Understanding my electric bill

[Motoxxxloak]

I am struggling to understand the Edison bill. From what I am reading, I am thinking Edison is saying my system only generated 132 kWh. However, the guide to the right says “total usage is your systems total net generation minus your total consumption”. My though was maybe my system generation number is mixed in there somewhere?

My system is telling me it generated 448.4kwh for this billing cycle. I am not sure if this is a simple equation I am just stumped on, or if something is not adding up right.

My initial thought was Edison was under reporting what I’m consuming, thus charging me more. However the last 3 weeks I’ve called, they are only taking emergency calls. I’m hoping the brain trust can put this into idiot terms for me.

 

[RVRKID]

This is what mine says from June to July

 

[Motoxxxloak]

This is what mine says from June to July
View attachment 1264847 View attachment 1264848

With the exception of July, my generation per my app is always more than what Edison says I’ve used. But Edison always says I owe. Not sure where I’m lost.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

I am struggling to understand the Edison bill. From what I am reading, I am thinking Edison is saying my system only generated 132 kWh. However, the guide to the right says “total usage is your systems total net generation minus your total consumption”. My though was maybe my system generation number is mixed in there somewhere?

My system is telling me it generated 448.4kwh for this billing cycle. I am not sure if this is a simple equation I am just stumped on, or if something is not adding up right.

My initial thought was Edison was under reporting what I’m consuming, thus charging me more. However the last 3 weeks I’ve called, they are only taking emergency calls. I’m hoping the brain trust can put this into idiot terms for me.

Ok so you’re generating a lot, but Edison says less. So your house is using some of that generated power and what’s left is that’s going back to the grid?

But then the Edison bill doesn’t make sense because they say you used a lot and only put a little back.

Something is definitely not right because your graph on your bill should look like the other one posted.

 

[Apex svt]

The above is correct.

These systems go from the panels/inverters pass through your generation meter into the the post meter side of your utility meter socket. Your home consumes the energy that your panels are producing without pulling from the grid. Therefore you are neither pushing to the grid or consuming from.

The credits are what you make in excess of what your home consumes and pushes out.

Therefore you can take what your generation meter said you produced and subtract what you pushed out and find what your home consumed. 448-132 = 316 “free kWh”

Simple way to think is that the energy company really doesn’t care what your System produces just the ins and outs of the meter for billing purposes.

 

[Motoxxxloak]

The above is correct.

These systems go from the panels/inverters pass through your generation meter into the the post meter side of your utility meter socket. Your home consumes the energy that your panels are producing without pulling from the grid. Therefore you are neither pushing to the grid or consuming from.

The credits are what you make in excess of what your home consumes and pushes out.

Therefore you can take what your generation meter said you produced and subtract what you pushed out and find what your home consumed. 448-132 = 316 “free kWh”

Simple way to think is that the energy company really doesn’t care what your System produces just the ins and outs of the meter for billing purposes.

So basically what you’re saying is that at the end of the day, im not producing anything close to what im consuming?

 

[LuauLounge]

It's the new math that's being taught in school.

 

[Sleek-Jet]

So basically what you’re saying is that at the end of the day, im not producing anything close to what im consuming?

A quick sanity check is to add up what your producing (the kWh reported from the inverter) and the total consumption kWh from the bill. That should sum up to about what you were consuming before the panels were installed.

A lot of solar companies do a very lousy job of explaining how net metering works. The energy produced by the panels feed the load in the house first. If there is anything left over, that energy goes out to the grid and is used to calculate the net generation on your bill. At least that is how net metering is handled where I am located. I'll defer to a SoCal Edison customer if it is different out there.

 

[Apex svt]

So basically what you’re saying is that at the end of the day, im not producing anything close to what im consuming?

Without sounding rude. Yes, that’s what it looks like. What size is the system?

 

[Rajobigguy]

I can tell you one thing. If you have Solar it is virtually impossible to break down your bill given the information that is supplied on that bill.
For example:
You are being credited X for ea kWh that you produce.
You are being billed x+y for ea kWh that you consume.
Typically the credit for your over production is about 2/3 the cost to purchase but now you have to add in the Y to the purchase price.
If you are on a teird you may be given a break on the first teir. That is assuming that you do not exceed the ceiling for that first teir. After you exceed that limit there are calculations that come into play and they are based on your specific plan.
That Y adder May or may not included any or all of the following charges.
Delivery, tax, interconnection fee and whatever “temporary” surcharges allowed by the federal government such as hearing impaired on low income subsidies. Good luck finding the break down on all that.
Now depending on your plan and your service provider you may have to look at time of use. You could in theory produce more than what you use and still need to pay.
For example:
It’s Solar so you only produce during daylight hrs. But if you use little or non of what you produce then you are banking credits all day, then you come home from work fire up the oven to cook dinner, it’s hot so you star the AC, turn on the lights and the pool pumps comes on.
You have now been credited X for your daytime production but are being charged X+Y for your nighttime consumption.

I can assure you that most of that information is not on your monthly bill.

 

[Motoxxxloak]

Without sounding rude. Yes, that’s what it looks like. What size is the system?

I have no clue. We purchased this house last year. It was built in 2017 I believe. I know it has 10 panels. It has an Envoy-R-NA "gateway" and the "mirco inverters" are Hyundai HiS-S265RG.

That is all I know, based on the app I have.

 

[Motoxxxloak]

I can tell you one thing. If you have Solar it is virtually impossible to break down your bill given the information that is supplied on that bill.
For example:
You are being credited X for ea kWh that you produce.
You are being billed x+y for ea kWh that you consume.
Typically the credit for your over production is about 2/3 the cost to purchase but now you have to add in the Y to the purchase price.
If you are on a teird you may be given a break on the first teir. That is assuming that you do not exceed the ceiling for that first teir. After you exceed that limit there are calculations that come into play and they are based on your specific plan.
That Y adder May or may not included any or all of the following charges.
Delivery, tax, interconnection fee and whatever “temporary” surcharges allowed by the federal government such as hearing impaired on low income subsidies. Good luck finding the break down on all that.
Now depending on your plan and your service provider you may have to look at time of use. You could in theory produce more than what you use and still need to pay.
For example:
It’s Solar so you only produce during daylight hrs. But if you use little or non of what you produce then you are banking credits all day, then you come home from work fire up the oven to cook dinner, it’s hot so you star the AC, turn on the lights and the pool pumps comes on.
You have now been credited X for your daytime production but are being charged X+Y for your nighttime consumption.

I can assure you that most of that information is not on your monthly bill.

Actually, that makes more sense. It is the "lack" of information that is causing the confusion. I guess it is boiling down to, the last part. Production is during daylight but most of the usage is nighttime.

 

[Rajobigguy]

Actually, that makes more sense. It is the "lack" of information that is causing the confusion. I guess it is boiling down to, the last part. Production is during daylight but most of the usage is nighttime.

Exactly. If you can use your high demand appliances during your high production time you are better off. It’s much more equitable for you to use what you produce than it is to sell it at discounted rate.

 

[paradise]

Actually, that makes more sense. It is the "lack" of information that is causing the confusion. I guess it is boiling down too, the last part. Production is during daylight but most of the usage is nighttime.

Im taking some liberties and simplifying a bit:

You produced 400kwh from your solar (based on what your inverters are telling you)
Your appliances and other electrical devices consumed 500kwh
Therefore at the end of the month the net amount of power that flowed through your meter was 100kwh from the utility into your house

All your contract shows is the net power used or overproduced. They can’t calculate your production as you were using some of the power while it was being produced.

 

[pronstar]

I have no clue. We purchased this house last year. It was built in 2017 I believe. I know it has 10 panels. It has an Envoy-R-NA "gateway" and the "mirco inverters" are Hyundai HiS-S265RG.

That is all I know, based on the app I have.

If we know the per-panel output, or inverter output,we can calculate system size.

I think most panels are 250-450 watts, i’m sure the experts here can help figure it out.

But I don’t think 10 panels are going to create a ton of excess power in an average-size home.

 

[Motoxxxloak]

Exactly. If you can use your high demand appliances during your high production time you are better off. It’s much more equitable for you to use what you produce than it is to sell it at discounted rate.

This is why I came to lob this question out here. Clarity! Thank you! Seems like common sense, but I needed to be able to put it in laymen's terms for myself but also for my kids. They think our electricity is "free" because we have solar. So every damn light, fan, tv etc is always left on.

 

[Motoxxxloak]

If we know the per-panel output, or inverter output,we can calculate system size.

I think most panels are 250-450 watts, i’m sure the experts here can help figure it out.

But I don’t think 10 panels are going to create a ton of excess power in an average-size home.

Per Google, Rated Power is 265W and Rated Power per Cell is 4.42W. Per the app, each panel produced about 45/kwh in April, June and July and about 40/kwh in May.

 

[Jay Dub]

Exactly. If you can use your high demand appliances during your high production time you are better off. It’s much more equitable for you to use what you produce than it is to sell it at discounted rate.

this. I have my a/c cool the house while my panels are are at max generation even though I'm not home

 

[Motoxxxloak]

this. I have my a/c cool the house while my panels are are at max generation even though I'm not home

I never got a smart thermostat as I heard they had locked people out a year or two ago. However, I am thinking I will set it to cool all day and off at night. Currently I do the opposite. Leave it off all day then turn it down when I get home...

I appreciate all of the input guys. These folks have been coming by daily/weekly to get us to add more panels and I didn't think it was necessary. I read the NEM 3.0 thread and it really had me considering options but I just didnt think it was necessary (mainly as I hadn't hit summer billing yet). Oh well.

 

[RVRKID]

I never got a smart thermostat as I heard they had locked people out a year or two ago. However, I am thinking I will set it to cool all day and off at night. Currently I do the opposite. Leave it off all day then turn it down when I get home...

I appreciate all of the input guys. These folks have been coming by daily/weekly to get us to add more panels and I didn't think it was necessary. I read the NEM 3.0 thread and it really had me considering options but I just didnt think it was necessary (mainly as I hadn't hit summer billing yet). Oh well.

I have one and I have it off from 7:30-4 while I'm at work then have it fire up at 74 at 4:00 so it's cool when I get home, then if I have my son and we get home I'll knock it down to 72 so upstairs isn't too bad at 9:00 it goes to 69 so I can sleep. My fans in all the bedrooms I don't think have ever been turned off and usually have 3-4 TVs on while we are home. Sounds like the people that had the solar put on the house were conserving before hand so they built the system around that.

 

[Mandelon]

My neighbor owns his system and for whatever reason a gizmo failed and he wasn't getting credit for any of the power he produced. Either it didn't produce at all, or he didn't get credit for it. This went on for months before he noticed.

So it could be you aren't making what you think you are making...