Net Energy Metering (NEM)
Net Energy Metering is the solar rate plan that SVCE customers are on if their solar was approved before April 2023. Customers that installed solar prior to 2016 are likely on the NEM 1.0 program. Customers that installed solar between June 29, 2016 and April 14, 2023, are likely on NEM 2.0. Customers that installed solar after April 2023 are on the new Solar Billing Plan.
How NEM Works
Your meter tracks the difference between the amount of electricity your solar panels produce and the amount of electricity you use during each billing cycle. When your panels produce more electricity than you use, you receive a credit on your bill.
SVCE generation charges will be settled within your monthly bill rather than PG&E’s annual true-up process. If you sign up for Silicon Valley Clean Energy’s premium 100% renewable GreenPrime service, you will pay an additional $0.015/kWh for net consumption, but you will be credited an additional $0.015 for net generation—and excess credits roll over every month.
If you produce more electricity than you consume on an annual basis, you will receive an automatic cashout from SVCE in April each year. SVCE pays for cumulative kWh at two times the PG&E net surplus compensation rate (NSC rate). A cashout worth $100 or more, up to a maximum of $5,000, will be provided via check. A cashout worth less than $100 will be provided as a bill credit. At the end of SVCE’s cash out cycle, all SBP Credit Balances and kWh balances are reset.
SVCE NEM Program Benefits
Get Paid for Excess Solar Generation
If you produce more electricity than you consume on an annual basis, SVCE pays two times the net surplus compensation rate (NSC rate) per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of any excess solar that is produced and put back onto the grid. The NSC rate is based on current market prices and varies each month. This means you will get paid more for excess solar with SVCE than if you were with PG&E’s bundled service. Income-qualified customers will receive additional compensation with a pricing 2.5 times the NSC rate per kilowatt-hour.
Monthly Billing with Credit Roll Over
We bill you monthly so you don’t end up with a year’s worth of charges in an annual true-up. Excess credits rollover month-to-month.
Automatic Annual Cash Out
SVCE generation net surplus compensation balances over $100 are automatically paid to you in April of each year, up to a maximum $5,000. For balances less than $100 the remaining value will be applied as a direct bill credit on the statement ending in April of each year.
Opportunity to Enroll in GreenPrime
Unlike with PG&E, SVCE NEM customers can ensure that when you do need additional electricity, it’s sourced with 100% renewable energy—at an additional cost of $0.015/kWh.
Additional GreenPrime Value for Surplus Generation
Excess solar produced each month for GreenPrime customers is valued at an additional $0.015 per kWh in the monthly credit rollover. For the annual cashout, GreenPrime is valued the same as GreenStart – two times the net surplus compensation rate.
Eligibility
Any SVCE customer who meets PG&E’s solar participation requirements is eligible for an SVCE solar program. The timing of when your solar was installed will dictate the version of the solar program that you enroll in. Generally, this includes customers with renewable electric generation systems (such as solar, wind, biogas and fuel cell installations) that are less than 1,000 kW. A typical residential installation is 4-5 kW, and the typical commercial installation is 100-200 kW.
Silicon Valley Clean Energy’s NEM program is only available to customers within the SVCE service area. Customers outside of SVCE’s service area can still apply for NEM through PG&E, but will not benefit from SVCE’s attractive NEM tariff.
How To Enroll
Current NEM Customers. If you’re already enrolled in PG&E’s NEM program and you switch to SVCE, you will automatically be enrolled in SVCE’s NEM program—no action is necessary. Both PG&E and SVCE will perform a settlement of your account’s net charges and credits (known as a “true-up”) when your energy provider changes to SVCE or back to PG&E. This settlement will result in a balance due for any usage charges owed to-date, or alternatively will result in a forfeiture of any excess credits on your account at that time.
New NEM Customers. SVCE customers sign up for the NEM program as usual, through PG&E. You will then be automatically served by SVCE’s NEM program.
PG&E is required to complete the NEM interconnection within 30 working days of receiving an application. If you don’t currently have an installed electric generation system, we recommend you first contact a solar or other energy system installer, or a professional who can guide you through installing a system and submitting a NEM application.
PG&E will provide final permission to operate your solar PV system and/or wind system, whether or not you are an SVCE customer. PG&E will review your completed application, along with a single-line diagram that is representative of your system. Upon a successful evaluation of your engineering review, PG&E will install your bi-directional meter. You may operate your PV system following receipt of a “Permission to Operate” letter.
NEM Sample Bill
As an SVCE Net Energy Metering customer, you will see a NEM-related line item on the SVCE Electric Generation Charges page of your monthly energy bill. You’ll find details about the non-NEM charges in Understanding Your Bill.
1
Credited/Charged to NEM Balance
A new line is added to your billing statement indicating accrued Net Energy Metering (NEM) generation credits called “Credited/Charged to NEM Balance.” This is how much is added or subtracted from your existing NEM Balance, if any.
2
Your SVCE NEM Credit Balance is Now $XX.XX
This is your credit balance which will be applied to future months.
If you do not have a credit balance, your bill will read: “Your SVCE NEM Balance Owed is Now $0.00”
3
Your cumulative kWh relevant period year-to-date
This tracks your net production or net consumption of electricity for the year and resets at the beginning of your April billing cycle. If you are a net producer on an annual basis, it is used to calculate your SVCE cashout.
