0.173-$0.265/kWh seasonal |
| E-4 Medium Commercial Electric Service | commercial | Demand-metered secondary service, maximum demand below 1,000 kW, usage over 8,000 kWh/month | Monthly customer charge plus seasonal demand and energy charges. Summer demand ~$36.82/kW and Winter ~$24.16/kW total; energy roughly $0.15/kWh summer and $0.11/kWh winter (commodity + distribution + public benefits). Demand billed on the highest 15-minute peak. See current E-4 sheet for exact FY 2026 figures. | ~$0.20/kWh average all-in+ ~$24-37/kW seasonal |
| E-4 TOU Medium Commercial Time-of-Use | commercial | Voluntary; demand 500-1,000 kW sustained three consecutive months in the past 12; 12-month minimum commitment | $126.24/month customer charge. Summer: Peak demand $28.89/kW plus Max Demand $20.37/kW; energy $0.20629 Peak / $0.17602 Mid-Peak / $0.14083 Off-Peak per kWh. Winter: Peak and Max Demand $13.22/kW each; energy $0.15475 / $0.12926 / $0.09969. Peak window is 4-9 p.m. weekdays (except holidays). | —+ $13.22-$28.89/kW peak + max demand |
| E-7 Large Commercial Electric Service | industrial | Demand-metered service with maximum demand of at least 1,000 kW per month per site, sustained three consecutive months in the past 12 | $578.08/month customer charge. Summer: $43.61/kW demand ($12.07 commodity + $31.54 distribution) and $0.13792/kWh energy. Winter: $30.57/kW demand and $0.08970/kWh energy. Demand billed on the highest 15-minute peak. E-7 TOU and E-7-G (PaloAltoGreen) variants available. | ~$0.18/kWh average all-in+ $30.57/kW winter, $43.61/kW summer |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
AB 802 benchmarking compliance
Use Green Button XML exports from MyCPAU to feed ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager for buildings of 50,000+ sq ft.
CPAU's ESPI-compliant Green Button export imports cleanly into Portfolio Manager, satisfying California AB 802 without manual bill transcription.
- Export a full year of data per meter
- Have the consultant manage Portfolio Manager under customer authorization
- Track scores year-over-year for compliance reporting
Interval analytics for load management
Stand up Energy Manager (Utilismart) access for hourly and billing-period interval analysis with CSV exports.
The Utilismart portal exposes the richest self-serve interval analytics CPAU offers, with downloadable CSVs and 2FA protection.
- Enable 2FA via SMS or email at first login
- Pull CSVs monthly into your energy management system
- Pair with WaterSmart for hourly water and leak monitoring
Third-party data collection
Combine MyCPAU guest-user access with periodic Green Button exports, or use Nectar's API for programmatic collection.
CPAU has no official API of its own, so Nectar (docs.nectarclimate.com) or manual export-and-import are the dependable third-party paths; guest users keep credentials clean.
- Refresh Green Button exports quarterly
- Avoid credential sharing — use guest users instead
- For automation, use Nectar's API or evaluate the community cpau Python library with customer consent and ToS review
Cost Optimization Strategies
CPAU's unbundled, seasonal rate design concentrates savings opportunities in two places: the demand charge (the distribution component alone is $25-32/kW in summer on E-4/E-7) and the summer/winter seasonal spread, where summer energy runs 50%+ above winter. With carbon-neutral supply already standard, optimization is about peak shaving, seasonal load planning, and choosing between standard and TOU schedules.
15-minute peak demand shaving
For: E-4 and E-7 demand-metered customers
E-4 and E-7 bill demand on the single highest 15-minute interval. At $43.61/kW (E-7 summer), shaving 100 kW off the monthly peak saves over $4,300/month in summer. Battery storage, load interlocks, and pre-cooling strategies target this directly.
TOU schedule election for flexible loads
For: Customers with 500-1,000 kW demand and schedulable load
E-4 TOU splits demand into Peak (4-9 p.m. weekday) and Max Demand components with off-peak energy at $0.14083/kWh summer vs $0.20629 peak. Facilities that can shift process loads, EV charging, or HVAC outside 4-9 p.m. capture both lower peak demand charges and the cheapest energy blocks. Note the 12-month commitment.
Seasonal load planning
For: All commercial schedules
The summer/winter spread is steep: E-7 demand drops from $43.61 to $30.57/kW and energy from $0.13792 to $0.08970/kWh on November 1. Scheduling energy-intensive maintenance, testing, or production campaigns into the winter period cuts unit costs roughly 35%.
Schedule boundary verification
For: Accounts near 8,000 kWh/month or 1,000 kW thresholds
E-2/E-4/E-7 boundaries hinge on the 8,000 kWh and 1,000 kW thresholds with three-consecutive-month tests. Accounts near a boundary should model both schedules annually — the E-7 customer charge alone is $578/month, so dropping below 1,000 kW sustained can change the optimal schedule.
CPAU efficiency and electrification programs
For: All commercial customers
CPAU runs municipal efficiency rebates and electrification support funded through the public benefits charge ($0.00604/kWh) every customer already pays. Pairing rebated efficiency upgrades with demand reduction compounds savings on both the kW and kWh sides of the bill.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Does CPAU offer Green Button data export?▾
Yes — Green Button Download My Data is live in the MyCPAU portal for electric meters. Select Electric, click Green Button in the left menu, set a date range (a year or more), and export ESPI-standard XML that imports into ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, solar sizing tools, and other Green Button apps. Automated Connect My Data (OAuth) is not explicitly documented.
What interval granularity does CPAU's AMI provide?▾
Hourly data for electric and water is standard, with 15-minute intervals for some electric customers and typically 2+ years of history. The Utilismart Energy Manager portal (ciem.utilismart.com/cpau) provides hourly/daily/billing-period views with CSV downloads behind two-factor authentication. Gas interval data is not confirmed — plan on monthly.
Can an energy consultant pull CPAU data automatically?▾
Yes — Nectar provides API access to CPAU billing and interval data; see docs.nectarclimate.com. CPAU itself offers no public API or EDI, so other practical paths are: get added as a MyCPAU guest user, receive quarterly Green Button XML exports from the customer, or evaluate the unofficial open-source cpau Python library (github.com/jsinnott/cpau), which scrapes the portals with customer credentials and is not CPAU-supported.
How do CPAU buildings comply with AB 802 benchmarking?▾
Buildings of 50,000+ sq ft export Green Button XML from MyCPAU and import it into ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to generate a 1-100 score and submit reports to the city. Consultants can run the workflow under customer authorization — no manual bill transcription needed.
Does CPAU support EDI for enterprise billing integration?▾
No. There are no ANSI X12 transaction specs (814/810/820/867), no trading partner registration, and no VAN documentation. For custom data exchange, contact UtilitiesCustomerService@paloalto.gov or (650) 329-2161; commercial inquiries can also go through Business Development at (650) 329-2525.
How does water data access work at CPAU?▾
The WaterSmart portal (paloalto.watersmart.com, also linked from MyCPAU) shows hourly, daily, and weekly AMI water usage with automatic leak detection alerts, monthly Home Water Reports, and data downloads. Third-party sharing requires explicit customer authorization through the portal.
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