Using Solar System Prior To Utility Approval

Re: Using Solar System Prior To Utility Approval

It depends on your utility...

In my area (near SF California)--The installer had the system all connected and ready to go (long ago, the paperwork was supplied to the utility and they had approved the vendor, design, and my homeowners insurance). Building inspector came by--gave the OK and the switch was turned on.

Two week later, the utility worker came out to install my Time of Use meter--I asked if he needed to check anything--Just the final inspection tag and he left.

Two weeks later, I got a $180 or so electric bill (normal bill, before solar was around $30 and was probably -$20 credit in reality). My guess is that the meter turned backwards and the billing computer did not "know" about net metering for my account at that time. Assumed the meter reader made a mistake and the computer just "guessed" at what digit was wrong (until the amount went positive).

By that time, the original meter "was gone"... They just charged me my average 2 week bill and everything went fine after that. I was told by somebody else (at least at that time 4 years ago) the messed up first bill was standard with our utility.

There is a posibility that the current utility meter does not respond the way it should... It may not turn backwards--or in some cases will turn "forward" when it should be going backwards--and bill him for the solar power he is generating.

If you have a utility company that does not like Net Metering--they may take the opportunity to cause problems. Don't know.

It may just be easier to turn the system off instead... And avoid any hassles. Probably only talking about a few $10's of dollars of lost energy generation while waiting for the utility.

-Bill