Summer Means More Solar Credits — and Higher Annual Community Solar Savings

Summer brings hotter temperatures, more sunshine, longer days, and — for some Community Solar subscribers on standard dual billing — higher bills from Altus Power in exchange for excess solar credits. If you’re noticing that difference, don’t worry — you’re just banking pre-paid solar credits for winter, and your winter self will thank your summer self!

Altus Power is striking while the iron is hot — or, more accurately, when the photovoltaic cells are most efficient — and making the most of these summer months. As solar production increases in summer and your subscription generates more clean energy than in the winter, a surplus of solar credits may be applied to your electricity bill, sometimes covering more than the entirety of your monthly summer electricity bill. When this happens, you’ll receive an invoice from Altus Power for the surplus solar credit amount at your usual discount.

Here's an example of how excess solar credits might play out:

Let’s say your utility company applies $300 worth of solar credits generated by your subscription to a $200 utility bill in July. This credit amount covers the entirety of your electricity costs that month — and then some. As a result, your utility bill total is $0. As usual, Altus Power will send you an invoice for those credits at your fixed discount (let’s say 20%, for this example), which comes to $240.

Now you might be thinking, “Wait a minute, how am I saving money if Altus Power is sending me an invoice for $240 when my original utility bill was only $200? That’s an extra $40!”

Think of it as pre-paying for discounted solar credits that can be applied to future electricity bills, resulting in annual savings. In the example above, the $40 that you overpaid in July will go into your solar credit piggy bank and can be applied to future bills when your solar farm is generating less clean energy and fewer solar credits are being applied to your utility bill.

Fast forward to December and pretend your utility bill is $100. Since the days are shorter and the sun isn’t as strong, let’s say you only generate $60 worth of solar credits. Not to worry — you can make up for that shortage with your pre-paid discounted solar credits! When the $40 in your solar piggy bank is applied to your utility bill, your balance will drop to $0. And you’ll only pay Altus Power for the $60 solar credit generated during the December production period at your usual discount, which in this example would amount to just $48.

Who gets excess solar credits and why?

It’s important to note that not every Community Solar subscriber will be billed for excess solar credits generated in the summer — it depends on how your state and utility handles excess credits generated during peak months. If you want to learn more about your state-specific program rules, get in touch with our Customer Experience Team at hello@altuspower.com and we can help.

It’s also important to note that if your utility company participates in Utility Consolidated Billing (meaning you don't pay a separate bill to your Community Solar provider), you don’t have to worry about excess solar credits at all! You will continue to receive your electricity bill as usual with your solar discount applied, reducing what you pay for power.

Getting too many solar credits? Don't worry — we can help.

If you ever feel like you're accumulating too many banked solar credits, Altus Power can adjust your allocation — just contact our Customer Experience Team at hello@altuspower.com to get that process started. That said, we don’t always recommend such reallocations, since summertime credit banking can be a budgetary boon for our subscribers each winter, but we are more than happy to talk with you about your specific circumstances and find what works for you.

As always, Altus Power Community Solar comes with no strings attached and no long-term commitments. If you close your utility account before your pre-paid solar credits have been distributed by your utility company, Altus will send you a refund for the value of those unused solar credits.

If you haven’t subscribed to Community Solar, head over to join.altuspower.com to learn more about the program, check your eligibility, and submit an application. Community Solar subscribers access the benefits of solar energy, help their communities go green, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and support a more stable power grid — all while saving 5-20% on their monthly electricity costs, with their personal discount depending on their location.

Any questions about excess credits or anything else Community Solar-related? Contact Altus Power’s Customer Experience Team at hello@altuspower.com.

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