Why are energy credits not showing up on my bill?

The six most common reasons people generally do not see energy credits showing up on their bill:

1. The Interconnection Agreement hasn’t been signed
2. The dual register meter hasn’t been installed
3. There is not an active REP Agreement
4. The out-flow meter reading dates are dependent upon the signed Interconnection Agreement or the installed of the dual register meter
5. You’ve consumed all of the energy you’ve generated
6. Your REP is not receiving out-flow energy readings

These reasons are explained here on Oncor’s website.

Note, If you are not in Oncor’s territory and your utility is a different entity, the above mentioned items would still generally apply, but in this case you would reach out to your utility to confirm.

If you are sending surplus electricity from your solar array to the grid and think you should be receiving credits for having done so:

Please reach out to your utility company regarding how they are calculating the credits on your bill.  Axium Solar does not have access to this information unfortunately, and they won’t release that information to anyone except the account holder.  

How to create reports to compare consumptions vs production data:

1. Acquire your consumption data – Texas Smart Metering allows you to register at their website for the purpose of downloading up to 18 months of retroactive utility consumption data via Excel or .csv format.  This data can be helpful when understanding how much electricity has been used at your residence for specific time frames.  Note, you’ll need your ESIID number from your utility bill in order to register.  Here are the FAQs on their website:  https://www.smartmetertexas.com/CAP/public/home/home_faq.html
2. Login to your monitoring portal and extract your solar array’s production reports.  Tip:  If you’ve forgotten your password, there will be a password reset link at the login window.

   Enphase microinverters – Click here to learn how to run a report
   SMA via Sunny Portal – Analysis > Select your graph’s dates > Click the little gear at the bottom/corner of the graph to download the data.
   Fronius – Reports > Create new report > Choose Custom > Generation Type: Manual > Enter your time range > Click OK. The report will be sent to your email address.
   SolarEdge – View the Comparative Energy graph and select your data > Click the Excel icon at the upper/right of the graph to download the data
   For others not mentioned above – Navigate to the System Info section of our knowledgebase for additional information.

3. Create an Excel spreadsheet that shows dates, consumption data, production data and anything else you’d like to compare or look at. 
   a.)  Reach out to your electricity provider if you have questions about your bill, consumption or green energy credits. 
   b.)  If you’ve a question about your solar PV production, contact the Axium Solar service team for assistance.

Data Tips:

When comparing data, be sure the dates are exact.  In other words, the dates on the utility bill that you receive in the mail should line up with the data you export from your solar monitoring portal.  You may have to manipulate the data via an Excel spreadsheet to line up the dates in question.

kWh is the billing unit commonly used by most electricity providers.  The total energy in kilowatt hours is the power in kilowatts multiplied by the time in hours.

It can be helpful to create graphs within your spreadsheet, as it will allow you visualize trends.

Solar Production Data Tips:

If you’re not sure how much energy your system should be producing, you can enter your array’s specs at PVWatts to create a report and get a rough idea:  PVWatts Calculator.  This is especially helpful if you’ve just bought a house that has solar on it.

New Home Buyers: You might ask the seller for a copy of the blueprints/drawings, datasheets and the warranty documentation for the inverter(s), racking and modules.  The blueprints/drawings should show you specs pertaining to the materials which will be helpful when entering information at the PVWatts website. Datasheets will show same, but are particularly helpful when understanding module and inverter efficiency and rating.  The warranty documentation will come in handy if anything needs to be replaced.

Energy Consumption Tips:

Did you know that in the State of Texas, most residents can choose their own electricity provider?  Navigate to Power To Choose and see if you can find a better rate than you’re currently paying. 

To better understand the various charges on your electric bill, Public Utility Commission of Texas put this hand guide together – click here

If you find that you are consuming too much energy, here are some helpful tips to help you conserve and save energy.

Solar Monitoring Tips:

New to solar array monitoring?  Navigate to this page to learn more.

If you have solar array monitoring, but it’s not communicating data, navigate here to learn how to troubleshoot the issue.