Contractor issue

[Kalsi singh]

Hello im from fresno california and i got solar pannels installed in 2020. I had around 14 pannels in 2020 but they were not producing enough. In 2022 I decided i should upgrade and get new pannels and $8,500 later i got my self 11 more pannels. Now we are talking i have 25 solar pannels on roof By Enphase Engliten and i produced 10,000+ Kw in 8 months but i found out in 2023 i have a $2,500 Bill for my PG&E! I called them and i got the bad news... They said my contractor did not tell them about any add on pannels and can only give me credit for my old pannels whice barley made anything... I called my comtractor and asked him and he said he will call PG&E and he will call me back in 3 Buissnes days and now its been 2+ weeks and in these 2 weeks heres what i did. I called him 3-4 times trying to contact him and texted him 2 times and he left me on read and never replied. I got a idea to contact enphase the company who he gets pannels from and they said they will reach out to him and his wife called me for some reason and tried selling me a battery pack and started talking nonsence about some nem 3 She didnt know what she was talking about and after 30 Mins she said her husband will call you in 1 hour but its been 2 weeks no call back... I contact enphase again and now my contractor and his wife doesnt reply. Not sure what to do please help me. I will pay my bill since its due on the 15th of may theres nothing i can do then. Someone reccoemened sueing him someone but all i need is him to finnaly get my pannels approved its been over a year and i need him to give me my solar credit for 10,000 Kw so i can credit my $2500 bill. Not sure what to do im sure you guys are very smart please help!!!

 

[glandpuck]

Okay, I am in Southern California. Here's what to do: Stay off the phone. Obtain the written net metering agreement you have with your utility provider. Understand it. Read your original solar contract and understand it. read the second solar contract and understand it. Once you understand your solar net metering agreement with your utility and what was (if anything) promised in the way of performance of your system in generating electricity and reducing your bills, you can explain exactly why you are unhappy and feel mislead. If it turns out you just bought your system and were delivered what the papers say, there is not much you can do about it except live and learn about solar.

The key thing for property owners to understand about solar in California under net metering 3.0 is that the payback period will be about 12 years making solar a poor investment. There is nobody who can guarantee they will even be alive in 12 years. And if you don't own it outright, it can hamper your ability to sell your home. If you want protection against utility outages, just put in a good standby generator. Make sure your home is well insulated and all electric appliances are energy efficient. Any solar you do put in must be used to reduce your self consumption and never provided back to your utility company as the rate you receive is well below the cost of generation of the power itself.

 

[Kalsi singh]

Okay, I am in Southern California. Here's what to do: Stay off the phone. Obtain the written net metering agreement you have with your utility provider. Understand it. Read your original solar contract and understand it. read the second solar contract and understand it. Once you understand your solar net metering agreement with your utility and what was (if anything) promised in the way of performance of your system in generating electricity and reducing your bills, you can explain exactly why you are unhappy and feel mislead. If it turns out you just bought your system and were delivered what the papers say, there is not much you can do about it except live and learn about solar.

The key thing for property owners to understand about solar in California under net metering 3.0 is that the payback period will be about 12 years making solar a poor investment. There is nobody who can guarantee they will even be alive in 12 years. And if you don't own it outright, it can hamper your ability to sell your home. If you want protection against utility outages, just put in a good standby generator. Make sure your home is well insulated and all electric appliances are energy efficient. Any solar you do put in must be used to reduce your self consumption and never provided back to your utility company as the rate you receive is well below the cost of generation of the power itself.

Alright thank you so much! i will keep you updated.

 

[Hedges]

produced 10,000+ Kw in 8 months but i found out in 2023 i have a $2,500 Bill for my PG&E!

Do you have net metering, and do your monthly bills reflect a credit for backfeed?
Or does the meter perhaps charge you for backfeed as if it was consumption?

The utility is supposed to be told about wattage of installation, but in practical terms they don't really need to know, and don't know. All they know is watts drawn from grid, or watts backfed.

If you got a $2500 bill after a year at true-up, that indicates about $200/month average consumption. How does it compare to a year's worth of bills before solar?

If you originally had a system with permission to operate from the utility, then added panels without getting permission and you request permission now, that might force the entire system onto NEM 3.0 which you do not want. Best thing to do is study the bills, the agreements, and maybe drop the matter. Maybe your addition will be left under NEM 2.0, which is a win for you.