A subscription rate is a commercial electricity tariff in which the customer reserves a block of capacity in kilowatts for a fixed monthly fee instead of paying a demand charge on the highest peak. California’s investor-owned utilities use it on their EV charging rates.
How the utilities structure it
- PG&E’s Business EV rates (BEV1 and BEV2) sell capacity in 50 kilowatt blocks for sites of 100 kilowatts and up.
- SDG&E’s EV-HP rate reserves capacity in 25 kilowatt increments, with overage penalties for exceeding the subscribed level.
- Southern California Edison’s EV-TOU rates carry no demand charge through 2029; demand charges return January 1, 2030.
Why it matters for parking
A subscription rate rewards a facility that knows its peak and holds it. Managed charging is what makes the subscribed block small and the overage penalties rare.