Here are some reasons why your electricity bill might be increasing, even if you have solar, and what you can do about it.
1. Check to see if your solar panels are working correctly. Do the same with your battery if you have one.
Log into your online solar and/or battery monitoring app and check to see that they are working as you expect.
- If your panels and/or battery are working fine, then move on to steps #2 and #3 below.
- If it looks like the panels or battery are not working correctly: contact your solar company right away. If your solar company went out of business: see this article about what to do next.
Most solar systems installed in the last 5-8 years come with an online portal that you can log into and see how much energy your solar panels are producing. Information to access this monitoring portal is usually provided by your solar company, so contact them if you need help figuring this out. If you have an older system without this feature, then your solar company might need to help you determine if your panels are working properly.
2. Look to see if your electricity rates increased
Electricity rates have skyrocketed in recent years. Evening peak rates in particular have gone up a lot, which is when most solar users need to draw energy from the grid the most. This can have an impact on your overall bill.
The only solution to avoid high rates is to reduce how much energy you buy from the utility. You’ve already taken the most important step by installing solar panels to generate your own power during the day. Your bill would likely be a lot higher if you did not have solar.
To reduce how much electricity you buy from the utility when the sun is not shining, you could consider installing a battery. However, we recommend that you ensure that the savings will make up for the up-front expense of the battery. Tips for buying a battery.
3. Look to see if your utility taxes have increased
Starting in 2026, most customers of PG&E, Edison, and SDG&E will pay a new $24/month utility tax, regardless of how little energy you buy from the grid. Customers of municipal utilities such as SMUD have already been paying similar monthly utility taxes.
New or higher utility taxes are another factor that can increase your bill. We are opposed to high utility taxes, have fought them, and will continue to fight them.
Note: utilities usually call these “fixed charges”. We call it a tax, because that’s really what it is.
4. Look to see if your electricity use has increased
If you are running electric appliances more often, or have added electric appliances recently, this could be the main reason for a higher bill.
Here are the steps to figure out if your electricity use has increased, and this is a downloadable spreadsheet that can help you make these calculations:
A. Pick two date ranges to compare. Example: compare 7/1/23 to 6/30/24 with 7/1/24 to 6/30/25.
B. For each date range:
- Use your solar monitoring app to download the total electricity that your solar panels made (total production).
- Look at your monthly utility bills to get two numbers:
—> The amount of electricity you bought (grid consumption).
—> The amount of electricity you sent to the grid (solar exports).
- Subtract your solar exports from your total solar production. This number is the solar energy you consumed at your home (self-consumption).
- Add your self-consumption to your grid consumption. This is the total consumption.
C. Compare your total consumption between the two date ranges to see if your electricity use increased.
Your utility doesn’t measure how much of your solar energy you consume at home. They only measure how much excess solar you send to the grid, and how much of their energy you buy from the grid. We think this is good, because it is none of the utility’s business what you do behind your electrical meter. But it does make it a little harder for you to measure your electricity consumption. Companies like Emporia sell products that allow you to monitor your home consumption easily. You can decide for yourself if that’s worth the expense.
5. Look to see if you are using more electricity in the evening
Most solar owners are required to be on a” Time of Use” plan in which rates are higher in the evening than in the day or late night.
So if you have recently started using more electricity roughly between 4pm and 9pm (this varies by utility), your bill might increase. That’s even if your overall electricity use has not changed much.
For example, let’s say you have an electric car that you used to charge after 9pm. If you, for whatever reason, began charging your car at 4pm, that could cause your electricity bill to increase by a lot.
You can lower your bill by avoiding using lots of electricity during those evening hours.
Not everyone can do that, however, which is why we strongly dislike the mandatory Time of Use program. If that’s your situation, then it’s possible a battery could be a solution for you. Tips for buying a battery.
Bottom line: so long as your panels are working, you are likely saving money
Your electricity bill would likely be much higher without your solar system, but we know that it is still frustrating to see your electricity bill increase. The most important thing is to ensure your system is working correctly. The next step is to reduce your electricity consumption if you can.
Contact the Solar Rights Alliance Help Desk at [email protected] if you need any assistance.
