How to read your solar electric bill?

It is likely you have noticed a substantial reduction in your electricity bill since installing solar. Congratulations for this savings! You are not sure how to read your solar bill? How to check if this bill is correct?

Your solar bill might seem mysterious at first, but we’ll break it down for you. Here are some tips to help you learn how to read your solar electric bill. With a little practice, you can read your electric bill and understand exactly how it fits into the totality of your solar panel system. You may be pleasantly surprised to discover that you’re using less power from your utility company than you had been before, or that what you’re using has been offset in some way by the power generated by your solar panels.

A solar electric bill describes the amount of electricity you took from the grid and the amount your solar panels fed into it. A meter will be installed at your home in order to accomplish this, and your utility company will read the meter at regular intervals. This meter is called a net meter. Then, they’ll send you a bill every month, documenting the amount of electricity you took from the grid and the amount of electricity your solar panels fed into it. This process is called net metering.

Using an example, let's understand how solar electric bills are read for the Delhi regions.

The BSES electricity bill for your solar rooftop is a very simple document with only the essential information.The first page has your basic customer details like customer name, address, meter number and sanction load.

The billing details include the bill period, the units consumed, and the total amount. In addition to fixed charges, slab-wise energy charges are calculated based on the number of slabs consumed per unit.

On the back of the bill, you will find slab rates, taxes and tariff details. Moreover, it has historical data for the last six months. The net meter details are available in the attached annexure.

You can see all the details about the solar system here. In the export column, you can see the solar output generated. Subtracting the export units from the import units taken from the grid results in a decrease in import units. The remaining units are only charged to you.

When the solar units produced in the previous month exceeded the consumption specified in the B/F Units box. As a result, this month's bill was reduced by carrying forward these units and deducting them from this month's units. By carrying forward the chargeable units, the total chargeable units are reduced, which is a further benefit.

There are three possibilities for the net difference in units:

1. Positive difference: In this case, the energy consumption exceeds the energy production and you will be charged for the difference in units. Electricity unit rates will be determined based on slabs.

2. Zero difference: Solar panel production equals solar panel consumption, meaning there is no difference. Only fixed charges will be included in the bill amount.

3. Negative difference: An energy production from panels exceeded energy consumption, resulting in a negative net difference. Extra units will be carried forward to your next monthly bill and adjusted automatically.

The majority of solar customers want to know what happens if they keep generating extra units?

BSES will refund extra units if a customer has extra units left at the end of the financial year at the same rate it purchases electricity from power companies.

Would it be better to install a larger rooftop system than we actually need?

It is not recommended to install a larger rooftop system than is necessary. Putting up a system and expecting it to sell electricity to BSES may not be worth the investment.

First of all, the extra units produced will only be refunded at the end of the financial year.

Second, solar offers the best return on investment when it reduces your bill by 90-95%. You will save money every month by doing this.

Want to see “No Payment Due” in your electricity bills? Click on the link to schedule a call with us and we will guide you on how to achieve a zero electricity bill.