Blog

Proposed Utility Tax would increase electricity bills for millions, undermine rooftop solar, and discourage conservation

Summary At the direction of the California State Legislature, the utilities and some aligned organizations are proposing to charge most residential ratepayers a Utility Tax of $30 to $70 per month. Even a $30/month Utility Tax would be three times the national average. This mandatory Utility Tax would increase electricity bills on millions for working Californians who live in apartments,…

Frequently asked questions about changes to California’s rooftop solar rules (aka “NEM3”)

Defying overwhelming public opposition, state officials voted in late 2022 to make drastic changes to California’s rooftop solar rules (called “net energy metering”). The decision by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will make it much more expensive to get rooftop solar starting in mid-April 2023. The decision mostly affects those who do not yet have solar, but can affect…

CPUC voted to send rooftop solar off a cliff

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) unanimously voted on December 15th to make drastic changes to the state’s rooftop solar rules. Read the final decision (NEM3) Fact sheet How the CPUC’s decision may affect you Key details Most consumers who get solar after April 2023 will see an average 75% reduction in the credit they receive for sharing their extra…

The net metering policy that puts consumers at the center

Most people, including Governor Newsom, agree that the CPUC’s proposed rooftop solar decision (Net Energy Metering 3.0 or “NEM3”) needs to be changed. The billion dollar question now is, “what changes will Governor Newsom and the CPUC make?”  Since the CPUC’s original proposal from December is so extreme, measuring the effectiveness of the Governor’s response must be based on basic…

The utilities are the masterminds behind the smear campaign against rooftop solar

For those who are curious, the three investor-owned utilities – PG&E, SoCal Edison and SDG&E – are behind the pressure and misinformation campaign to kill rooftop solar. The utilities’ campaign against rooftop solar is being waged by a nice-sounding front group called “Affordable Clean Energy for All”. They have a slick website called Fix the Cost Shift. They claim to…

The Solar Tax is Back (and the Solar Cliff, too)

On May 9th, the CPUC formally requested input on three changes they are considering to rooftop solar net metering. Among these changes is a Solar Tax of $300 to $600 per year on average. In other words, the CPUC appears to be pursuing a re-packaged version of their disastrous proposal in December.  As we feared, the utilities have so captured…