Utility Bill Explanation
There are two meters for your system, the solar meter and the utility (aka distributed-generation) meter. The solar meter is typically located adjacent to the inverter (if present) and measures the cumulative total of all energy produced by your PV system since it was installed. The utility meter is the billing meter installed by your utility company. This meter measures both the electricity delivered by the utility to your home, and the electricity received by the utility from your PV system.
Electricity produced by your PV system is used first to instantly power anything needing electricity in your home. This power is not reflected on your utility meter or your utility bill. Any excess power produced by your system that is not used instantly travels through your utility meter and into the local power grid. Any time the PV system is not providing enough power to cover all of the home electrical needs (such as at night), it will be supplemented with power from the utility grid.
The utility company will bill you based upon the readings from the utility meter; the amount of energy they supplied to you, and the amount of excess energy you supplied to the power grid over the course of the billing period. How this balance affects your bill will depend upon when the PV system was installed, and what the exchange agreement with the utility company was at the time. In general, if the PV system was installed after 2018, the agreement will be RCP. If it was installed in or prior to 2018, it would be Net Metering.
RCP Agreement
With the RCP agreement, you are charged standard rates for the kilowatt-hours (kWh) supplied to you from the power grid, which will vary depending on the time of year and time of day. Any excess kWh you supply to the grid, you are credited a monetary value based upon the agreement signed with the utility company during installation (generally “locked-in” for 10 years). The amount that you are credited during that billing cycle will then be applied to the amount due. This will either go to offset the amount due, or if the credited amount exceeds the amount due the remainder will be carried forward into the next billing cycle.
Net Metering Agreement
With Net Metering, if your system produces more energy than you consume in a billing period, the excess kilowatt-hours (kWh) are carried forward as a credit to reduce future bills. Once a year, TEP and TRICO will buy back any credits that remain in your account as of your October billing date if you are a TEP customer or your September billing date if you are a TRICO customer. TEP and TRICO buy back credits at current wholesale rates, which are listed on their websites.
Please note: It typically takes one complete billing cycle after your system is inspected by the utility before you will see any changes reflected on your bill.
Click here to view a sample TEP utility bill (RCP)
Click here to view a sample TEP utility bill (Net Metering)
Click here to view a sample TRICO utility bill (RCP)
Click here to view a sample SSVEC utility bill
Please call the SunShare office at (520) 918-8296 if you have questions regarding your bill.
TRICO does not currently provide a sample utility bill. Please call the SunWatts office at 520.744.2944 ext. 1524 if you have questions regarding your bill.