Question 1

If I have solar panels on my home or business, or install them later, how will I be affected by Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy

Accepted Answer

Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy (PRIME) customers with solar panels installed or a solar application submitted prior to April 15, 2023, can participate in our Net Energy Metering (NEM) program, PRIME Power, which mirrors SCE’s NEM 1.0 and NEM 2.0 programs, offering the same rates as SCE for your excess energy production (net surplus generation). Intra-month generation is valued at PRIME’s applicable rate. If you are already a NEM customer with SCE, you do not have to do anything. Your account will automatically be enrolled in LE’s NEM equivalent program.Solar applications submitted as of April 15, 2023, are eligible for SCE’s Solar Billing Plan. This program is an update from the previous NEM program, and the rate at which both residential and commercial solar customers are compensated for the excess energy exported to the grid has changed. Please see SCE’s Solar Billing Plan updates here.
Please note, although SCE’s solar program changed from NEM 2.0 to the Solar Billing Plan in April 2023, its billing system for the new rates was not implemented until December 2023. All PRIME customers enrolled in SCE’s Solar Billing Plan on or after April 15, 2023 will continue to be billed under the previous Net Energy Metering rates as an Interim NEM 2.0 customer through the completion of their initial one-year relevant period. This also applies to PRIME generation charges within PRIME’s PRIME Power program, the equivalent to SCE’s Solar Billing Plan. All PRIME customers with solar install dates on or after September 1, 2024 will be directly enrolled into SCE’s Solar Billing Plan upon receiving their Permission to Operate from SCE. PRIME’s PRIME Power program is the respective equivalent to NEM 1.0, NEM 2.0, and Solar Billing Plan (explained in greater detail below). As part of PRIME’s solar program, you are billed monthly for your energy charges, however, charges can be offset by excess energy credits produced over your 12-month billing relevant period.  At the close of each month, we will tally the amount of grid energy you have consumed and contributed. 
If you have used more energy than you have contributed, you will see a charge for that month’s energy net consumption. If you have contributed more energy than you have used, you will see a credit on your bill for that month’s energy net generation. Each year, at the end of your 12-month relevant period, the kilowatt usage is evaluated in an annual true-up process. If you used more power than your system generated during the relevant period, you will see a charge for the net amount. If you produced more energy than you used, you will either see a credit toward future use or receive a compensation check if the value of your excess production totals $100 or more.
You will be automatically enrolled in PRIME's Base Choice plan for energy drawn from the grid. PRIME’s Premium Renewable Choice plan is available at a small premium to PRIME’s base rate. With Premium Renewable Choice, you are making a difference by helping fight climate change.

Question 2

What is SCE’s Solar Billing Plan and How Will it Affect my Energy Bill?

Accepted Answer

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved the Solar Billing Plan for SCE customers on December 15, 2022. The Solar Billing Plan established by CPUC’s approval became effective on April 15, 2023. 
Note: There is no impact to existing NEM customers enrolled under NEM 1.0 or NEM 2.0. These customers will move to new billing rates under the Solar Billing Plan 20 years after their interconnection (also known as Permission to Operate, or PTO) date.
The CPUC’s approval of the Solar Billing Plan brings major changes to previous Net Energy Metering policies. This program is an update from the previous NEM 2.0 program, and the rate at which both residential and commercial solar customers are compensated for the excess energy exported to the grid has changed. The key takeaway is the amount a ratepayer is credited per kWh for feeding electricity to the grid will be reduced by about 75% when compared to the previous NEM 2.0 program.
Under Solar Billing Plan, SCE will use an Avoided Cost Calculator (ACC) when calculating Energy Export Credits (EEC) compensation for excess energy produced by customer-owned solar systems.  ACC will be applied to the amount of electricity a customer exports to the grid and will reflect the electricity’s value to the electric grid during each hour of the day. 
Any excess generation credits or excess delivery credits remaining at the end of a customer’s relevant period (true-up period) be carried forward to the customer’s next relevant period. As an enhancement to SCE’s Solar Billing Plan, PRIME will incorporate a $0.01/kWh Energy Export Credit adder. This adder will increase the annual compensation realized for all PRIME customers who are overproducers.
While solar projects still have value under the Solar Billing Plan, solar projects may need to be sized or configured differently, or possibly in combination with battery storage. Please see SCE’s Solar Billing Plan updates here.
New solar projects implemented under SCE’s Solar Billing Plan were initially billed under NEM 2.0 rates until SCE updated its billing system to reflect the new rates. The CPUC gave SCE and the other investor-owned utilities time to update their billing systems accordingly, and in the meantime, customers enrolled in the Solar Billing Plan were required to be billed under the previous Net Energy Metering (NEM) 2.0 rates. This also applies to PRIME generation charges within PRIME’s PRIME Power program, the equivalent to SCE’s Solar Billing Plan.
As indicated above, all PRIME customers enrolled in SCE’s Solar Billing Plan on or after April 15, 2023 will continue to be billed under the previous Net Energy Metering rates as an Interim NEM 2.0 customer through the completion of their initial one-year relevant period. All PRIME customers with solar install dates on or after September 1, 2024 will be directly enrolled into SCE’s Solar Billing Plan upon receiving their Permission to Operate from SCE. 
Following SCE’s implementation of billing for the Solar Billing Plan, customers enrolled in the Solar Billing Plan and PRIME’s PRIME Power program will be charged for energy imported from the electric grid at the current PRIME rate you are enrolled in and will receive bill credits at a set price per unit (kilowatt-hour) of electricity exported, based on the electricity’s value to the electric grid in each hour of the day. The price will usually be lower than what you pay for a kilowatt-hour of electricity.

Question 3

When is Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy’s “Relevant Period” and what is the annual true-up process?

Accepted Answer

A Relevant Period refers to the 12-month billing period, in which solar credits and charges are tracked. Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy will reconcile all credits and charges for each customer on an annual basis each September.
PRIME NEM customers will receive two annual true-up statements, or settlement bills. All your bills are sent by SCE. One true-up bill will be for the charges from SCE for delivery of energy to your home based on the date your solar panels were connected to the grid. For example: if you connected your panels to the grid in September, you should be billed for delivery of energy to your home in September of each following year.
You will also receive another true-up bill from PRIME for the actual power you used beyond what your solar panels produced. For customers enrolled prior to June 2024, PRIME will true-up your annual net charges and credits for electric generation each September. For most customers, this true-up of generation charges will be reflected on your October bill. 
Each year during the monthly cycle of your equivalent annual true-up, PRIME will send a payment by check via U.S. Mail to any current customer who has a combined PRIME solar generation credit and Net Surplus Compensation value of $100 or more, as determined during the annual true-up process, which exceeds any outstanding charges. The check will be sent to the customer’s mailing address on file at the time of mailing for the credit balance on their account. If customers do have a combined solar generation credit and Net Surplus Compensation value exceeding $100, this credit balance will be carried forward to offset future PRIME charges.
All PRIME Power NEM accounts will be reset to zero kilowatt hours annually at the end of the 12-month relevant period and the only solar generation credits that will be carried forward on the customer’s account will be the combined solar generation credit and Net Surplus Compensation credit balances less than $100

Question 4

If I am already enrolled in NEM 1.0 and NEM 2.0, will my status change to the Solar Billing Plan?

Accepted Answer

No. NEM 1.0 and NEM 2.0 customers are grandfathered into their current programs with SCE or PRIME for 20 years following their Permission to Operate (PTO) date from SCE. Once your 20 years have passed, you will automatically be enrolled in the most current program, which as of April 15, 2023, is SCE’s Solar Billing Plan or PRIME’s parallel PRIME Power program

Question 5

What is net surplus compensation?

Accepted Answer

Net Surplus Energy is defined as any generation, measured in kWh, which exceeds total customer energy usage during the Relevant Period. PRIME will also determine whether each customer has produced Net Surplus Energy over the course of the Relevant Period. If a customer has produced Net Surplus Energy, then PRIME will credit such customer an amount that is equal to the current Net Surplus Compensation rate per kWh multiplied by the quantity of Net Surplus Energy produced by the customer during the Relevant Period. PRIME’s Net Surplus Compensation Rate (NSCR) may only be adjusted by the PRIME Board when rates are set. Customers will be able to provide input at PRIME rate setting meetings.

Question 6

If I purchase a home or business with an existing solar system, will I be moved to the Solar Billing Plan (SBP)?

Accepted Answer

No. The term for NEM 1.0 or NEM 2.0 stays with the solar system. For example, if you purchase a home in 2023 with an existing solar system with a Permission to Operate (PTO) date of July 1, 2017, that system will remain under NEM 2.0 until July 1, 2037. However, if you purchase a home or business with a solar system already enrolled in SCE’s Solar Billing Plan, your system will remain on the Solar Billing Plan and PRIME’s parallel PRIME Power program.

Question 7

What is the difference between SCE’s and Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy’s annual true-up process?

Accepted Answer

PRIME’s solar program is the same as SCE’s NEM and Solar Billing Plan programs. PRIME is paying you the exact same amount that SCE is paying for the power produced by your solar panels. If you produced more energy than you used:
If the energy produced by your solar panels exceeds what you used during your 12-month relevant period, you will see a credit on your bill. You will be compensated at PRIME’s Net Surplus Compensation Rate The credit on your bill is determined by the current Net Surplus Compensation (NSC) rate provided on PRIME’s current rate schedule. Which can be found here.Any credits of less than $100 are rolled over to your next bill and any credits of $100 or more are cashed out. PRIME solar credits cannot be applied to any SCE charges.

Question 8

If you used more energy than your system generated:

Accepted Answer

If your energy use exceeded what your solar panels produced during your 12-month relevant period, you will be charged for the net amount you used at your current PRIME rate.Following SCE’s implementation of billing for the Solar Billing Plan, customers enrolled in the Solar Billing Plan and PRIME’s parallel PRIME Power program will be charged each month for energy imported from the electric grid at their current PRIME rate. You will also receive bill credits at a set price per unit (kilowatt-hour) of electricity exported, based on the electricity’s value to the electric grid in each hour of the day. The price will usually be lower than what you pay for a kilowatt-hour of electricity.PRIME assures its customers they are not charged twice. Simply put, there is a separation of the transmission and delivery charges by SCE from the generation charges by PRIME presented on your billing statements.

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