Solar Customers, it is Time to True-Up!

True up Blog 2023

April is the time of year when San José Clean Energy (SJCE) solar customers will true-up their balances with SJCE for the year. If you used more electricity than your panels generated, you will see a charge in May or June. If you used less electricity than your panels generated, you will get a bill credit or check in May or June.

You’re Receiving Cleaner Energy

SJCE is San José’s local, not-for-profit electricity provider operated by the City of San José. Together, SJCE and PG&E provide your electric service. SJCE generates your electricity from clean sources. This includes usage not covered by your panels.

You are not being double charged. You have always paid for generation and delivery. PG&E delivers electricity to you over its poles and wires. SJCE replaces what you would have paid to PG&E for generation. For your convenience, your monthly PG&E bill includes SJCE charges. You will receive separate true-up charges from PG&E.

What is a true-up?

PG&E sends SJCE solar customers monthly statements that show a running balance of electricity used and generated (see “Details of San José Clean Energy Electric Generation Charges” section of your bill). It is not a bill. Instead, every April, we settle the previous 12 months of SJCE charges and credits. We bill solar customers that use more electricity than their panels generate, and we send money to solar customers that generated more electricity than they used. This once-a-year process is called a true-up.

Since both SJCE and PG&E provide your electric service, you have two true-up dates – one with SJCE for electric generation, and one with PG&E for electric delivery

Net energy graphic

What can I expect at the end of my true-up period with SJCE?

SJCE Generation True-up 

  • You will true-up for SJCE generation charges every April. If you use more electricity than your panels generate, you will see a charge on your May or June bill. If you generate more electricity than you needed, you will receive a bill credit or check in May or June.
  • True-up charges are listed in the “Details of San José Clean Energy Charges” section of your bill.

 PG&E Delivery True-up

  • If you already had solar when you were enrolled with SJCE, your PG&E true-up occurs during your month of enrollment with SJCE. We enrolled customers with rooftop solar into our generation service in four phases in 2020-2021.
  • We enrolled non-solar customers in February 2019. If you installed solar after being enrolled with SJCE, your PG&E true-up is the month your system began operating.
  • For more information about our enrollment, visit our Rooftop Solar page or call Customer Service at 833-432-2454.
  • PG&E true-up charges are listed on the “Details of PG&E Charges” section of your bill.

IMPORTANT

According to our Net Energy Metering (NEM) Terms and Conditions, customers should have 10 or more months of billing history before they are trued up. This policy allows new solar customers to benefit from their NEM program in summer months when excess credits are often generated and winter months when credits are often used up. However, if you wish to avoid more than 12 months of true-up charges, you can request to be trued-up with less than 10 months of service by using our online form or calling 833-453-2454. This request must be made by the last business day in March before an April true-up.

Do I have other billing options?

By default, residential solar customers receive a monthly statement and are only billed annually at their true-up. We also offer the option of monthly billing. This option may benefit customers who do not want a single large annual bill and customers who will be trued up with more than 12 months of true-up charges.

Please contact Customer Service at info@sanjosecleanenergy.org or (833) 432-2454 if you would like to enroll in monthly billing. Monthly billing will only apply to your SJCE generation charges. You will still receive annual true-up charges from PG&E for delivery.

What if I’m a net generator?

If your panels generated more electricity than you used, you will receive money back. If the amount is less than $100, you will receive a credit on your May or June bill. If the amount is $100 or more, you will receive a check in the mail in May or June. SJCE’s net surplus compensation rate is 25% higher than PG&E’s – we’re happy to provide this extra perk!

Choose 100% renewable energy

Thank you for installing solar and helping clean our air and fight climate change. You can take your commitment to clean energy to the next level by enrolling in our TotalGreen service at any time. When you draw from the grid, you’ll receive 100% renewable energy for $0.01/kWh extra – less than $3 per month for most solar customers. Visit SanJoseCleanEnergy.org/totalgreen or call (833) 432-2454 to enroll today.

We are here to help! Please contact us with questions at info@sanjosecleanenergy.org or (833) 432-2454.

Visit our Rooftop Solar page to learn more and sign up for our NEM newsletter.