How GCEC records and bills for solar energy
See below for a breakdown of a standard GCEC bill
1. Net Meter Readings:
- 1st-NET Billable Usage: This is the net energy usage that is billable.
- 2nd-Generation Usage: This represents the excess energy or metered energy generated by your solar panels.
- 3rd-Consumption Usage: This shows the total energy consumed by your household.
2. Banked Usage:
- If you have banked usage, it will be listed under “current charges.” The bill details include the total generation kWh you have accumulated after being billed and what is left after to be used towards next month’s billing.
3. Billing Details:
- If you over-generate, you will receive a minimal billing of $40.00.
- If you do not over-generate, in addition to the $40.00 base fee you will be billed based on the net usage.
Why solar generation might not match your bill
Your solar array app measures total generation from the modules on the back side of your solar panels. However, the actual generation recorded on your bill may differ due to several reasons:
- Energy Consumption by Household Devices: Devices such as toasters, ovens, and washers consume energy directly from the solar panels before it reaches our meter. This reduces the total generation number.
- Net Generation: The generation recorded is the net remaining amount from the panels after subtracting the energy consumed by household devices.
- Utility Company Measurement: We only have access to your meter, so we can only see the excess energy that you back feed to the grid and the energy you draw from the grid. The power generated by your panels that are directly used in your house never passes through the meter, so we can’t see it. “Generation” on your bill is just the excess energy sent to the grid over the month.
