Energy Credit

[Curtepp59]

I don’t think my energy company is crediting me with the power I am sending back to the grid. Does anyone have any suggestions for me to follow up with them?

[RichardCullip]

Give then a call

[SunEagle]

We also don't know if you have a contact and meter that will allow you to sell excess power back to your energy company.

[J.P.M.]

I don’t think my energy company is crediting me with the power I am sending back to the grid. Does anyone have any suggestions for me to follow up with them?

Can you elaborate why you feel that way with some details?

I'm with Richard. Call them. I'd only suggest you understand how their NEM or other buyback tariffs work so you don't waste their time and yours.

[SolTex]

Most progressive energy companies these days have a very informative page on their web site explaining their net metering policy. Have you tried looking online? Before you can be reimbursed for excess production exported to the grid, you must have a net metering contract with your electric supplier, and a interconnection agreement with the power line company. For instance, see the page linked below for the Duke Energy procedure for interconnection.

https://www.duke-energy.com/home/products/renewable-energy/generate-your-own

[peakbagger]

Okay I will explain some basics. Go out to your meter. If its digital then proceed, if its the old fashioned spinning wheels, call the utility. The utility has to approve sending power back into grid and how they do it is at the meter. Many set up the meters so that if anyone tries to push power back into the grid that the meter treats it as power being sent from the grid. If your power bill went up after a solar install, it usually means someone didnt fill out the right paperwork with the utility or the utility did not do their job.

If its digital, the meters are usually set up (but not always) with two channels. The meter will usually skip through a couple of screens. One reading will be the KWhrs being supplied by the utility and the next reading will be the power (KWh) being sent to the utility. it may skip through a couple of other screens that you usually can ignore. There is usually a read out of direction of power flow down below the numbers. It may be arrows that point left and right or maybe a set of dots that flashing left to right or right to left. This shows you which way the power if flowing at any given time. The speed of the dots or flashes usually indicate how fast you are buying or selling.

The utility probably remotely reads your meter but if you write down the two KWH numbers at the beginning of a billing cycle and subtract them from the readings at the end of the cycle that tells you how much power you bought from the utility and how much power you sold the utility. Subtract your sales from your purchases and that is how much power you bought assuming you are on a pure net metering rate plan. Note that many utilities do not have pure net metering rate plans and may pay you more or less for the power that you sell back to the utility. The utility is required to post the details of each rate plan but some use complex language that may make it hard to understand while many have far more explanatory descriptions of how the bill is calculated.

Where a lot of people get confused is power produced by your solar system is preferentially used by the house first, only the excess goes back to the utility. Think of it as big tank of water, power use in the house is always draining the tank, the solar is trying to fill the tank backup until it overflows. If the tank overflows it goes back to the utility, if its not overflowing and starting to lose level the utility fills the tank. Your meter is only looking at the connection to the utility and doesnt care what is actually going on in the tank.

Some utilities are notoriously slow at getting paperwork done on their end when solar systems are placed in service. They also can be slow in switching or reprograming meters. Do your homework and then call the utility.

[Curtepp59]

Thank you guys,
I appreciate your help, I will check into these thoughts a little closer. I am fairly certain my installation company did the proper paperwork for net metering. I am fairly certain I am sending energy back to Duke energy, what I am not sure of is how much, and if I am receiving proper credit for it.

[Curtepp59]

According to the Solar company app my panels generated 991 kWh , my home used 781 kWh and I sent back 78 kWh to duke energy. However duke charged me for 1122kwh. I don’t understand?

[SolTex]

Curtepp59,

What you need to determine is who exactly is selling you your grid power. It depends on how the electric distribution and sales are handled in your area.

For instance, where we live in Texas the electricity market is deregulated. This means we can choose any power provider we wish to buy our electricity. In our case there are about 5 or 6 companies available to pick from. It is up to me to decide which company I want to use. The actual delivery of the electricity is handled by Oncor. They own the wires, poles and hardware connecting our house to the grid. So on my monthly electric bill I am paying two different companies - the "delivery" company (Oncor) and the electricity "seller" (in our case Chariot Energy).

Most months in sunny West TX we produce a lot of excess solar power - usually about twice as much as we consume. Our excess production goes back to the grid through our digital electric meter, which is owned by Oncor. The meter records two channels of data: import (what we buy) and export (what we send back to the grid). Oncor has nothing to do with how we are reimbursed for the exported power. Oncor simply reports these numbers to Chariot Energy. We have a contract with Chariot that spells out exactly how we are reimbursed for our exported power. In our case, we receive "credits" equal to $0.0915 per kWh. These credits are shown on our monthly statement as a negative adjustment, and if sufficient will completely zero out our balance due. Excess credits are carried over from month to month for the duration of our contract. Sadly, Chariot does not allow credits to be converted to cash - that perk is not available where we live.

So, you need to find out who is selling you your power. Is it Duke Energy? If so, they are the ones you need to talk to about how exports are reimbursed. If you are buying your power from another entity then you need to talk to them. Your monthly electric bill should spell out exactly who is actually selling you the power. If your area is deregulated and you have a choice of sellers, then you should shop around and see which seller offers the best deal for "buying" your excess production.

[Mike 134]

Thank you guys,
I appreciate your help, I will check into these thoughts a little closer. I am fairly certain my installation company did the proper paperwork for net metering. I am fairly certain I am sending energy back to Duke energy, what I am not sure of is how much, and if I am receiving proper credit for it.

which of these links apply to you?
Generate Your Own Renewable Energy - Duke Energy (duke-energy.com)