If you own your home, purchased solar panels before April 2023 and are on the Net Metering Plan, changes could be coming to your bill.
California's goal to provide 100% clean, sustainable energy by 2045 was a driving force to get people to install solar. Currently, solar panel users are being reimbursed at market rates for excess energy sent back to the grid, according to the incentive agreement that lasts 20 years, but that may be changing.
“They signed an agreement with the utility in the state that said that this program, they could stay on for 20 years," Executive Director of Solar Rights Alliance Dave Rosenfeld said. "Part of the proposal is just break that contract, break the terms of that agreement, and then on top of that, slap them with a tax for having solar panels on their roof.”
Rosenfeld went on to say this blames consumers for a problem they didn't create.
Local solar panel users are happy with their utility bills, but not the new proposal by the state.
“I don't believe in that one because there is a contract I'm used to paying what I'm paying," James Boswell said. "I got good service. I have good maintenance of them. It's a good company. I invite everybody to think about it.”
Rosenfeld with Solar Rights Alliance says the state is trying to make up for the overspending of utility companies, but Neil Hebert with PG&E says this isn't the case.
"Because of incentives implemented by the state to encourage the growth of rooftop solar that are paid for through non-solar customer bills, residential customers without solar today pay 15% more per month to subsidize the electric bills of those with rooftop solar panels.”
According to the California Public Utilities Commission, the increase would offset the the $8.5 billion utility customers without solar pay annually more than solar customers for grid maintenance and wildfire mitigation costs
It is unclear how far the proposal will go at this time.
