PG&E WATTERSAVER PARTICIPANT PROGRAM TERMS

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) WatterSaver Program (Program) is administered by the Association for Energy Affordability (AEA). Customer’s Program participation is subject to the following Program terms under this Agreement (Agreement).

  1. AUTHORITY. Customer represents they obtained from the owner of the property site (Site) in their Program Application permission to implement their project (Project)  in accordance with these Agreement terms.
  2. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. Site must be in PG&E’s operational territory and receive its electricity from PG&E or a Community Choice Customer must pay for the electric/gas Public Purpose Program.
  3. QUALIFYING EQUIPMENT. Site must have a new or existing electric water heater that can be remotely accessed using its onboard controls or a controller installed by Customer’s contractor. If the Site’s water heater is a heat pump water heater (HPWH), it must be on the WatterSaver qualified products list. For single family Customer Site, if the water heater is an electric resistance water heater (ERWH), it must be able to be controlled via its manufacturer’s application programming interface or cellularly using a CTA-2045 universal communication module.  Multifamily Customer Sites with ERWHs may participate in the Program using a different type of controller and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
  4. PROJECT PURPOSE. Customer agrees PG&E and/or AEA may remotely control their Site’s water heater through a cloud service communication platform (Platform) to maintain comfort and generate savings under favorable time of day rates during load shift events (Events).
  5. ONLINE AND MOBILE COMMUNICATION. Occasional automatic and/or voluntary account-related alerts (Alerts) following certain changes to the Customer’s account or information shall be communicated (e.g. modifications to the Site’s water heater’s heating schedule) via email address or mobile number provided in the Customer’s Program Application. Alerts may be turned on by default during the Project implementation. The Customer agrees to send any contact information changes to AEA in writing. Alerts may also be sent to Customer’s mobile device that accepts text/SMS messages. Alerts will indicate and specify if the Customer is expected to provide a response.
  6. EVENT OPT OUT. If the Customer wishes to temporarily opt out of a Program-controlled Event (e.g., due to planned increased use such as multiple guests), they can opt out by either 1) submitting an opt out request to the WatterSaver Program via phone or email 2) opting out through their WatterSaver web-app profile, or 3) physically adjusting their water heater setpoint on the water heater during the Event.
  7. INCENTIVE FUNDING. This Program is funded by California utility ratepayers where funds are available on a first come first basis, until depleted, or the Program ends, whichever occurs first.
  8. CALCULATION OF THE CUSTOMER INCENTIVE. A one-time $50 digital redemption code incentive will be paid to the Customer upon their completion of a 4-5 week onboarding period that enables the customer to become familiar with their HPWH or ERWH operation prior to any Program control. The 4-5 week period begins upon approval of the Customer’s Project by AEA. T This payment will be issued as an accumulated incentive (Incentive) redeemable after such quarter ends and provided the Project is deemed active. Incentives are issued quarterly and continue until the Program ends, the funding is exhausted, or Program is terminated. A Project is not considered active if within a calendar month, 1) the Customer opts out of Events more than five days, or 2) their Platform connectivity is inactive for more than 14 days. Projects not active for more than three consecutive months will be terminated from the Program.
  9. CUSTOMER INCENTIVE DELIVERY. Customer incentive is issued in the form of an electronic gift card, and it will be sent to the email provided in their Program Application. Customer can submit an email request to receive their incentive by text message instead. Also, if the email delivery is unsuccessful, the Program will send incentives via text. Customer further acknowledges and agrees that, solely for purposes of Incentive fulfillment, distribution, tracking, and related Customer support, AEA may provide necessary information such as Customer name, email address, and phone number to AEA’s designated incentive vendor.
  10. PROJECT TERM. This Agreement is effective upon the approval of the Project and shall continue until December 31, 2027, unless sooner terminated.
  11. TERMINATION Program participation is voluntary. Customer or PG&E can terminate this Agreement at any time by Customer submitting a Program withdrawal email request to [email protected] or PG&E providing written notification. Upon termination, Customer’s water heater will no longer be remotely controlled. Once terminated, the incentive is forfeited. Customer will receive instructions on how to return the installed water heater controller to PG&E and will comply within 30 days. In the scenario where a Customer who needed a water heater controller installed terminates their participation before the Program ends, the Program will stop sending signals to their controller. If the Customer prefers the controller be physically removed before the Program ends, Customer may remove the controller themselves or hire a contractor at Customer’s expense and will also be responsible for its return shipping and expense as directed by AEA.
  12. PROJECT SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS. Customer acknowledges there may be inherent dangers associated with their Project implementation. Customer’s water heater may be heated to temperatures higher than Customer’s normal set point during the day when electricity rates are less expensive. The installation of a mixing valve may be needed to avoid unreasonably hot and unsafe temperatures. Customer is solely responsible for their own safety and that of anyone else using their water heater.
  13. OWNERSHIP OF PROJECT INFORMATION AND DATA. The Project energy usage data and information resulting from Customer participation shall be owned by PG&E, including but not limited to all data, reports, summaries, and other such written, recorded, photographic, visual materials.
  14. CUSTOMER’S AUTHORIZATION TO RELEASE THEIR DATA AND ACCOUNT INFORMATION. Customer consents to provide or make available their personal information, energy usage data, billing/rate/account information to PG&E and AEA to administer the Project and to the implementers(s) of the CPUC Self-Generation Incentive Program Heat Pump Water Heater (SGIP HPWH) and/or to the Technology and Equipment for Clean Heating (TECH) Program for the purposes of determining Customer and its Site eligibility to participate in electric water heater load-shifting programs (i.e. such as WatterSaver, SGIP HPWH, or TECH). The SGIP HPWH and TECH programs have provided incentives to support the adoption and installation of HPWHs capable of shifting electricity use from peak to off-peak periods.
  15. CPUC AUTHORITY AND DISCLOSURE. The Program terms can be modified anytime by the CPUC. All information and documentation related to the Project will be made available per CPUC request.
  16. SAFETY AND COMPLIANCE WITH ALL LAWS. All Project equipment installation and work performed must comply with all federal and state laws, safety requirements, and applicable manufacturer instructions.
  17. NO WARRANTY AND DISCLAIMER. PG&E MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, AND ASSUMES NO LIABILITY WITH RESPECT TO QUALITY, SAFETY PERFORMANCE, OPERATIONAL CAPABILITY, RELIABILITY OR ANY OTHER ASPECT OF THE PROJECT OR RELATED INSTALLED EQUIPMENT AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSES.
  18. NO OBLIGATION. California consumers are not obligated to purchase any full-fee service or other service not funded by this Program to implement this Project.
  19. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. Except for the Incentive, PG&E shall have no liability for any Customer costs arising from the Project implementation including the installation, usage, or removal of the water heater controller No party shall be liable for incidental loss, lost profits, or consequential damages.
  20. ADVERTISING AND USE OF PG&E’S NAME. Customer agrees not to use AEA’s and PG&E’s names in any published materials absent the written approval of such respective party.
  21. ASSIGNMENT. No part of this Agreement may be assigned by Customer without PG&E’s written consent.
  22. NO DOUBLE DIPPING. Customer will not seek or receive any additional incentives or rebates during their participation in Program related to load shifting of their water heater from other CA ratepayer programs.
  23. TAX LIABILITY. Incentives may be taxable income to the Customer, even if the Incentive is assigned to someone else. Customer is solely liable for any tax liability and needs to consult with their tax advisor.
  24. TOXIC MATERIALS. PG&E and AEA shall have no responsibility for the discovery, presence, handling, removal, or exposure to hazardous materials of any kind, including related to the Project implementation.
  25. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California and exclusive jurisdiction and venue of San Francisco, California.

Last updated 03/14/2026