How does ommunity solar billing work?

Understanding how community solar credits are applied to your electric utility bill, how you pay for those community solar credits, and the overall billing timeline.

When you subscribe, you receive a share of the solar farm's electricity output based on your past 12-24 months of electricity usage.  This estimate should cover the majority of your electrical usage in the form of solar credits, or the dollar-equivalent of the kilowatt hours generated by your percentage share of the solar farm.

You still have to pay for the supply and delivery of your electricity in the form of taxes and fees from your utility provider. You will notice that your utility bill's electrical costs should be reduced by between 80-90%. Your community solar invoice is based on your community solar share's electricity generation, not your exact usage. You'll be billed monthly using your chosen payment method (automatic debit from a checking account or debit/credit card). 

Billing Breakdown:

• Community Solar Credits: Your share of the solar farm generates electricity credits, which reduce the cost of the electricity you purchase from your utility.
• Utility Bill: You'll continue to receive a bill from your utility for the remaining portion of your electricity usage, plus applicable taxes and fees.
• Community Solar Invoice: For most customers, you’ll receive a monthly invoice from Neighborhood Sun for your share of the solar farm's production costs. This invoice will include a contractual discount to offset your costs.

Important Notes:

• Billing Frequency: You'll receive a monthly community solar invoice and your regular utility bill. See the billing timeline infographic below for more details.
• Payment Methods: To reduce waste and increase efficiency, we only offer paperless billing and automatic payments. 
• Bill Fluctuations: Your community solar invoice and utility bill may vary month-to-month due to factors like solar production and electricity usage. For instance, longer sunnier days in months like June may generate more electricity than cloudier months like January.
• Savings: Overall, you will see a reduction in your combined energy costs compared to your previous utility bill.

New York Residents:

Since your state supports consolidated billing, you'll receive a Savings Statement from Neighborhood Sun rather than a separate invoice. Your utility handles all payments for community solar credits, ensuring that your contracted discount is applied to the solar credits generated by your community solar share each month on your utility bill. That means Neighborhood Sun won't be charging you separately for the solar credits. Instead, we'll send you a report of how much you saved in the form of a Savings Statement each month.