“What is a PG&E Solar True-up Bill?” you ask. I hear you. It can seem unnecessarily confusing. Luckily for you, I’ve got you covered with a clear and easy-to-understand explanation of your PG&E net energy metering statement (NEM), also known as a PG&E True-up Bill.
I recorded a video for you explaining how to understand your True-up bill, but in case you prefer to read info rather than watch it, this blog post is for you. (Here is a sample monthly NEM statement and here is a sample annual NEM statement for you to refer to as you read this blog post. NEM statements = True-up Bills. They’re one and the same.)
If you look at your 12-month usage from PG&E, your statement will reflect how much your kilowatt (kW) hours cost and how many kW you used. When you divide your monthly bill by the number of kw you used that month, you get the price you pay per kw hour.
How Does PG&E True-up Work?
PG&E will allow you to generate 125% of your kW hours from solar. They’ll allow you to design a solar system that will generate that much electricity. They’ll then give you a statement each month and each year of what your solar true-up charges are.
Why Is My PG&E True-up So High?
If you’re not generating enough electricity to cover the amount of electricity you use, you’ll owe PG&E money at the end of the year.
The second page of the NEM statement or True-up Bill provides you with a breakdown of (1) how much energy you generated each month and (2) how much energy you used each month. Some months you may use less energy than you generate, while other months you may use more energy than you generate. If over the course of the year you use a lot more energy than you generate yourself, you will owe PG&E money at the end of the year.
If you’re paying PG&E upwards of $500/month and you have more roof space available for additional solar panels, you may qualify for free solar. Reach out to me via Calendly or by phone @ 415.341.2646 to see if you qualify.
How Do You Lower Your True-up Bill?
It costs around $0.33/day (that’s 33 cents per day, or about $10/month) to use electricity generated by PG&E during the nighttime when your solar is not generating any electricity and you’re using more than your solar system generated. That’s a “grid-tying fee” or “minimum use charge,” and it’s what you pay to stay connected to PG&E’s power grid so you can still have power when you use more electricity than you generated yourself. If you use less energy than your home generates, PG&E will actually give you money, which can be used to pay your True-up Bill.
So Why Switch to Solar?
If you wind up having to pay PG&E for electricity anyhow, you might wonder, “Why go solar?” The answer to that question is clear: Your True-up Solar Bill is nearly always going to cost you less for an entire year than most PG&E customers in El Dorado Hills pay in a month. That’s right, folks. Solar True-up charges are nothing compared to the average PG&E bill people are paying in El Dorado Hills and throughout California these days.
If it’s been a while since you installed your solar, you may be wondering why your PG&E Solar True-up Bill has increased. Maybe you haven’t been paying attention to the fact that PG&E’s rates have more than doubled over the course of the past five years, or maybe your energy usage has increased since you installed your solar panels.
Get in touch with me via Calendly or @ @ 415.341.2646 if you are still wondering, “Why is my PG&E True-up so high?,” you want to know how to lower your True-up Bill, or you have any other questions or concerns about solar or your True-up Bill. Remember: You may qualify for free solar installation, even if you already have solar.
