Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Rate Selection Guide
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is a publicly owned electric utility serving roughly 666,000 customers across the greater Sacramento region. It offers fully deployed AMI smart metering, Green Button Download My Data, and Energy Profiler Online for large C&I accounts, but does not support Green Button Connect My Data, EDI, or a public API.
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| CITS-0 | Small commercial | $42.00/mo + TOD energy ~$0.13-0.32/kWh | Small offices, shops under 20 kW |
| CITS-1 | Mid commercial/industrial | $412.90/mo + $9.96/kW summer peak demand + TOD energy | Mid-size facilities 21-299 kW |
| CITS-2 | Large commercial/industrial | $1,281.95/mo + $11.71/kW summer peak demand + TOD energy | Facilities 300-499 kW |
| CITS-4 / CITT-4 | Very large industrial | $4,014.30/mo (secondary) + ~$11.96/kW demand + TOD energy | Large plants and data centers 1,000+ kW |
Market Overview
SMUD is a customer-owned municipal utility whose rates are set by an elected Board of Directors, outside CPUC jurisdiction. There is no retail electric supplier choice and no Community Choice Aggregation in SMUD territory; all customers receive bundled service from SMUD.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
SMUD's commercial and industrial customers take service on Time-of-Day rate schedules assigned by monthly maximum demand, all sharing a weekday 4-9 p.m. peak period. The figures below are verified from SMUD's filed rate schedules adopted under Resolution 25-06-15 (effective June 20, 2025) with scheduled steps on Jan 1, 2026 and Jan 1, 2027. Bills combine a fixed System Infrastructure Charge, demand/site-infrastructure charges, and time-differentiated energy charges; a Hydro Generation Adjustment surcharge applies to all kWh.
Effective: January 1, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CI-TOD1 / CITS-0 — C&I Secondary 0-20 kW | commercial | Small commercial accounts with monthly maximum demand of 20 kW or less. | Verified (eff. Jan 1, 2026): System Infrastructure Fixed Charge $42.00/month; Maximum Demand Charge $2.389/kW. Energy — Summer peak $0.3246/kWh, summer off-peak $0.1465; non-summer peak $0.1540, off-peak $0.1346, off-peak saver $0.1244. Peak is weekdays 4-9 p.m. | — |
| CI-TOD1 / CITS-1 — C&I Secondary 21-299 kW | commercial | Commercial/industrial secondary-voltage accounts with maximum demand 21-299 kW and usage of at least 7,300 kWh/month. | Verified (eff. Jan 1, 2026): System Infrastructure Fixed Charge $412.90/month; Site Infrastructure Charge $6.454 per 12-month max kW; Summer Peak Demand Charge $9.960/kW. Energy — summer peak $0.2341/kWh, off-peak $0.1215; non-summer peak $0.1477, off-peak $0.1264, off-peak saver $0.0888. | — |
| CI-TOD1 / GFN — Small Nondemand / Unmetered | commercial | Small C&I accounts with consistently small or predeterminable consumption served without standard metering. | Verified (eff. Jan 1, 2026): System Infrastructure Fixed Charge $12.05/month; flat all-day energy charge $0.1766/kWh. | — |
| CI-TOD2 / CITS-2 — C&I Secondary 300-499 kW | industrial | Secondary-voltage C&I accounts with maximum demand 300-499 kW. | Verified (eff. Jan 1, 2026): System Infrastructure Fixed Charge $1,281.95/month; Site Infrastructure Charge $5.538 per 12-month max kW; Summer Peak Demand Charge $11.708/kW. Energy — summer peak $0.2489/kWh, off-peak $0.1332; non-summer peak $0.1471, off-peak $0.1199, off-peak saver $0.0932. (Primary-voltage CITP-2 also available.) | — |
| CI-TOD4 / CITS-4 — C&I Secondary 1,000+ kW | industrial | Large industrial / commercial accounts with maximum demand of 1,000 kW or greater (secondary voltage). | Verified (eff. Jan 1, 2026): System Infrastructure Fixed Charge $4,014.30/month; Site Infrastructure Charge $5.705 per 12-month max kW; Summer Peak Demand Charge $11.957/kW. Energy — summer peak $0.2438/kWh, off-peak $0.1186; non-summer peak $0.1485, off-peak $0.1222, off-peak saver $0.0788. | — |
| CI-TOD4 / CITT-4 — C&I Subtransmission 1,000+ kW | industrial | Very large accounts taking service at 69 kV subtransmission voltage with demand 1,000+ kW. | Verified (eff. Jan 1, 2026): System Infrastructure Fixed Charge $1,420.90/month; Site Infrastructure Charge $3.935 per 12-month max kW; Summer Peak Demand Charge $11.435/kW. Energy — summer peak $0.2037/kWh, off-peak $0.1133; non-summer peak $0.1446, off-peak $0.1182, off-peak saver $0.0764. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Mid-size commercial facility (offices, retail, light industrial, 21-299 kW)
Most mid-size SMUD C&I sites land on CITS-1 under CI-TOD1, where summer peak energy and a $9.96/kW summer demand charge dominate the bill.
CITS-1 is the default secondary-voltage schedule for 21-299 kW accounts; its summer Peak Demand Charge and 4-9 p.m. peak energy reward load shifting.
- Pre-cool and run discretionary loads before 4 p.m.
- Watch the single 15-minute peak that sets demand charges
- Pull 15-minute Green Button data to find your peak drivers
Large industrial plant or data center (1,000+ kW)
Accounts at or above 1,000 kW take CI-TOD4; evaluating primary or subtransmission service can materially cut both fixed and energy charges.
Higher voltage classes (CITP-4, CITT-4) carry lower System Infrastructure and energy charges than secondary CITS-4, so taking service at primary/subtransmission voltage lowers cost for large loads.
- Assess upgrading to primary (12/21 kV) or subtransmission (69 kV) service
- Use Energy Profiler Online to model rate scenarios
- Stage equipment startup to shave the 15-minute demand peak
Multi-site portfolio needing benchmarking and data access
Portfolios should standardize on Green Button DMD exports and ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager since SMUD has no automated data API.
Without Green Button CMD or EDI, repeatable data access depends on Green Button XML downloads and SMUD-provided Portfolio Manager feeds.
- Set up Portfolio Manager and request SMUD aggregated data
- Download Green Button XML monthly for each meter
- Use My Account guest access to grant your analyst visibility
Flexible-load facility able to curtail on peak days
Sites with controllable HVAC, lighting, or process loads can monetize flexibility through PowerDirect demand response on top of TOD savings.
PowerDirect pays $10/kW-month plus technology incentives, stacking with the bill savings from shifting load out of the 4-9 p.m. peak.
- Enroll in PowerDirect via a Strategic Account Advisor
- Install OpenADR 2.0b-capable controls
- Target Conservation Days (Jun 1-Sep 30) for curtailment
Historical Rate Trends
SMUD's Board adopted a multi-year rate plan under Resolution 25-06-15 (June 19, 2025) with scheduled increases taking effect on Jan 1, 2026 and Jan 1, 2027. The plan raises fixed System Infrastructure and demand charges for commercial classes while reducing per-kWh energy charges.
June 20, 2025
Resolution 25-06-15 adopted the 2025-2027 C&I Time-of-Day rate schedules (CI-TOD1/2/4), effective June 20, 2025.
varies by classJanuary 1, 2026
Scheduled rate step: CITS-1 System Infrastructure Fixed Charge rose from $326.05 to $412.90/month and summer peak demand from $7.732 to $9.960/kW, offset by lower off-peak-saver energy charges.
varies by classOverall trend: Rising overall, with the increase weighted toward fixed and demand components rather than energy charges.
Next expected change: January 1, 2027 step under the adopted 2025-2027 plan, with further increases indicated for 2028.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because SMUD C&I rates are Time-of-Day with a 4-9 p.m. peak and (for demand classes) a summer Peak Demand Charge, the highest-leverage savings come from shifting and shaving on-peak load and managing the monthly 15-minute demand peak.
Shift load out of the 4-9 p.m. peak
For: All TOD C&I classes
Move discretionary process, charging, and HVAC pre-cooling into the off-peak-saver (9 a.m.-4 p.m.) or off-peak windows to cut peak energy and summer demand charges.
Manage the monthly 15-minute demand peak
For: CITS-1, CITS-2, CITS-4 and primary/subtransmission classes
Use battery storage or staged equipment startup to limit the single 15-minute kW spike that sets the demand and summer peak demand charges.
Correct power factor
For: Demand-metered C&I accounts
Keep monthly power factor at or above 95% leading/lagging to avoid the power factor adjustment charge.
Enroll in PowerDirect demand response
For: C&I customers with controllable HVAC, lighting, or process loads
Earn $10.00/kW per month plus up to $175/kW technology incentive for automated load reduction on Conservation Days.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a third party pull our SMUD interval data automatically via API?▾
No. SMUD offers Green Button Download My Data (manual XML export) but does not implement Green Button Connect My Data, so there is no OAuth-based automated feed. Consultants and aggregators receive data either by the customer sharing the downloaded XML or via My Account guest access. The only real-time programmatic interface is OpenADR for demand response, which carries device telemetry rather than full usage data.
What interval granularity and history can our C&I facility get?▾
SMUD AMI meters record 15-minute interval kWh (and demand kW). Up to 24 months of interval data can be downloaded via Green Button DMD, and large C&I sites can view multi-year load profiles in Energy Profiler Online.
Which rate schedule applies to our commercial or industrial account?▾
SMUD assigns C&I accounts by monthly maximum demand: CITS-0 (0-20 kW) and CITS-1 (21-299 kW) under CI-TOD1, CITS-2/CITP-2 (300-499 kW) under CI-TOD2, mid-tier schedules for 500-999 kW, and CITS-4/CITP-4/CITT-4 (1,000+ kW) under CI-TOD4. All are Time-of-Day rates with a 4-9 p.m. weekday peak.
Does SMUD support EDI 867 meter-data transactions?▾
No. Unlike the California IOUs, SMUD does not run an EDI trading-partner program for 810/820/867 transactions. Structured data is available only through Green Button XML or a custom export arranged with Commercial Services.
How can we reduce demand charges on a SMUD C&I bill?▾
SMUD C&I demand and energy charges peak weekdays 4-9 p.m. in summer. Shifting load to off-peak / off-peak-saver windows, managing the 15-minute peak that sets demand charges, maintaining power factor at or above 95%, and enrolling in PowerDirect demand response can all lower bills. SMUD also adjusts billed demand for approved efficiency or solar/storage projects.
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