PG&E announced this week it will include legal pot growers in an AG energy rate program designed for farmers of crops like almonds and alfalfa.
Jeremy Carlson is the CEO of a cannabis dispensary called 'Little Trees' in Calaveras County. He also cultivates 200 indoor marijuana plants at the retail site.
When Carlson heard PG&E would let cannabis growers jump onto agricultural rates for electricity, he called them up to see if he could lower his energy bill.
"What I found out is that the ag energy rates are actually more expensive than the normal commercial rates that we're paying now," he explains. "So we didn't switch over."
Carlson says it seems like the PG&E policy is aimed at large, outdoor farms running high horse-power water pumps.
But the size of those large, outdoor farms is limited by local land-use rules that differ across California.
Peter Maurer, Calaveras County Planning Director, says the canopy for a local, outdoor grow in that area is limited to 22,000 square ft., roughly half an acre.
PG&E says they don't currently have data on electricity use for marijuana growers and they will work with customers on a case-by-case basis to find the best rate.
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