The wait has been tense. And the uncertainty was powerful.
But solar companies in San Diego got some great news recently. Assembly Bill 327 (AB 327) won’t make any drastic changes to California’s awesomely popular net metering program.
In truth, the entire country should rejoice. California is America’s most active solar market. What happens here often serves as a template for the rest of the nation.
But What Is Net Metering and Why Should You Care about AB 327?
We’ve covered net metering in the past. But essentially, it’s an incentive program that allows solar customers to sell excess clean electricity to the grid at a profit.
With a large enough solar installation in sunny San Diego, it’s possible to receive negative electricity bills from the utility company.
This is the power and beauty of net metering.
Also covered before, the program was in danger of being shut down or drastically altered. Fortunately, there won’t be many changes to net metering until 2016 at the very earliest.
This means that those who install solar panels in the next couple of years will likely be grandfathered into the net metering program – even if it undergoes a dramatic facelift at some time in the future.
Here’s a statement from Governor Jerry Brown,
“As the [California Public Utilities Commission] considers rules regarding grandfathering of net metering customers, I expect the Commission to ensure that customers who took service under net metering prior to reaching the statutory net metering cap on or before July 1, 2017, are protected under those rules for the expected life of their systems.”
Why Solar Companies in San Diego Love This
The above statement is a pretty strong endorsement of net metering. And at Sunline Energy, we love the certainty and stability that this message sends to our industry.
We don’t know what will happen to San Diego’s solar incentives in the long-term. But for those who begin generating clean energy today, they can map out predictable payback periods and plan accordingly.
As solar installers, this makes our job so much easier. The technology sells itself because of its numerous financial and environmental benefits.
But when customers can approach their solar investments with the full backing of California’s governor and regulatory agencies, this makes the decision to go solar a no-brainer.
After all, who doesn’t want:
- lower electricity bills?
- income generation potential?
- smaller carbon footprints?
We’re several years away from 2017. But why wait when you can begin enjoying the above benefits today – for less than what you currently pay to your local utility?
Contact us today for a free solar quote and inspection.
