Southern California Edison (SCE) Net Metering

How does Southern California Edison (SCE) net metering work?

Southern California Edison’s net metering program makes it possible for solar energy system owners who are connected to the grid to receive credit for their excess solar electricity. These credits can be used when your solar panel system isn’t producing enough power to meet the electricity demands for your home or business. However, SCE net metering isn’t a way to earn extra money – in order to qualify, your solar panel system must be sized to match your electricity needs, but no bigger.

Where does SCE offer net metering?

Southern California Edison offers net metering to customers across its entire service territory in central and Southern California. That includes parts of:

• Fresno County
• Inyo County
• Kern County
• Kings County
• Los Angeles County
• Mono County
• Orange County
• Riverside County
• San Bernardino County
• Santa Barbara County
• Toulumne County
• Tulare County
• Ventura County

What are Southern California Edison’s rates and prices for net metering?

The specific rates and pricing for net metering in Southern California Edison’s territory are determined based on your property’s electricity rate structure. However, the structure is simple: for each kilowatt-hour (kWh) you feed back to the grid, you get a credit on your bill for the full retail value of that kWh (e.g., the rate that you pay for a utility-generated kWh).

There are some changes coming to the SCE net metering program under net metering 2.0. These changes will impact all new solar installations beginning this summer.

	Net metering 1.0 (before June 2016)	Net metering 2.0 (after June 2016)
Credits for exported electricity	Full retail rate	Full retail rate
Non-bypassable charges	Paid for electricity drawn from the grid during a billing period	Paid for all electricity used during a billing period
System size regulations	System must be no larger than customer’s electricity needs, and less than 1,000 kW	System must be no larger than customer’s electricity needs, but no restriction on size
Interconnection fee	None	$75 for systems under 1,000 kW
Electricity rate	Standard	Time-of-use (variable based on time of day and season)

What is Southern California Edison’s net metering cap?

As of early 2017, SCE is still under California’s original net metering policy, which has a cap of five percent of total peak electricity demand in the utility’s territory. However, at the beginning of 2016 California announced a new net metering program, referred to as net metering (NEM) 2.0., which will be implemented when California utilities reach their original net metering caps.

NEM 2.0 sets new guidelines for Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). For each utility, net metering 2.0 is put into place when the five percent cap is reached. Both PG&E and SDG&E have already reached their caps, and SCE is expected to begin net metering 2.0 in July 2017.

Once SCE switches to net metering 2.0, there will be no cap on the amount of solar that is eligible for net metering.

Is SCE net metering the best in California?

SCE’s net metering program will be structured the same way as the two other largest utilities in the state, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric, starting in 2017. The economics of the net metering program for these three utilities will be very similar.

However, there are some other electric utilities (such as Los Angeles Department of Water & Power) in California that offer simpler net metering policies, because they don’t require solar system owners to enroll in time-of-use (TOU) rates. Because SCE’s NEM 2.0 program uses TOU rates, solar homeowners won’t always get the maximum value out of their solar electricity – grid electricity during the early to mid-afternoon hours will cost less, so the solar electricity sent back to the grid during those times will receive a slightly lower net metering credit. That being said, a good solar installer can help you design a solar system that generates more power during the high-cost peak hours in order to reduce your monthly bills.

What will happen to my excess SCE net metering bill credits?

If you install a solar panel system that is sized to meet your electricity needs for the entire year, there will be some months where your panels produce more electricity than you need and some months where your panels produce less.

When your panels produce more energy than you can use over the course of a month, you will receive bill credits on your SCE bill that can be used in future months. If your panels produce more electricity than you use over the course of twelve months, you are credited for the extra kilowatt-hours at the Net Surplus Compensation Rate (NSCR).

To set the value of the NSCR, SCE calculates a per-kilowatt hour value for each month based on electricity market prices. At the end of twelve months, you will receive a bill credit for any extra electricity at the rate that SCE has determined for that month.

Does Southern California Edison offer solar incentives?

SCE doesn’t offer solar incentives for every homeowner. However, the California Solar Initiative has two rebate programs that low-income households in SCE’s service territory can qualify for: the Single-Family Affordable Solar Housing (SASH) and Multi-Family Affordable Solar Housing (MASH) programs.

SCE solar interconnection policies and costs

The last step to have your solar panels connected to the grid is to submit an interconnection request, which your solar installer will often do on your behalf. The interconnection request ensures that SCE is aware that your property has a solar power system and that your system is safe to operate.

To fulfill your request, SCE will examine your system to ensure that your solar installer complied with:All SCE regulations for interconnection (known as “Rule 21”)
Requirements for your electrical panel
The National Electrical Code
Any other applicable local codes
There is no interconnection request fee required in SCE’s original net metering policy. Under NEM 2.0, SCE’s interconnection request fee will be $75.

Thinking about going solar?

Let us know how we can help.