PURPOSE

The Purpose of the Net Energy Metering (NEM) and Solar Billing Plan (SBP) Program terms & conditions (T&C) is to provide details of Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy (PRIME) Net Energy Metering program, PRIME’s PRIME Program, and how the program is administered.

 

APPLICABILITY

Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy’s PRIME Power Program is applicable for those customers who have Renewable Generation Facilities such as rooftop solar.  The facility must be eligible under Southern California Edison’s (SCE) Schedule NEM – Net Energy Metering or similar tariff option(s) focused on NEM, which may be amended or replaced by SCE from time to time.  

 

Each customer’s eligible Renewable Generating Facility must fall within the capacity limits described in SCE’s Schedule NEM and must be located on the customer’s owned, leased, or rented premises, must be interconnected, and operated in parallel with SCE’s transmission and distribution systems, and must be intended primarily to offset part or all of the customer’s own electrical requirements. 

 

This rate schedule is available on a first-come, first-served basis to customers that provide SCE with a completed SCE NEM Application and comply with all SCE NEM requirements as described in SCE’s Schedule NEM. This includes customers served by NEMV (Virtual Net Energy Metering), NEMVMASH (Virtual Net Energy Metering for Multifamily Affordable Housing), NEMA (NEM Aggregation) and Multiple Tariff facilities as described by SCE’s Schedule NEM. 

Effective April 15, 2023, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) changed the way new solar customers will be compensated by utilities for their solar generation. All new solar customers who received their Permission to Operate from  SCE on or after April 15, 2023, are placed on SCE’s Solar Billing Plan. To maintain consistency for our customers and to help make the electric grid more sustainable and reliable, PRIME will mirror SCE’s Solar Billing Plan. 

This program is an update from the previous NEM programs, NEM 1.0 and NEM 2.0, and the rate at which both residential and commercial solar customers are compensated for the excess energy exported to the grid has changed. Under the new Solar Billing Plan, solar systems paired with battery storage can provide customers with higher value compared with solar-only systems

For more information, please review SCE’s Solar Billing Plan updates here.
 

TERRITORY

The entire Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy (PRIME) service area, which is defined by the City limits of the City of Pico Rivera.

 

RATES

All rates charged under this schedule will be in accordance with the customer’s otherwise-applicable PRIME rate schedule (OAS). A customer served under this schedule is responsible for all charges from its OAS including monthly minimum charges, customer charges, meter charges, facilities charges, demand charges and surcharges, and all other charges owed to PRIME or SCE. Charges for energy (kWh) supplied by PRIME will be based on the net metered usage in accordance with this tariff.

 

BILLING

Customers with NEM service will be billed as follows:

 

a) For a customer with Non-Time of Use (TOU) Rates:

 

If the customer is a Net Consumer, having overall positive usage during a specific billing cycle, the customer will be billed in accordance with the customer’s OAS.

 

If the customer is a Net Generator, having overall negative usage during a specific billing cycle, any net energy production shall be valued in consideration of the customer’s OAS. The calculated value of any net energy production shall be credited to the customer according to the OAS and applied as described in Sections (d) and (e).

 

b) For a customer with TOU Rates: 

 

If the customer is a Net Consumer during any discrete TOU period reflected within a specific billing cycle, the net kWh consumed during such TOU period shall be billed in accordance with applicable TOU period-specific rates/charges, as described in the customer’s OAS. 

 

If the customer is a Net Generator during any discrete TOU period reflected within a specific billing cycle, any net energy production shall be valued in consideration of the customer’s OAS. The calculated value of such net energy production shall be credited to the customer according to the OAS and applied as described in Sections (d) and (e). 

 

c) For a customer on Solar Billing Plan Tariff (SBP):

 

If the SBP customer is a Net Consumer during any discrete TOU period reflected within a specific billing cycle, the net kWh consumed during such TOU period shall be billed in accordance with applicable TOU period-specific rates/charges, as described in the customer’s OAS. 

 

If the SBP customer is a Net Generator during any discrete TOU period reflected within a specific billing cycle, any net energy production shall be valued in consideration of the customer’s OAS. The calculated value of such net energy production shall be credited to the customer according to the OAS and applied as described in Sections (d) and (e). 

 

d) Monthly Settlement of Charges/Credits: 

 

Each customer will receive a statement in its monthly SCE bill indicating any accrued charges for electric energy usage during the current billing cycle. These charges are due and payable on a monthly basis, in accordance with the OAS.

 

A customer who has accrued credits during previous billing cycles will see such credits applied against currently applicable charges, reducing otherwise applicable charges by an equivalent amount to such credits. Any remaining balance reflected on each customer’s billing statement shall be carried forward to subsequent billing cycle(s) until either excess credit is sufficient to satisfy the charges or an account true-up is performed. 

 

When a customer’s net energy production results in an accrued credit balance in excess of currently applicable charges, the value of any net energy production during the billing cycle (in excess of currently applicable charges) shall be valued at the OAS and noted on the customer’s bill, including the quantity of any surplus NEM production (measured in kWh), and carried over as a bill credit for use in a subsequent billing cycle(s). 

 

e) PRIME True-Up & Cash-Out Processes: 

 

1. Annual True-Up:  Each year, at the end of a customer’s 12-month relevant period, PRIME will determine whether or not each customer has produced net surplus energy, as measured in kWh, over the most recent twelve (12) billing cycles, or the period of time extending from the customer’s commencement of participation in PRIME’s PRIME program through the most recent billing cycle, whichever is shorter (the “True-Up Period”).  If the customer has not produced net surplus NEM energy, as measured in kWh, during the True-Up Period, all NEM credits, if any, generated through participation in PRIME ‘s PRIME program in excess of currently applicable PRIME charges shall be set to zero and any remaining balance will be due and payable.  However, if a customer has produced net surplus NEM energy, as measured in kWh, resulting in a credit balance in excess of currently applicable PRIME charges, then PRIME shall credit such customer an amount equal to the PRIME rate per kWh, as defined in PRIME’s Rate Schedule, multiplied by the quantity of net surplus NEM energy produced by the customer during the True-Up Period, consistent with PRIME’s Annual Cash-Out practice.

 

2. Annual Cash-Out:  Each year, at the end of a customer’s 12-month relevant period, any current customer with a credit balance as determined during the applicable True-Up process will be sent a direct payment by check for the credit balance on their account, as determined through PRIME’s Annual True-Up process. Customers receiving direct payment will have an equivalent credit removed from their NEM account balance at the time of check issuance. All NEM accounts will be reset to zero kilowatt hours annually as of the beginning of their new 12-month relevant period. 

 

Customers who close their electric account through SCE or move outside of the PRIME service area prior to the end of their 12-month relevant period for the year and have produced net surplus NEM energy, as measured in kWh, resulting in a credit balance in excess of currently applicable PRIME charges, shall receive a direct payment equal to the PRIME rate per kWh, as defined in PRIME’s Rate Schedule, multiplied by the net surplus NEM energy. Payments will be released 30 days after final billing to allow for any revised usage and/or adjustments from the utility.

 

PRIME reserves the right to work with customers on a case-by- case basis to transfer NEM credits.

 

f) SCE NEM Services: 

 

Customers are subject to the conditions and billing procedures of SCE for their non-generation services, as described in SCE’s Schedule NEM and related SCE tariff options addressing NEM service. Customers should be advised that while PRIME settles out balances for generation on a monthly basis, SCE will continue to assess charges for delivery, transmission, and other services. 

 

Customers are encouraged to review SCE’s most up-to-date NEM tariffs, which are available at www.sce.com.

 

g) Return to SCE Bundled Service: 

 

Customers with NEM service may opt out and return to SCE bundled service at any time. PRIME will perform a true-up of their account, in consideration of section (d), at the time of return to SCE bundled service and customers will be subject to SCE’s then current rates, terms and conditions of service. For details, please visit www.sce.com.