Learn more about how to increase your savings through energy efficiency by taking a home energy checkup.

Make a list of all meter numbers associated with meters that you want to benefit from NEMA before installation of the renewable generation system. It’s best to do this upfront because once your NEMA project is interconnected to the PG&E grid, any adding or switching of meters may cause you to lose solar credits. If you’re unsure whether to include a meter, we recommend that you add it to your list and then talk it through with your contractor.

For NEMA approval, the eligible meters must be on a TOU rate. Review the rate schedules of each meter to ensure they’re on the best Time-of-Use (TOU) rate. Rate changes can be requested online by contacting PG&E at 1-877-660-6789 or by signing in to your account.

We recommend merging similar services onto one account to make it easy to track meters once you are approved for NEMA.

 Note: It's important to merge services before being approved for NEMA because changing the Customer of Record ("Change Party") after being approved causes an early reconciliation of your charges and credits ("True-Up") and you will lose all of the banked NEMA credits.

Tips for merging before being approved for NEMA:

• Agricultural and commercial services can be merged onto one account.
• To merge eligible services, the accounts must have the exact same name listed as the Customer of Record.
• Modifying the name on the Customer of Record ("Change Name Only") can only occur if the customer can demonstrate (with an IRS form) that the tax ID numbers are the same for both parties.
  
  

To request a merge, contact the Solar Customer Service Center at 1-877-743-4112.

Each PG&E service has a meter number and service agreement ID. Using service descriptors allows you to add a brief label to your service agreement ID (e.g., "Well Pump"). This is useful to keep track of each service as the meters and service agreement IDs may change when being converted to NEMA. Add descriptors by contacting the Solar Customer Service Center at 1-877-743-4112.

Find a qualified, licensed contractor who meets your needs and budget requirements.

Tips for selecting and working with a contractor:

• Request bids from at least three contractors.
• Size your system to 80-90% of your annual energy needs. Any excess generation at the time of your annual True-Up will not receive compensation, per program rules.

For additional tips on what questions to ask and what information to verify, visit Find a Contractor.

Your contractor will install and help you connect your system to PG&E's grid. Learn more about the installation and interconnection process, including roles and responsibilities.

Here are some key factors to review specific to NEMA customers:

Interconnection review process

After receipt of the interconnection application fee, PG&E will complete several reviews to ensure that:

1. All the meters are eligible according to program rules, including their rate schedules.
2. The solar system is sized no greater than your annual load. 
3. The solar system can safely operate in parallel with the PG&E grid.

Approval to turn on your system

After all reviews are complete, including a final field inspection, PG&E will issue Permission to Operate (PTO) letter. The PTO grants you official authorization to begin generating your own power. Authorization is typically granted within 30 business days from our receipt of an interconnection request that meets all requirements.

Under the NEM Aggregation program, your energy usage is assessed over a 12-month billing cycle. It begins on your first day of participation in the NEMA program.

Getting set up for billing

After being approved for NEMA, you will begin receiving your NEMA bills ("Energy Statement") within 60 days of approval to turn on your system. If you have not received your first bill after 90 days of approval, contact the Solar Customer Service Center at 1-877-743-4112.

What you will receive

PG&E bill

• You'll receive a monthly bill for each account. 
• The bill says "Energy Statement" at the top and lists the amount due for that billing month.

Detail of bill

• Each month you’ll also receive, in a separate envelope, a Detail of bill (DOB). The DOB displays how much energy you used from PG&E (when your system didn’t produce enough, such as at night) versus the amount of excess energy your system exported to the grid.
• The DOB is for the meter that’s physically tied to your renewable generating system ("Generator Account"). DOBs will also include charges due that month for each of the additional meters in the NEMA arrangement ("Benefitting Accounts"). If you’d like more information on how benefitting account charges are calculated, contact the Solar Customer Service Center at 1-877-743-4112.

What you pay monthly

Residential customers pay only for non-energy charges and any gas charges due each month, as listed in their PG&E bill.

Agricultural and large commercial customers' monthly bills include any non-energy charges. Also, net energy credits and charges are reconciled monthly.

Annual True-Up for NEMA customers

The True-Up statement reconciles all cumulative energy charges and credits over the 12-month billing cycle. If you have a remaining balance at the end of your 12-month billing cycle, the True-Up statements on each DOB will show the amount due to PG&E. This amount will also appear on your regular PG&E bill.

Residential customers pay for energy use once per year when all energy charges and solar credits are reconciled at your annual True-Up.
Agricultural and large commercial customer credits and charges are reconciled monthly. At True-Up, any overpayment for energy remaining is credited back to the customer.

 Note: NEMA customers are not eligible to receive Net Surplus Compensation for generating more energy over the entire 12-month billing cycle than consumed at the time of the True-Up, per program rules.