IID Board Delays Expansion of Shift & Save Program Over Auto-Enrollment Debate
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The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors postponed action on a proposed expansion of the district’s Shift & Save! program after board members expressed differing views on a provision that would automatically enroll eligible new residential customers in the Time-of-Use electric rate while allowing them to opt out.
The board tabled the resolution until next month to allow additional discussion of the automatic enrollment provision after IID Director Alex Cardenas said he could not support the proposal in its current form.
The Shift & Save program was launched as part of IID’s 2026 Summer Savings initiative to help residential customers reduce electricity costs while improving electric system reliability during periods of high demand. The program encourages customers to shift electricity-intensive activities, including laundry, dishwashing, electric vehicle charging, and the use of major household appliances, away from the district’s summer on-peak hours, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday. Under IID’s Time-of-Use rate structure, weekends and eligible holidays are considered off-peak throughout the day.
According to district officials, more than 2,000 residential customers have enrolled in the program through its existing $250 incentive. The proposed resolution sought to continue that incentive while expanding participation through a new enrollment process for customers opening electric service with the district.
Under the proposal, eligible existing residential customers who voluntarily enroll in Shift & Save would continue to receive a $250 incentive, subject to program rules, eligibility requirements and available funding. The resolution also proposed allocating an additional $950,000 from the district’s Public Benefits Charge reserve to continue funding the program and set a goal of reaching 6,000 Time-of-Use enrollments.
For new residential customers establishing electric service on or after Sept. 1, the proposal would automatically enroll eligible customers in the Time-of-Use rate and provide a $100 bill credit. Customers who chose not to participate could opt out of the rate but would not receive the credit.
Introducing the item, IID Board Vice President JB Hamby said the program has produced strong participation since its launch and is intended to reduce electricity demand during the district’s highest-cost hours.
Hamby said the district estimates that reaching 6,000 participants could reduce peak electricity demand by approximately 25 megawatts, lowering the amount of electricity IID must purchase during periods of high market prices.
“This has been incredibly productive,” Hamby said, noting that more than 2,000 customers have already enrolled through the current incentive program.
IID General Manager Jamie Asbury said the program is designed to reduce strain on the electrical grid while helping customers lower their bills by shifting energy use to lower-cost periods.
“The lowest-cost resource that you acquire is what you don’t expend,” Asbury told the board. “I think this is a prudent path forward.”
She said staff would closely monitor customer participation and return to the board for further direction once the enrollment goal is reached or if adjustments become necessary.
During board discussion, Cardenas asked staff whether participation data was available separately for Imperial Valley and Coachella Valley customers. Asbury said the district does not track participation by valley because IID operates as a single integrated electric system serving both regions.
Board President Karin Eugenio said the Public Benefits Fund is a state-mandated fund supported by a small portion of customers’ electric bills and is intended to support programs such as energy efficiency and public assistance.
“It’s not mandatory. It is optional,” Eugenio said. “It’s one way that people can take control over their bills and save more money, and conserve.”
IID Director Gina Dockstader said she appreciated that existing customers could continue choosing whether to enroll in the program, but said she had questions about automatically opting in for new customers.
Asbury responded that automatic enrollment for new customers is a practice used by many utilities and said IID would closely monitor customer impacts. She noted that if staff determines the program is creating hardships for customers, it would return to the board with recommendations.
“We understand it doesn’t work for everyone, and for the people that are existing customers that take it, you have to remain on it for a year, but you don’t have to remain on it in perpetuity,” Asbury said.
Following additional discussion, the board agreed to table the resolution until a future meeting to allow directors and staff additional time to review the automatic enrollment provision. Their next regular meeting is Aug. 8.
