If you decide to switch to solar energy, your relationship with PG&E will almost certainly evolve. The implementation of a yearly statement that will be referred to as a true-up bill is going to be one of the most significant developments that will take place. All of the charges and credits for your annual power usage have been consolidated into one statement for you.
The true-up bill may leave many homeowners scratching their heads. This blog post will explain what a true-up charge is, why it could be so expensive, and what you can do to minimize or get rid of your own true-up payment.
What Exactly Is Meant By A “True-Up Statement”?
What is true up pge? A true-up statement is the name given to the bill that you will get from the utility company after the conclusion of your solar billing cycle. Because the billing cycle for solar energy systems is normally one year, you should anticipate receiving your first true-up statement after your first year as a solar customer. During the solar billing cycle, the true-up statement will reconcile any accrued energy expenses, credits, and any other forms of compensation to which you may be entitled.
Your true-up statement will reflect an outstanding balance if there is one after all charges and credits have been reconciled and accounted for in the previous statement. Depending on the terms of your interconnection agreement, if you have excess credits, your utility company will either return them to their regular value of zero or carry them over to the solar billing cycle that comes after this one.
The following will be included in PG&E’s updated energy statement:
- How much electricity has been consumed in your home so far this year?
- During the times when electric power was consumed and paid for
- PG&E will determine how much value your cumulative kWh credit is worth based on the retail power tariff.
- The amount that you are responsible for paying is based on your annual Net Usage (kWh).
Your annual, cumulative energy expenses, credits, and any net generation compensation for the billing period will be gathered and reconciled as part of the true-up statement.
After the supplier of your utilities has reconciled your credits, the true-up statement will indicate whether or not you still have an overdue amount. It will also bring any current credits back to zero, or it may carry them over into the following solar billing cycle, depending on the arrangement you have with your utility company.
Net Energy Metering
Every customer of a utility company is provided with a meter that monitors how much power they consume and at what times they do so to ensure that they are accurately billed. Users of solar energy systems can create their electricity during times when the sun is shining and then contribute any extra power to the grid. Additionally, when the weather is cloudy, they frequently buy energy from the local utility company. When the sun isn’t shining, you take electricity from the grid, and when it isn’t, you pay the utility company for that energy. However, the amount you pay the utility company is reduced by the credit you receive for the solar energy you send back to the system. The method in question is referred to as “net metering.”
Gaining An Understanding Of How The Net Energy Metering System Functions
Your meter may read in both directions. When you measure the amount of energy produced by your solar system, your electric meter will read incorrectly as a result of this. Additionally, it will run ahead each time you draw electricity from the grid if you do so. If you use more energy than you create, PG&E will either credit your account or charge you a fee, depending on which option you choose. You should expect to get a billing statement on a monthly and yearly basis, as was mentioned earlier. It is essential to be able to understand both of these to determine whether or not you have piled up any unanticipated costs. If you check your system regularly, you may identify any abnormalities and save expensive repairs or fees as a result.
