Southern California Edison solar net metering is a program launched by SCE for households who choose to have solar energy for their home. The solar net metering program that they provide allows their customers to be connected with the SCE energy grid while having the household’s main source of energy come from the solar energy system installed at their home. The solar net metering from SCE provides their customers with a backup source of electricity in case the energy produced by the solar panel system at home is not enough to supply their needs. It also lets the household supply the overproduced energy of the home solar panel system to the SCE energy grid and receives credits for the amount of energy sent to the grid.
When it comes to solar net metering California residents can use the program for a variety of clean energy systems installed in both residential and commercial settings.
SCE net metering is offered across Central and Southern California.
Some of the counties covered by SCE are Fresno County, Inyo County, Kern County, Los Angeles County, Mono County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Santa Barbara County, Tuolumne County, Tulare County, and Ventura County.
Like other solar net metering programs in California, the SCE NEM 2.0 program is designed to help manage the electricity consumption of a household. It is not, however, intended as a way for a household to earn extra income from their credits.
Southern California Edison net metering is available for households with renewable energy systems such as solar photovoltaic, wind, fuel cell, biogas, biomass, digester gas, geothermal, hydroelectric, landfill gas, municipal solid waste conversion, ocean thermal, ocean wave, solar thermal and tidal current.
Southern California Edison net metering works with a meter that measures the input and output of energy in a household. If there is a need for more energy than what the energy system at home can provide, energy can be taken from the SCE grid, measured through the meter and billed to the customer. At times when the energy system produces more energy than what the household consumes, the energy can be given to the SCE energy grid, measured by the meter and credited back to the customer to offset the current or future bills of the household. Billing may take place monthly or annually depending on the schedule provided to the customer.
With the launch of net metering 2.0 across the state, an interconnection request fee of $75 for systems under 1,000 kilowatts applies for those who wish to connect to their services. The electricity rates depend on the electricity rate structure of the customer’s property. The number of credits given to the customer is equal to the retail value of the electricity provided to the grid. The rates also depend on the time the electricity is used as well as the month of the year. The higher the demand for the electricity, the higher the price of the energy.
If a household has an excess of energy during peak hours, the energy given to the grid during peak hours gives credits to the owner at a higher rate because of the time it is provided. The credits can be used to offset the bill of the customer and may accumulate over the course of the year. If there is an excess of total energy at the end of the customer’s annual cycle, the customer is compensated for any remaining credits on their account.
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