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 current or future 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) minus a few cents per kWh for non-bypassable charges (NBCs), which are primarily environmental benefit programs that all SCE customers pay for and can’t avoid with solar.

The SCE net metering program saw some changes under net metering (NEM) 2.0, which began in June 2016. On April 15, 2023, SCE will switch to a new program, NEM 3.0 (also called the Net Billing tariff, or NBT), which will significantly change how net metering works. Instead of crediting you at the full retail rate, SCE will provide credits based on how valuable it is to not use electricity during a certain hour, or the “avoided cost rate”. Overall, this means the price that SCE will pay you for solar you send to the grid is set to drop by about 75%.

What is Southern California Edison’s net metering cap?

Under California’s original net metering policy, SCE had a net metering cap of 5% of total peak electricity demand in the utility’s territory. However, as of June 2016 there is no cap on net metering in SCE territory.

Is SCE net metering the best in California?

SCE’s net metering program is structured the same way as the two other largest utilities in the state, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric. 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 net metering 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 12 months, you will receive a bill credit for any extra electricity at the average rate during 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.

Low-income customers can also enroll in the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program, which allows them to receive a 30-35% discount on their electric bills or the Family Electric Rate Assistance Program (FERA), which offers an 18% discount on electric bills – under both programs, customers will receive net metering incentives to make their solar payback period shorter. Learn more about these and other California rebates & incentives with EnergySage’s California Solar Incentives guide.

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

Under NEM 2.0 and NEM 3.0, the interconnection request fee is $75 for SCE customers.