Rude Awakening [Central Coast Community Energy changed true up policy]

[charlesj]

I just learned that our Central Coast Community Energy changed the way their solar TrueUp operates from here on out, actually started in 2022 but just affected me today.

They are doing monthly trueup with annual periods. And it happens to start 1 January. Just got hit with a bill, first in 4 years. Not large but unexpected and will happen beginning each year when generation is the lowest and most likely one would not generate more than used. Crunched some numbers and don't think I would recoup the loss overall.

So, I am electing to go back to the power company.
At least until my 20-year Nem1 is up in 9 + years. Then will reevaluate.

 

[h2ofun]

What does this mean?

They are doing monthly trueup with annual periods

Monthly trueup would screw me, since I generate tons of extra solar in the summer, which I use tons of it during the winter with my heat pumps.

Not sure what annual periods mean

 

[getakey]

that's one of the things I don't like about CCAs. They can basically do anything they want. They are not regulated by the CPUC. That said, I hate the CPUC

 

[charlesj]

What does this mean?

They are doing monthly trueup with annual periods

Monthly trueup would screw me, since I generate tons of extra solar in the summer, which I use tons of it during the winter with my heat pumps.

Not sure what annual periods mean

The period runs for 12 month, 1 Jan to Dec 31. If you are joining in June for example most likely you generate more than one uses. Good. The excess is carried forward each month to Dec 31. If in November you generate less than you use that decreases your credit accumulated. End of December if you have credits, you get a cash credit on January bill to zero it out to end of December. But January is the start of the new 12 month period. If you produce less than you use as I did, your next bill will charge you for that excess, not wait until later to offset. In essence you start again in February at zero credits. If February again generates less, you pay again. This goes on until you generate more than you use in which case you have credits built up. At end of year you still have credits you get paid and now it is less than before but just a bit higher than PG&E, in my case, not enough to offset the early month/s of less generation and the bill it generated.
So, in essence you pay when you don't have previous credits to use up.
I am gambling that my transitioning back to PG&E will not be expensive. But next year this will go away as NEM1 true up is end of year even if first month you use more than you generate that should be offset later.
I have been generation more every year all these years and now a charge for not generating more in January.

This is a new change for my CCC, and not advertised that I know about or remember reading.

 

[Redhill_qik]

The period runs for 12 month, 1 Jan to Dec 31. If you are joining in June for example most likely you generate more than one uses. Good. The excess is carried forward each month to Dec 31. If in November you generate less than you use that decreases your credit accumulated. End of December if you have credits, you get a cash credit on January bill to zero it out to end of December. But January is the start of the new 12 month period. If you produce less than you use as I did, your next bill will charge you for that excess, not wait until later to offset. In essence you start again in February at zero credits. If February again generates less, you pay again. This goes on until you generate more than you use in which case you have credits built up. At end of year you still have credits you get paid and now it is less than before but just a bit higher than PG&E, in my case, not enough to offset the early month/s of less generation and the bill it generated.
So, in essence you pay when you don't have previous credits to use up.
I am gambling that my transitioning back to PG&E will not be expensive. But next year this will go away as NEM1 true up is end of year even if first month you use more than you generate that should be offset later.
I have been generation more every year all these years and now a charge for not generating more in January.

This is a new change for my CCC, and not advertised that I know about or remember reading.

Is this just a one time shift? You have to pay in for the for the first couple of months, then you credits exceed your charges for the rest of the year. At the end of the year your negative balance becomes a credit for at least the amount that you paid in January and February which is then applied to your new January and February. So you gave a 0% interest loan to the CCA. Kind of sucks a bit, but doesn't seem that bad.

 

[jboy210]

I just learned that our Central Coast Community Energy changed the way their solar TrueUp operates from here on out, actually started in 2022 but just affected me today.

They are doing monthly trueup with annual periods. And it happens to start 1 January. Just got hit with a bill, first in 4 years. Not large but unexpected and will happen beginning each year when generation is the lowest and most likely one would not generate more than used. Crunched some numbers and don't think I would recoup the loss overall.

So, I am electing to go back to the power company.
At least until my 20-year Nem1 is up in 9 + years. Then will reevaluate.

Interesting. Not to hijack the thread, but we are given a choice of monthly or annual. In fact, they sent me a notice asking whether I wanted to go to annual. I was going to ask here if I should stay on monthly or move to annual. We don't have much generation in late Fall through early Spring due to large amounts of shading. I am leaning toward annual, which seems like what we were on with PGE originally. Thoughts?

Here is what the email says:

"Your account is currently participating in East Bay Community Energy’s (EBCE) solar net energy metering (NEM) program. EBCE customers receive generation service from EBCE (for any consumption that your solar panels do not cover) and transmission and delivery service from PG&E. EBCE charges are defaulted to a monthly true-up, while your PG&E delivery charges are likely on an annual true-up plan.

EBCE now offers an annual true-up option for your generation charges, with the true-up date in April. Note that your selection will not affect the current true-up cycle (April 2022-April 2023) and will be implemented the following NEM cycle, April 2023- April 2024.

Click here to select an annual true-up. If you do not make a selection by February 28, 2023, your account will remain on a monthly true-up plan.

Monthly true-up: If you generate more electricity than you use in a given billing month, the excess generation credit accrues in your account. You pay for energy use on a monthly basis if you do not have enough NEM credits in your account balance to cover monthly charges. Monthly true-up customers
receive annual payment for surplus generation at the April cash-out.

Annual true-up: You will not be billed monthly for generation service. Credits and debits for energy use and net generation roll over until the annual true-up in April. Annual true-up customers will receive either a bill if usage exceeds generation or a payment for surplus generation at the April true-up. The
majority of EBCE’s NEM customers consume more electricity than they generate annually.

The main difference between a monthly and annual true-up is when you are billed for energy that you consume that your solar panels do not produce. For more information, please view our recorded webinar online at ebce.org/nem.
"

 

[Redhill_qik]

Interesting. Not to hijack the thread, but we are given a choice of monthly or annual. In fact, they sent me a notice asking whether I wanted to go to annual. I was going to ask here if I should stay on monthly or move to annual. We don't have much generation in late Fall through early Spring due to large amounts of shading. I am leaning toward annual, which seems like what we were on with PGE originally. Thoughts?

Here is what the email says:

"Your account is currently participating in East Bay Community Energy’s (EBCE) solar net energy metering (NEM) program. EBCE customers receive generation service from EBCE (for any consumption that your solar panels do not cover) and transmission and delivery service from PG&E. EBCE charges are defaulted to a monthly true-up, while your PG&E delivery charges are likely on an annual true-up plan.

EBCE now offers an annual true-up option for your generation charges, with the true-up date in April. Note that your selection will not affect the current true-up cycle (April 2022-April 2023) and will be implemented the following NEM cycle, April 2023- April 2024.

Click here to select an annual true-up. If you do not make a selection by February 28, 2023, your account will remain on a monthly true-up plan.

Monthly true-up: If you generate more electricity than you use in a given billing month, the excess generation credit accrues in your account. You pay for energy use on a monthly basis if you do not have enough NEM credits in your account balance to cover monthly charges. Monthly true-up customers
receive annual payment for surplus generation at the April cash-out.

Annual true-up: You will not be billed monthly for generation service. Credits and debits for energy use and net generation roll over until the annual true-up in April. Annual true-up customers will receive either a bill if usage exceeds generation or a payment for surplus generation at the April true-up. The
majority of EBCE’s NEM customers consume more electricity than they generate annually.

The main difference between a monthly and annual true-up is when you are billed for energy that you consume that your solar panels do not produce. For more information, please view our recorded webinar online at ebce.org/nem.
"

If you are net consumer then I think that it makes sense to be on the monthly true-up to avoid a large once-a-year bill. If you are near $0 or a net producer then going annually would be my choice.

 

[getakey]

The period runs for 12 month, 1 Jan to Dec 31. If you are joining in June for example most likely you generate more than one uses. Good. The excess is carried forward each month to Dec 31. If in November you generate less than you use that decreases your credit accumulated. End of December if you have credits, you get a cash credit on January bill to zero it out to end of December. But January is the start of the new 12 month period. If you produce less than you use as I did, your next bill will charge you for that excess, not wait until later to offset. In essence you start again in February at zero credits. If February again generates less, you pay again. This goes on until you generate more than you use in which case you have credits built up. At end of year you still have credits you get paid and now it is less than before but just a bit higher than PG&E, in my case, not enough to offset the early month/s of less generation and the bill it generated.
So, in essence you pay when you don't have previous credits to use up.
I am gambling that my transitioning back to PG&E will not be expensive. But next year this will go away as NEM1 true up is end of year even if first month you use more than you generate that should be offset later.
I have been generation more every year all these years and now a charge for not generating more in January.

This is a new change for my CCC, and not advertised that I know about or remember reading.

what happens in December if you have left over credits? Do they spill over into Jan? or do they pay them out. If payout, at what rate?

 

[dafish]

I'm on Ameren, true up in last billing day of April. I'd much rather have March. I'd never want monthly, can't think of any value and lots of cost to me.

I was told I'd be grandfathered into any subsequent changes. Might OP be? Dunno.

 

[charlesj]

Is this just a one time shift? You have to pay in for the for the first couple of months, then you credits exceed your charges for the rest of the year. At the end of the year your negative balance becomes a credit for at least the amount that you paid in January and February which is then applied to your new January and February. So you gave a 0% interest loan to the CCA. Kind of sucks a bit, but doesn't seem that bad.

One time shift? Not sure what you mean. This monthly True up started sometime last year but now it is affecting me and probably a bunch.
Yes, you pay at $.10/kWh most likely Jan and Feb or until you get a month with over production vs usage. Then if you have excess production by end of December still, they pay about $ .04/kWh so, not sure if that would pencil out.

 

[charlesj]

what happens in December if you have left over credits? Do they spill over into Jan? or do they pay them out. If payout, at what rate?

Not with my CCC. they pay you $ .04/kWh. It may or may not pencil out what you pay $ .10/kWh at the start of the year or when you are a net user any other month without having banked credits, over producing. Each year CCC starts over again. I would be seeing payments each January and who know how many following months.
So far lots of bad weather. If in the future it is really back to drought, good production, then I have to rethink things. Now I am out for a year.

 

[charlesj]

I'm on Ameren, true up in last billing day of April. I'd much rather have March. I'd never want monthly, can't think of any value and lots of cost to me.

I was told I'd be grandfathered into any subsequent changes. Might OP be? Dunno.

When I called that wasn't mentioned with this CCC. But who knows how it will change over the years as the first 3 years in CCC, it was a blanket end of year true up. This was my first year I had to pay, that was the shocker.

 

[Maximus831]

I’m also with ccce and this is the first I’ve heard of this. I need to research this more. I probably won’t leave until I apply for the $2k rebate on my MYP (whenever that comes in ).

 

[charlesj]

I’m also with ccce and this is the first I’ve heard of this. I need to research this more. I probably won’t leave until I apply for the $2k rebate on my MYP (whenever that comes in ).

Now you see my rude awakening.
Yes, ask them when is your true up. If 1 Jan-31 Dec, ask what happens in your first bill if you don't over generate, then if you can have just one true up at end of year instead of monthly. I am curious if their new change is throughout their territory as it is expanding quite a bit.

 

[SageBrush]

The period runs

The lion's share of net metering value is every 24 hours, meaning you do not need a battery to get through the night. That too, will eventually go away.
You have an almost full glass for now. Enjoy it

 

[P90D]

PG&E is doing the same thing: cutting the buy price for net metering by 75%.
Power grids are a government sanctioned racket.
With Tesla increasing their "never for profit" Supercharger network, and becoming a grid vendor, they'll have the consumer by the … charge cable.