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California: Prove the available service before requesting a price
Start with EIA: natural gas customer choice and eligibility. The table below links this decision to the represented gas companies in California. It does not establish service or supplier availability for every account.
Authorization is only one gate
A regulator’s supplier approval and a utility’s accepted supplier or agent are different checks. A licensed company may decline a particular volume, credit profile or service class. Obtain written acceptance for the listed accounts.
Return service needs its own answer
Ask what happens if a supply agreement ends or an agent stops performing. Confirm the utility’s return conditions and start date; a supplier cancellation does not itself establish an accepted replacement enrollment.
California utility application
| Gas service company | Classification and accepted enrollment | Primary reference |
|---|---|---|
| SoCalGas | Who supplies, balances and bills the account; conditions for returning to utility procurement | Official program / tariff |
| San Diego Gas & Electric | GSP acceptance and the utility direct-access service request | Official program / tariff |
| PG&E | Minimum program commitment, supplier agreement and utility meter-read timing | Official program / tariff |
| Long Beach Utilities | Local commercial gas service rules and any separately qualified transportation | Official program / tariff |
SoCalGas: the program detail behind this decision
SoCalGas separates an aggregator’s commodity service from utility transportation. Its CAT guidance expressly says that switching does not assure savings. Establish core or noncore status before using an aggregator proposal as the benchmark. Socal Cat.
Apply the evidence to an account file
Resolve Core or noncore classification; CAT participation and the accepted agent first. The utility or accepted agent must confirm Who supplies, balances and bills the account; conditions for returning to utility procurement. Retain that answer alongside the named accounts before requesting bids.
An enrollment file that can be handed to another reviewer
Build six fields before seeking a signature: legal gas company; commercial rate code; eligible service arrangement; regulator authorization where required; utility-active supplier or agent; and accepted account/start-date confirmation. Attach the source date and the person who answered each unresolved question. A directory entry belongs in the authorization field, not the accepted-enrollment field. If an account remains on bundled utility service, document that result instead of forcing the review to select a supplier.
Turn the review into a calculation
Plan notice and enrollment milestones. The planner uses your calendar-day inputs and does not send notices or confirm a utility enrollment date.
Read the California utility guide for the wider service-company distinctions. Convert billed gas units using the bill’s heat-content factor when moving from volume to energy.
Sources and review notes
- EIA: natural gas customer choice and eligibility
- SoCalGas CAT customer guidance
- SDG&E: commercial CAT schedules, group requirements and billing
- Pge Core Aggregation
- Long Beach Gas
Reviewed October 16, 2026. Program information can change. Confirm the effective utility tariff, supplier availability and written offer before proceeding. Examples and planning tools are educational; they are not executable quotes or verified customer results.