If you want to be a good homeowner, you should pay your utility bills on time every month. But if you live in a Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG) service area, Don’t worry—it’s easy to pay this unique bill once you know what it is.
What Is A True Up Bill?
A True Up bill from PG&E is related to customers who have solar panels installed on their home. When you have solar panels, you may generate more electricity than you use during sunny parts of the year. PG&E keeps track of this extra electricity you produce and provide credits on your bill.
However, at the end of a 12-month True Up period (May to April), PG&E calculates if you produced more electricity than you used over the entire year. If you did, you’ll be billed for the net electricity you fed back into the PG&E grid. This end-of-year settlement is called a True Up bill.
In essence, a True Up bill helps balance the difference between how much electricity PG A True Up bill is only sent to you if you made more electricity than you used in a year.
When To Expect Your True Up Bill
PG&E issues True Up bills once per year, after April 30th. The True Up period runs from May 1st to April 30th annually.
Around the end of May or early June, PG&E calculates your net electricity use for the previous True Up period If you produced excess electricity, your True Up bill will be mailed in June
The due date for a True Up bill is typically 30 days after the bill generation date. So you can expect your True Up bill to be due in July. PG&E recommends paying your True Up bill as soon as you receive it to avoid late fees.
How Your True Up Bill Is Calculated
The amount of your True Up bill depends on how much extra electricity your solar panels produced over 12 months. Here’s a simple example of how a True Up bill is calculated:
- You used 10,000 kWh of electricity from PG&E over 12 months
- Your solar panels produced 12,000 kWh of electricity over 12 months
- So you produced 2,000 kWh more than you used
- PG&E will bill you for those 2,000 kWh at the 10 to 20 cent per kWh True Up rate
In this example, your True Up bill would be $200 to $400 for the year. The exact True Up rate depends on your rate plan and location. PG&E provides a True Up rate calculator on your monthly bill to estimate your potential charges.
How To Pay Your True Up Bill
When your True Up bill arrives, paying it is straightforward. You have several options:
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Pay online – The easiest way is to login to your Account Online and pay through PG&E’s website. You can pay by credit card, debit card or e-check.
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Pay by phone – Call PG&E at 1-877-704-8470 to pay your True Up bill over the phone. Have your account number ready.
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Pay by mail – Detach the payment stub from your bill and mail it with a check or money order to the address printed on the stub. Allow 7-10 days for mailing.
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Pay in person – Take your bill to an authorized payment station or PG&E payment office to pay in cash or check.
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Auto-pay enrollment – Avoid worries by signing up for auto-pay. Your True Up bill will be paid automatically on the due date from your bank account.
As long as you pay your True Up bill by the due date, you won’t incur any late fees. PG&E offers a 19-day grace period before late fees apply.
Ways To Reduce Your True Up Bill
If you want to lower your True Up charges in future years, there are a few things you can do:
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Track your electricity usage – PG&E provides a way for you to monitor your daily electric use online. Use this to adjust your consumption as needed.
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Shift usage to evening hours – Use major appliances like dishwashers after the sun sets to rely more on PG&E and less on your solar panels.
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Add battery storage – Batteries can store excess solar electricity during the day for use at night. This reduces the amount fed back to PG&E.
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Size your system correctly – When installing solar panels, work with PG&E to size your system to match your electricity needs closely.
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Pre-pay the bill – In some cases, PG&E may allow you to pre-pay all or part of your expected True Up bill before it’s issued.
More Questions About True Up Bills?
Hopefully this breakdown gives you a better understanding of what a PG&E True Up bill is and how to pay it. Most solar customers in PG&E service areas receive this special billing each year.
If you have any other questions about True Up bills, PG&E provides extensive information on their website. You can also call their customer support line at 1-800-743-5000. Knowledgeable agents can explain your bill charges and ensure your True Up bill gets paid accurately and on time.
Understanding True-Up Bills for Solar
True-Up bills for solar? Think of it as your yearly report card on energy. It shows how much power you made, used, and what’s left to settle with the utility folks.
Adding More Solar Panels to Existing System
Adding more solar panels to your existing system is a smart way to tackle high true-up bills. This step can significantly reduce, or even eliminate, the amount you owe at the end of the year.
- Solar panel expansion: It’s all about increasing your home’s energy production. More panels mean you capture more sunlight and convert it into electricity. This helps cover your energy usage better.
- Trueup bill reduction: Through expanding your solar setup, you directly cut down on how much electricity you pull from the grid. Lower grid use equals lower true-up bills.
- Solar system retrofit: This involves upgrading your current setup. Retrofitting could mean adding newer, more efficient panels alongside or in place of older ones.
- Electricity bill savings: Here’s a big win. With additional panels working for you, your everyday electricity costs drop. Sometimes, they can go down by up to 90%.
- Solar energy production boost: Extra panels ramp up your system’s total output. Higher production means less reliance on outside power sources.
- Trueup bill elimination possibility: If your new and improved system produces enough energy, you might not see a true-up bill at all.
- Additional solar panels strategy: Simply put, more panels equal broader coverage of your roof and more sun captured.
- Retrofitting existing system insights: It’s not just about adding panels; it’s also ensuring your whole setup is optimized for peak efficiency.
- Solar power optimization: With extra panels in play, every hour of sunlight becomes more valuable. Your system takes in more light and turns it into usable power for your home.
- Energy usage coverage expansion: Finally, with added panels, the gap between what you use and what you produce shrinks. Ideally, it disappears altogether!
How to Understand My PG&E True Up
FAQ
Can I pay my true up bill early?
How can I reduce my true up bill?
How does a true up bill work?
Why is my true up bill so expensive?
How does a true-up Bill work?
Every year, you get a true-up bill. This bill shows how much power you sent to the grid and how much you used from it. It uses retail rates to figure out your credits, thanks to net energy metering rules. So, even if you’re not using the power right when it’s made, you still get benefits from your rooftop solar system over 12 months.
Do I have to pay my utility balance before true-up?
Even though NEM1 and NEM2 customers don’t have to pay their utility balance until True-Up, we don’t recommend that you wait. If you see a balance on your monthly statement, pay it then. This avoids any surprises at True-Up. As stated earlier, NEM3 customers are already required to pay any balances monthly. Your True-Up statement will include:
What happens if a balance is due on a true-up Bill?
If a balance is due after all credits and charges are reconciled, the amount will appear on the True-Up statement. If your system produced more energy than you consumed over the 12-month billing cycle, you will receive a small credit on your True-Up bill. The credit will be between 2 to 4 cents per kilowatt-hour for any leftover energy.
What is a true up statement?
What is a True Up? What is a True Up? After 12 months, you will receive a final statement of your billing cycle which is called a True-Up Statement. The statement provides your net energy charges and credits over the entire year and shows any final balance due.