Net Energy Metering (NEM)

Yes. If you are an existing customer who installed an eligible renewable energy self-generation system before April 15, 2023, learn more about our Net Energy Metering (NEM) program on our Net Energy Metering page.

If you applied for interconnection of an eligible renewable energy self-generation system on or after April 15, 2023, or if you have reached the end of your 20-year legacy period on NEM 1.0, learn more about our Solar Billing Plan (SBP) on our Solar Billing Plan page.

According to SDG&E, changing service providers has no effect on rate schedules or Net Energy Metering (NEM) interconnection. This includes customers automatically enrolled into San Diego Community Power service and those who opt out of San Diego Community Power service. Customers will not need to reapply for interconnection when they change service providers as they are still under the same interconnection agreement regardless of their electricity service provider.

NEM customers can opt out of San Diego Community Power service and return to SDG&E at any time. Please note, however, that an opt out will result in a premature true up, and SDG&E will set your renewed annual true up date to align with your return to SDG&E service.

SDG&E may make changes to NEM 1.0 and 2.0 parameters in the future. Visit SDG&E’s website for more information.net

No, your lease or PPA provider arrangement will continue as is.

Because most Net Energy Metering (NEM) customers are net consumers (consuming more energy than they generate), San Diego Community Power defaults NEM customers to monthly billing, which allows you to receive smaller bills each month rather than one large bill at the end of the relevant period.

Annual billing may be preferable if you are a net generator (generating more energy than you consume) in at least one month during your true up period since it applies all charges and credits at the end of your true up period. This can allow a month of net consumption earlier in the year to be offset by later months of net generation.

For both monthly and annual billing, annual true up Net Surplus Compensation (NSC) is based on the total cumulative usage (kWh) of your account over the course of your 12-month relevant true up period.

To update your billing preference to annual billing, fill out this form. However, please note that:

You must be a NEM 1.0 or NEM 2.0 customer with an interconnection date prior to April 15, 2023;

You must update your billing preferences at the time of your true up, before you have been billed by San Diego Community Power;

And you will not be able to return to monthly billing for a full 12 months.

At the time of your annual NEM true-up, we will issue you compensation up to the value of your NEM balance for any Community Power charges that were applied over the course of the relevant true-up period.

This means that if you have NEM credits remaining at the time of your true-up, we will apply those back to your account, either as a rollover or a cash out, for Community Power charges that were applied over the past year.

If you were a net generator (produced more electricity than you used) over the true-up period, we will add your NEM Balance Credit Refund to your Net Surplus Compensation (NSC) and any potential rollover credits from the last true-up period. If that cumulative value is more than $100, we will issue you a check. If it is under $100, we will roll it over to your NEM balance to offset future Community Power charges in subsequent relevant periods.

If you were a net consumer (used more electricity than you produced) over the true-up period, we will add your NEM Balance Credit Refund back to your NEM balance to offset future Community Power charges in months where you use more electricity than you produce.

The several differences between Net Energy Metering (NEM) and Solar Billing Plan, including:

NEM customers have a legacy period of 20 years from their Permission to Operate date. Solar Billing Plan customers will have a legacy period of 9 years from their Permission to Operate date.

NEM customers are required to be on a time of use rate. Solar Billing Plan customers are required to be on a “highly differentiated” time of use rate, EV-TOU-5 for residential customers. On EV-TOU-5, electricity is more expensive during the time of the highest demand and less expensive at other times. Non-residential Solar Billing Plan customers will remain on their existing rate schedule.

NEM’s export rate is based on retail rates. Solar Billing Plan’s export rate is based on the Avoided Cost Calculator (ACC), which varies by hour and month and is closely aligned with wholesale rates.

NEM customers have the option to enroll in annual billing so that their billing is applied once at the time of their annual true up. Solar Billing Plan customers are billed monthly and will not be eligible for annual billing.

For more information, view our Rooftop Solar page.

Because you will be automatically enrolled in Community Power’s generation services at the time of your true up, your enrollment should be a seamless transition and will not impact your existing credits with SDG&E. You will also maintain the same true up date as before.

The few differences include:

Monthly Billing: Community Power’s default billing option for our NEM customers is monthly billing. This means that we perform monthly account adjustments to avoid a large true up bill at the end of the year for your electric generation services. If you wish to maintain annual billing, you can fill out our Annual True Up Notification Form before your account transitions over to Community Power or at the time of your true up.

Net Surplus Compensation Rate: At the end of the 12-month relevant true up period, Community Power will pay net generators (as measured in annual kWh, not bill credits) for the surplus electricity at the applicable Net Surplus Compensation (NSC) rate, plus our bonus incentive, which is $0.0075/kWh. NSC rates vary each month, but our bonus incentive of $0.0075 per kWh will always be added to it. View the current NSC rate here.

Net Surplus Compensation Annual Cash Out: If your net surplus compensation amount is above $100 per account, we will automatically issue you a check. If it’s less than $100, we will carry that forward as a rollover to the next year to help offset any consumption charges in the future.