Editor’s note: Those who are thinking about solar should be alerted that the rules on how much the electric company pays you will lessen come mid-April. Please notice the ad below, in which the Sierra Club has partnered with SunPower which gives you a discount. Sierra Club also have an agreement with Swell Energy for solar plus battery solutions. Find out more at swellenergy.com/sierraclub.
Defying overwhelming public opposition, state officials voted in late 2022 to make drastic changes to California’s rooftop solar rules (called NEM “net energy metering”).
The decision by the CA Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will make it much more expensive to get rooftop solar starting in mid-April 2023.
However, there is currently an appeal pending on this topic by Center for Biological Diversity. Here are the details.
The decision mostly affects those who do not yet have solar, but can affect existing solar users under certain circumstances as well.
Here are some helpful facts:
- NEM3 is shorthand for the third version of the state’s rooftop solar rules adopted by the CPUC in late 2022 and will take effect in mid-April 2023 (unless an appeal is granted).
- Solar users under NEM3 will get 75% to 80% less from the utility for the extra solar energy they share with the grid. They will also be put on a rate plan with higher evening electricity rates.
- CPUC’s new rules will not affect NEM1 or 2 solar users until your lock-in period expires, which is 20 years, which would accrue to a new owner if you sell your house.
- If you want to add panels before NEM3 takes effect, your solar company must submit a correct and complete interconnection application to your utility by April 14th. Construction does not have to be complete by April then.
- Unlike adding panels, existing solar users can add a battery at any time without affecting their lock-in status.
Have a question you don’t see here? Email: info@solarrights.org