The Retail Benefits of Net Energy Metering Are Ending Soon!
If you’ve been considering the adoption of solar energy to power your home or workplace, then the concept of “Net Energy Metering” (NEM) is likely a familiar one. “NEM 1.0” is a unique billing agreement that rewards both residential and business consumers for surplus electricity that is generated by their on-site solar energy system. However, over the past few months, changes have been in the works with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to reduce the monetary advantages that NEM will provide to near-future adopters of solar energy.
How Net Energy Metering Works:
Right now, NEM is one of the myriad — and economically beneficial — advantages of going solar. When a residential- or commercial-owned solar energy system produces more than what is needed, NEM 1.0 ensures that the customer gets credit for any excess energy that is produced and fed back into the utility company’s grid. The credits are valued at the same price per kilowatt hour (kWh) that customers would otherwise be charged for electricity consumed. Over a 12-month period, the consumer is basically only responsible for costs over and above what the system doesn’t generate. Like unused minutes in a cell phone plan, net credits created in one billing period are rolled over to offset the customer-generators’ subsequent electricity bills.
So What’s the Big Rush?
While NEM 1.0 sounds like a no-brainer that’s great for everyone, dwindling revenue and operating costs incurred by the utility companies has resulted in pushback from Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), and Southern California Edison (SCE). In turn, the CPUC has declined to create a reservation system for remaining NEM 1.0 capacity for PG&E and SDG&E. Therefore, in order for prospective solar customers to qualify for the guaranteed 20 years of NEM 1.0 credit, they must have their solar-generating systems installed, inspected and approved by the time the utilities meet their caps.
For starters, the current NEM 1.0 agreement is quickly approaching its cap sooner than anticipated. At the rate in which solar is growing, SDG&E is on pace to reach its cap before July 2016; PG&E by early November 2016; and SCE by July 2017.
After the cap is reached, any customers adopting solar will be enrolled in a revised “NEM 2.0” agreement, a less consumer-friendly program. NEM 2.0 will be more favorable to the investor-owned utilities such as SDG&E, PG&E, and SCE, who have been lobbying to protect their investors and maintaining profitable monopolies.
“Going solar is an inevitability — one that makes so much sense from a financial and environmentally responsible perspective,” said Solar Optimum President and CEO Arno Aghamalian. “I started my business to help people embrace the ‘green’ self-reliance of solar energy and break free from rising utility costs. Unfortunately, the fleeting benefits of NEM are a sign that the utility companies are desperate to place profits over progress — and their customers. If anyone is currently thinking about going solar, I can’t be more emphatic and passionate that it be done right away, while the benefits of NEM 1.0 are still available.”
Contact Solar Optimum Today to Secure Your NEM 1.0 Advantage:
NEM 1.0 is a winning proposition. It ensures that solar customers enjoy a maximum amount of savings. So if you’ve decided to join the solar revolution, the time is NOW to contact the Local Experts at Solar Optimum and get grandfathered into NEM 1.0 for the next 20 years.
But time is of the essence. BOTH RESIDENTIAL AND BUSINESS CONSUMERS HAVE TO HAVE THEIR SOLAR-GENERATING SYSTEMS UP AND RUNNING RIGHT AWAY in order to be eligible.
Don’t let the opportunity to go solar under NEM 1.0 slip away. Contact us at Solar Optimum as soon as possible to get more details. Give us a call at (800) 552-9970; we’ll be happy to answer any questions and provide you with a complimentary quote.
