Why such a long wait for the PTO from SDGE and how to change it?

[jflorey2]

So I am suppose to swelter in the summer heat because the electric companies are grossly overcharging us ?

Not at all! You can drop off the grid completely and generate your own power to run your air conditioning. You'll pay a lot more for it but you'll be "giving the finger to SDG+E." If you have money to burn, and that's worth it to you, go for it.

What kind of control would you suggest. I just bought power strips which turn off tv, vcr etc. when they are not in use. Refrigerators, air conditioners, pool pumps can only be turned down so far. Even a computer requires electricity for the computer, router, speakers, amplifiers, modem, peripherals.

Put water bottles in your fridge and turn it off during peak use times (or just turn the thermostat way back.)
If you have any charging to do (like an EV) do it at lowest cost times.
Switch to more efficient appliances.
Get an Ecobee or similar and sign up for SDG+E's reduce your use program.

But let's not kid ourselves, the cost of energy has no where to go but up.

Agreed there. Energy has, historically, ALWAYS gone up and it always will. (At least until we get those Mr. Fusion plants that were supposed to be here by now.)

[pianogineer]

Once I got this email, I reached out to SDG&E. At that point, my installer was saying I already had PTO (and had already flipped my system on), but I didn't have any proof from SDG&E. At that point, SDG&E had already reset my meter, and said all they needed was a picture of the meter + safety placard next to each other. Took a picture that night, emailed it to them, and next day I had my PTO letter (installer was obviously mis-informed about having PTO prior).

That said, still haven't received my first NEM bill, and I'm approaching my second bill post PTO. First bill was just a few days after PTO, and they said they'd re-bill within a few weeks. Going on week 4, still waiting...

[inetdog]

There are a number of things the inspector may pick up on that you seem to be unaware of. The labeling on my system was not compliant, and although it passed city inspection, SDG&E noticed the missing labels and required them to be in place before granting PTO. Really, given how little most homeowners understand about the PV system they have installed, an extra week or two delay for a second set of trained eyes doesn't seem like a horrible price to pay. Maybe it made no difference for *your* system, but I bet they find enough non-compliances that there is value in having this inspection step.

I expect that some inspectors also take into consideration who the installer was and their experience with that installer's work. More likely to dive deep for a DIY system or an installer's first system in their jurisdiction.

[sensij]

well, if anyone cares, just had SDGE come to inspect. It was kind of funny, but it's over at least so far. The inspector literally looked at the meter, fondled literally a second with the seal on the meter, looked right than at me (left), smiled and sayd, "all done, just wait for the email from us and you can flip the braker on"
I know my anxiety was for nothing, but obviously even this short wait was copletely unnecessary. Now waiting for the email

There are a number of things the inspector may pick up on that you seem to be unaware of. The labeling on my system was not compliant, and although it passed city inspection, SDG&E noticed the missing labels and required them to be in place before granting PTO. Really, given how little most homeowners understand about the PV system they have installed, an extra week or two delay for a second set of trained eyes doesn't seem like a horrible price to pay. Maybe it made no difference for *your* system, but I bet they find enough non-compliances that there is value in having this inspection step.

[nmikmik]

Works for me.

well, if anyone cares, just had SDGE come to inspect. It was kind of funny, but it's over at least so far. The inspector literally looked at the meter, fondled literally a second with the seal on the meter, looked right than at me (left), smiled and sayd, "all done, just wait for the email from us and you can flip the braker on"
I know my anxiety was for nothing, but obviously even this short wait was copletely unnecessary. Now waiting for the email

[inetdog]

Works for me.

[nmikmik]

Your post encouraged me to look this up. Seems there are multi-$bil claims being worked. Gotta note that SDG&E has only a 20% stake in SONGS, not to let them off the hook, but Edison runs the show. Expect it'll be a few years before the full story can be told.

a. I am glad I started this thread
b. Here how it's so far unraveling

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/06/03/sano-j03.html

sorry the linking doesn't work

[Willaby]

What happened with San Onfore nuclear plant. It had two working generators serving 80 thousand people. The electric companies accepted faulty generators which lead to taking them off line (Mitsubishi). They were suppose to work for 20 years. Why hasn't anyone sued Mitsubishi? The response by the owners of San Onofre is to close it down and remove it at tax payers expense. So the taxpayer built it, maintained it, paid for faulty japanese generators and are now required to pay for decomissioning and removal of the plant.

Your post encouraged me to look this up. Seems there are multi-$bil claims being worked. Gotta note that SDG&E has only a 20% stake in SONGS, not to let them off the hook, but Edison runs the show. Expect it'll be a few years before the full story can be told.

[Willaby]

Not my life/house/choices/elec. bill., or concern.

I use ~ 6,700 kWh/yr. for which I pay ~ $1,460 or so, inland, all electric, tiered rates. My house is 3,100 ft.^2. I live comfortably and don't swelter or shiver. This past cooling season, my 5 ton A/C used ~ 1,190 kWh of electricity. My worst billing month in 9 years of living here was last August and the bill would have been ~ $316 without solar. If my bill had been $800 this past July, my usage would have been close to 2,200 kWh for that month.

As for bills going up, sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. Example: Tiered rates in effect 05/01/2015, my annual bill w/typical usage would be that $1,460/yr. Using NEW tiered rates in effect as of 09/01/2015 and my annual bill for the same 6,700 annual usage would be about $1,430/yr. - ~ $30 bucks less., and my bill for last Aug. would have been ~ $306.

I'm under no illusions that the above is taken by some, or maybe even most as smug, elitist treehugger tripe and nonsense. So be it. But for my part, I find it confusing to read complaints about things people can do something about but apparently, at least from my experience, choose to do little of a productive nature about improving, and do little more than bitch and grouse about how unfair life is.

As for kidding myself, at least with respect to utility rates - I try not to. I actually try to understand what's happening. The little bit of information I think I've gleaned about POCO/CPUC policy and interaction has led me to think I understand the danger and inaccuracy in the type of blanket statements that the willfully uninformed continue to make about utility rates, usually due to slothfully induced ignorance.

As usual, take what you want of the above. Scrap the rest.

All this hurtful name calling. I wonder who you're referring to? That's great, you got your bill down to where you're happy and still paying double the national average if not for solar. It's not just your bill though! You have an HOA, right? How about street lights billed through your taxes. You buy groceries? How about burgers (Nessy's off the old 395?)? etc, all at >25c kwh from our beloved, most profitable SDG&E. The Costco's and Walmart's are going solar in a big way, but a little tougher for the littler guys.

Fess up, how many shares of SDG&E (SRE) do you own?

[J.P.M.]

So I am suppose to swelter in the summer heat because the electric companies are grossly overcharging us ? What kind of control would you suggest. I just bought power strips which turn off tv, vcr etc. when they are not in use. Refrigerators, air conditioners, pool pumps can only be turned down so far. Even a computer requires electricity for the computer, router, speakers, amplifiers, modem, peripherals.

I'm having an 11 KW system installed consisting of 41 panels and two sunny boy inverters. This should give me on sunny summer days about 90 % of the electricity I need. BTW each inverter allows me to draw off 1500 watts of power during a grid or simulated grid failure.

But let's not kid ourselves, the cost of energy has no where to go but up. Hiliary Clinton has a goal of 500,000 new solar home installs during her first term in office. Nice goal, but not enough to get me to vote for her

Not my life/house/choices/elec. bill., or concern.

I use ~ 6,700 kWh/yr. for which I pay ~ $1,460 or so, inland, all electric, tiered rates. My house is 3,100 ft.^2. I live comfortably and don't swelter or shiver. This past cooling season, my 5 ton A/C used ~ 1,190 kWh of electricity. My worst billing month in 9 years of living here was last August and the bill would have been ~ $316 without solar. If my bill had been $800 this past July, my usage would have been close to 2,200 kWh for that month.

As for bills going up, sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. Example: Tiered rates in effect 05/01/2015, my annual bill w/typical usage would be that $1,460/yr. Using NEW tiered rates in effect as of 09/01/2015 and my annual bill for the same 6,700 annual usage would be about $1,430/yr. - ~ $30 bucks less., and my bill for last Aug. would have been ~ $306.

I'm under no illusions that the above is taken by some, or maybe even most as smug, elitist treehugger tripe and nonsense. So be it. But for my part, I find it confusing to read complaints about things people can do something about but apparently, at least from my experience, choose to do little of a productive nature about improving, and do little more than bitch and grouse about how unfair life is.

As for kidding myself, at least with respect to utility rates - I try not to. I actually try to understand what's happening. The little bit of information I think I've gleaned about POCO/CPUC policy and interaction has led me to think I understand the danger and inaccuracy in the type of blanket statements that the willfully uninformed continue to make about utility rates, usually due to slothfully induced ignorance.

As usual, take what you want of the above. Scrap the rest.

[SunEagle]

Which "wrong people"? Agree with being civil, but there is no better POCO to get angry with and rant about than SDG&E. I see you're in Florida, we pay twice what you pay. Much of this is due to California politics, but the CPUC is very aligned with SDG&E. Solar and EV rates increase 4-5 times a year here, some rates are up over 60% in less than two years. Low rate TOU periods are short, only 5 or 6 hours. I could go on and on, but know SDG&E is Sempra (SRE) which was born from Enron in 1998, revenues up 20% in the last five years, but profits have doubled, along with the stock price and the dividend payment. NO other private (publicly traded) utility like it, none. Please, we'll even take any other California utility than SDG&E. Notice that SDG&E is the only California utility about to hit the NEM 5% cap?

To the original poster, SDG&E may not even do a site visit. They just rubber stamped mine due to the installer and small size of my system. It was turned on in two days. Hope yours goes as well.

What I meant by the "wrong people" is that most electric bills are not the worst utility or monthly cost to home owners.

Look at the cost of health insurance or medical or food. All those categories are much more costly to me then electricity.

And yes I do get angry at my POCO because I am paying for two Nuclear Plants. One will never run again (failed after cheap repairs) and the other will never get built. So while my kWh rate is much lower than yours it is inflated by fees that are wrong. That still doesn't make me as angry as I am at other services that I pay for. And if I think I spend too much on electricity I find ways to use less.

[ButchDeal]

I just wonder if Power company really sends someone to your home to do the inspection if you already have Smart Meter?
I was told they did all test remotely and just turn on NEM program from the Smart Meter. For my home, power company can only see the smart meter if they visit us. if they want to do any inspection related to the solar system or even electric system, they must ask us to open the door. I did not see it happens.

They can do the full inspection from outside. They are inspecting the disconnect, and labeling which has to be outside and available. They will pull the meter and/or trip the AC disconnect and check that the system is shut down.

[compchat]

Mine took about 8 weeks, contract signing to PTO. As for the ~ $0.40/kW for summertime tier 3 stuff, customers can always exercise control over usage either by conservation or shifting to a T.O.U. tariff.

I try to be proactive and minimize contact with organizations I feel are ripping me off.

So I am suppose to swelter in the summer heat because the electric companies are grossly overcharging us ? What kind of control would you suggest. I just bought power strips which turn off tv, vcr etc. when they are not in use. Refrigerators, air conditioners, pool pumps can only be turned down so far. Even a computer requires electricity for the computer, router, speakers, amplifiers, modem, peripherals.

I'm having an 11 KW system installed consisting of 41 panels and two sunny boy inverters. This should give me on sunny summer days about 90 % of the electricity I need. BTW each inverter allows me to draw off 1500 watts of power during a grid or simulated grid failure.

But let's not kid ourselves, the cost of energy has no where to go but up. Hiliary Clinton has a goal of 500,000 new solar home installs during her first term in office. Nice goal, but not enough to get me to vote for her

[Willaby]

Mine took about 8 weeks, contract signing to PTO. As for the ~ $0.40/kW for summertime tier 3 stuff, customers can always exercise control over usage either by conservation or shifting to a T.O.U. tariff.

I try to be proactive and minimize contact with organizations I feel are ripping me off.

You're preaching "101" stuff with conservation and TOU may or may not be a solution for everyone. Most or all considering or already having solar have figured this out. If you look at kwh usage per capita, San Diego is the lowest in California and California is among the lowest of all states. Usage has risen 1-3% annual for the country as a whole but only 2% in California for the past entire decade (credit Sensij for this stat). Simply put: say I'm driving an Accord and get 25 mpg, but gas goes to $4 and I feel I'm getting ripped off, so I buy a Civic to get 40 mpg, this doesn't change my opinion I'm getting ripped off for any gas I buy.

Minimizing contact? I'm sure SDG&E and the CPUC appreciated that!

[compchat]

San Onofre

What happened with San Onfore nuclear plant. It had two working generators serving 80 thousand people. The electric companies accepted faulty generators which lead to taking them off line (Mitsubishi). They were suppose to work for 20 years. Why hasn't anyone sued Mitsubishi? The response by the owners of San Onofre is to close it down and remove it at tax payers expense. So the taxpayer built it, maintained it, paid for faulty japanese generators and are now required to pay for decomissioning and removal of the plant.

Yes we are angry with SDG&E (and other power companies) If not for their incompetence the cost of electricity would be less than the third tier 40 cents/KW. My electric bill was 800 dollars for the month of July. Highest bill I've ever received which caused me to seek alternative sources, e.g. solar. I hope everyone that owns a home or a business does the same thing.

Oh, and I doubt that the 40 cents will be the highest rate for long.