We know that solar can be complex. Let’s break down SBP.
If you have solar, Solar Billing Plan (SBP), also known as Net Billing Tariff or NEM 3.0, is a new method of compensation for the energy that your solar system produces. It’s intended to promote grid reliability and incentivize battery storage. If you recently installed solar, you are likely on the SBP.
With SBP, your electricity meter tracks both your imports, or how much energy you use, and your exports, or how much energy your solar system sends to the electric grid. The electricity that is imported and exported is measured separately and imported and exported power are valued differently.
Batteries can store the renewable energy your system produces and supply that power during peak demand hours, usually in the evenings when the sun is down and energy use is high.
SBP customers with solar and battery storage systems can reduce their energy bills by storing energy in their batteries during the day to draw on during peak demand hours. This increases the amount of renewable energy available during peak demand hours and decreases the need for energy from fossil fuels.
With SBP, export compensation rates will be based on an Avoided Cost Calculator, or ACC. These rates vary by hour and month and are closely aligned with wholesale energy rates.
If you’re a residential customer, import charges are based on the rates under the EV-TOU-5 rate schedule. If you’re a commercial customer, import charges are based on the rates under your existing rate schedule. For more information on rate schedules, visit our Mga Presyo ng Residential or Commercial Rates pages.
All SBP charges, including fixed charges and any net charges due to San Diego Community Power or SDG&E, are due monthly.
We developed our SBP program with our customers in mind. We offer one of the most generous SBP programs in California, helping us grow the regional solar industry, promote grid reliability and incentivize solar and battery storage.
Community Power provides customers with generation adders that boost dollar credits during electricity export to the grid and reduce the payback period for solar systems. We provide two generation adders:
Community Power Adder | Amount | WHO’S ELIGIBLE |
|---|---|---|
Standard Residential and Commercial Adder | $0.0075 for every kWh exported | All new residential and commercial customers enrolled in SBP
Not available for NEM customers transitioning to SBP |
Equity Adder | $0.11 for every kWh exported |
All new residential customers currently enrolled in California Alternate Rate for Energy (CARE) or Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) programs* Not available for NEM customers transitioning to SBP *Unenrollment or lapse in enrollment in either program will cause customers to receive the Standard Adder. |
Community Power and SDG&E each offer SBP programs with slight differences.
Net Surplus Compensation (NSC) applied at wholesale rate plus Community Power’s $0.0075/kWh bonus incentive for new SBP customers
Equity adder of $0.11/kWh for new SBP customers enrolled in CARE/FERA
SBP Balance Credit Refund applied at time of true-up for charges applied throughout true-up period
No annual true-up adjustment applied for electricity generation service of net generators
Customers automatically receive checks for NSC above $100
Any NSC below $100 will be rolled over to offset future Community Power charges
Net Surplus Compensation (NSC) applied at wholesale rate for all SBP customers
No additional adders for CARE/FERA
No additional credits applied at time of true-up for applied charges
Annual true-up adjustment applied, resulting in additional charge for net generators at the time of true-up
Customers must contact SDG&E to request refund checks
SBP customers are billed monthly. If you ended your true-up period with an export credit balance (seen on your bill as your “SBP Credit Balance”), Community Power will apply these credits as a rollover for charges you accrued over your true-up period.
| buwan | Year | SDG&E $/kWh | Community Power Bonus Premium | Community Power $/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | 2025 | 0.02076 | 0.0075 | 0.02826 |
| October | 2025 | 0.02037 | 0.0075 | 0.02787 |
| September | 2025 | 0.01753 | 0.0075 | 0.02503 |
| August | 2025 | 0.01451 | 0.0075 | 0.02201 |
| July | 2025 | 0.01284 | 0.0075 | 0.02034 |
| June | 2025 | 0.01372 | 0.0075 | 0.02122 |
| May | 2025 | 0.01667 | 0.0075 | 0.02417 |
| April | 2025 | 0.02385 | 0.0075 | 0.03135 |
| March | 2025 | 0.03072 | 0.0075 | 0.03822 |
| February | 2025 | 0.03192 | 0.0075 | 0.03942 |
| January | 2025 | 0.01837 | 0.0075 | 0.02587 |
| buwan | Year | SDG&E $/kWh | SDCP Bonus Premium | SDCP $/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December | 2024 | 0.0168 | 0.0075 | 0.0243 |
| November | 2024 | 0.01673 | 0.0075 | 0.02423 |
| October | 2024 | 0.01541 | 0.0075 | 0.02291 |
| September | 2024 | 0.01463 | 0.0075 | 0.02213 |
| August | 2024 | 0.01179 | 0.0075 | 0.01929 |
| July | 2024 | 0.00854 | 0.0075 | 0.01604 |
| June | 2024 | 0.01157 | 0.0075 | 0.01907 |
| May | 2024 | 0.01739 | 0.0075 | 0.02489 |
| April | 2024 | 0.02666 | 0.0075 | 0.03416 |
| March | 2024 | 0.0401 | 0.0075 | 0.0476 |
| February | 2024 | 0.04881 | 0.0075 | 0.05631 |
| January | 2024 | 0.04397 | 0.0075 | 0.05147 |
| buwan | Year | SDG&E $/kWh | SDCP Bonus Premium | SDCP $/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December | 2023 | 0.04415 | 0.0075 | 0.05165 |
| November | 2023 | 0.04512 | 0.0075 | 0.05262 |
| October | 2023 | 0.04591 | 0.0075 | 0.05341 |
| September | 2023 | 0.04737 | 0.0075 | 0.05487 |
| August | 2023 | 0.04411 | 0.0075 | 0.05161 |
| July | 2023 | 0.04612 | 0.0075 | 0.05362 |
| June | 2023 | 0.05336 | 0.0075 | 0.06086 |
| May | 2023 | 0.06469 | 0.0075 | 0.07219 |
| April | 2023 | 0.07914 | 0.0075 | 0.08664 |
| March | 2023 | 0.09079 | 0.0075 | 0.09829 |
| February | 2023 | 0.14538 | 0.0075 | 0.15288 |
| January | 2023 | 0.0638 | 0.0075 | 0.0713 |
| buwan | Year | SDG&E $/kWh | SDCP Bonus Premium | SDCP $/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December | 2022 | 0.05332 | 0.0075 | 0.06082 |
| November | 2022 | 0.05352 | 0.0075 | 0.06102 |
| October | 2022 | 0.05253 | 0.0075 | 0.06003 |
| September | 2022 | 0.04553 | 0.0075 | 0.05303 |
| August | 2022 | 0.03813 | 0.0075 | 0.04563 |
| July | 2022 | 0.03211 | 0.0075 | 0.03961 |
| June | 2022 | 0.02887 | 0.0075 | 0.03637 |
| May | 2022 | 0.03387 | 0.0075 | 0.04137 |
| April | 2022 | 0.04365 | 0.0075 | 0.05115 |
| March | 2022 | 0.05091 | 0.0075 | 0.05841 |
| February | 2022 | 0.05472 | 0.0075 | 0.06222 |
| January | 2022 | 0.05652 | 0.0075 | 0.06402 |
| buwan | Year | SDG&E $/kWh | SDCP Bonus Premium | SDCP $/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December | 2021 | 0.0547 | 0.0075 | 0.0622 |
| November | 2021 | 0.05528 | 0.0075 | 0.06278 |
| October | 2021 | 0.05188 | 0.0075 | 0.05938 |
| September | 2021 | 0.04144 | 0.0075 | 0.04894 |
| August | 2021 | 0.03063 | 0.0075 | 0.03813 |
| July | 2021 | 0.02261 | 0.0075 | 0.03011 |
| June | 2021 | 0.02448 | 0.0075 | 0.03198 |
| May | 2021 | 0.02702 | 0.0075 | 0.03452 |
| April | 2021 | 0.03068 | 0.0075 | 0.03818 |
| March | 2021 | 0.03364 | 0.0075 | 0.04114 |
If you applied for interconnection of your solar panels on or after April 15, 2023, you’re a SBP customer.
SBP is the replacement for Net Energy Metering (NEM), as established by the California Public Utilities Commission. NEM is no longer available to new solar customers in California. Learn more on our NEM page.
Existing NEM 1.0 and NEM 2.0 customers will remain on NEM until the completion of their legacy period or 20 years from the time their system was connected to the electric grid, after which they will be transitioned to SBP. NEM customers will also be transitioned to SBP if they increase the capacity of their generation system by more than 10% or 1 kW or if they choose to switch to SBP. For more information, contact your solar installer.
Customers who interconnected their solar system under SBP will have a nine-year legacy period.
The legacy period is tied to the customer who installed the system, not the system itself or the service address. If that customer moves, the new customer inheriting the system will not keep the original legacy period, unless:
NEM customers who transition to SBP after completing their 20-year NEM legacy period do not have an SBP legacy period.
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.
If you have solar, the Solar Billing Plan (SBP), also known as Net Billing Tariff or NEM 3.0, is a new method of compensation for the energy that your solar system produces. The Solar Billing Plan is intended to promote grid reliability and incentivize battery storage. If you recently installed solar, you are likely on the Solar Billing Plan.
For more information, visit our Solar Billing Plan page.
With SBP, your electricity meter tracks both your imports, or how much energy you use, and your exports, or how much energy your solar system sends to the electric grid. The electricity that is imported and exported is measured individually and valued differently from one another.
Batteries can store the renewable energy your system produces to use during peak demand hours, usually in the evenings when the sun is down and energy use is high.
SBP customers with solar and battery storage systems can reduce their energy bills by storing energy in their battery during the day to draw on during peak demand hours. This increases the amount of renewable energy available during peak demand hours, thereby decreasing the need for energy from fossil fuels.
For more information, visit our Solar Billing Plan page.
Existing NEM 1.0 and NEM 2.0 customers will remain on NEM until the completion of their legacy period, or 20 years from the time their system was connected to the electric grid, after which they will be transitioned to SBP. NEM customers will also be transitioned to SBP if they increase the capacity of their generation system by more than 10% or 1 kW, or if they choose to switch to SBP. For more information, reach out to your solar installer.
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.
There are several key differences between San Diego Community Power and SDG&E’s Solar Billing Plan:
San Diego Community Power will apply an additional $0.0075 per kWh adder to SDG&E’s Export Compensation Rate hourly prices for customers with new generating systems. Customers enrolled in California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) or Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) will receive a $0.11 per kWh adder. (Please note that NEM 1.0 and 2.0 customers that have either completed or terminated their 20-year legacy period will not be eligible for San Diego Community Power adders.)
San Diego Community Power’s Solar Billing Plan offers an Electricity Export Credit Refund. At the time of your annual true up, San Diego Community Power will apply any export credits you accumulated to San Diego Community Power charges that were applied over the relevant period.
San Diego Community Power’s Net Surplus Compensation (NSC) will be applied exactly the same for Solar Billing Plan customers as it is for Net Energy Metering (NEM) customers: Payment will be based on total net generation and the current NSC rate, plus our adder of $0.0075. SDG&E Solar Billing Plan customers eligible for NSC will have an “Annual True Up Adjustment” applied. Through the Annual True Up Adjustment, SDG&E reclaims credits already compensated to the customer during their annual true up and Net Surplus Compensation process.
For commercial customers enrolled in San Diego Community Power’s Solar Billing Plan program, export credits will be used to offset all aspects of your San Diego Community Power import charges, including demand charges. SDG&E’s Solar Billing Plan mechanics only allow for charges based on usage in kWh to be offset by export credits (excluding demand in kW).
For more information, view our Rooftop Solar page.
Please contact us at CustomerService@SDCommunityPower.org.