Virtual Net Metering System

[PCERoman]

Hello everyone,

I have just joined the forum and regret that I did not do it sooner, before I installed my solar system.

I live in San Diego County and we get plenty of sunshine, so solar makes perfect sense. My system is a virtual net metering. I have one home meter that “feeds” the grid, and the other three consume from the grid. The grid operator is a “much beloved” San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E). My understanding was that SDG&E would distribute the energy proportionally from the home meter across each of the three meters. Does anyone has experience with how these types of systems are handled by the energy provider in San Diego County?

Many thanks in advance.

[Ampster]

No, but I do have Virtual Net Metering with SCE and it is a long story. I started in about 2013 and the billing was manually prepared and often late by as much as 6 months. I will stop before I go on a long rant. I still have two meters on NEM-V and the bills are prepared by a computer.
Hopefully your experience is better with SDGE.
Are you having any issues?

[PCERoman]

@Ampster,

Thank you for your reply.

I was wondering if that is the case: some manual billing is involved. I have been trying to understand their bills and they often do not make sense. I have tried to contact them, but all I get is a "standard" answer that usually ends in "...our billing department knows!.." I am trying to connect with someone in the similar situation to compare the notes and make sense of their billing practices.

On my home system, it is a single meter that spins in both directions depending on the time of use. And so, I am wondering where the disconnect is on their part.

Cheers.

[Ampster]

.......

I was wondering if that is the case: some manual billing is involved. I have been trying to understand their bills and they often do not make sense. I have tried to contact them, but all I get is a "standard" answer that usually ends in "...our billing department knows!.." I am trying to connect with someone in the similar situation to compare the notes and make sense of their billing practices.

One of the things that made my billing hard to follow it that I originally had one meter on a EV residential time of use rate and 3 meters on a commercial time of use rate that had different rates and time periods plus the commercial meters had monthly minimums. I was never clear how the totals were arrived at but for the most part I was only paying the minimums on the commercial meter accounts and very little on the residential meter amounts. At the time I lived in the residential part of that system and it was easier to be on top of things. Now it is a tenant occupying that space and I eliminated two of the meters so the bill is simpler but out of mind. The ultimate solution is to download interval load data for each meter and run a huge spreadsheet but my time wasn't worth the effort to see if I could save $25 to $50 per month.

[PCERoman]

...The ultimate solution is to download interval load data for each meter and run a huge spreadsheet...

That is exactly what I did and the numbers just don't add up correctly. I am trying to see if there is something else I am missing. Hopefully someone in SDG&E jurisdiction has similar set up for me to compare notes. Trying to get information from SDG&E is a nearly impossible task.

Thank you for your input.

[J.P.M.]

That is exactly what I did and the numbers just don't add up correctly. I am trying to see if there is something else I am missing. Hopefully someone in SDG&E jurisdiction has similar set up for me to compare notes. Trying to get information from SDG&E is a nearly impossible task.

Thank you for your input.

I'm unfamiliar with SDG & E virtual net metering, but FWIW, I've got well over 10 years of some experience dealing w/ SDG & E, both on the phone and on the net.

If you don't know this already: The best way I've found in dealing with them is the same as dealing with other bureaucracies: stay patient, stay professional and always stay persistent.

Couple of things I've always used:
When you call, ALWAYS get the name of the person you're speaking with - first thing. ALWAYS. Write it in your conversation notes. You'll find that info helpful down the road.

Write everything that transpires in a conversation. Always take good notes. Review them immediately after a conversation.

During a conversation, if you don't get the information you are looking for in a way you can understand - SAY SO in a professional and courteous but clear and firm way. Then, ask to speak with someone who can answer your question(s), or better yet, ask to speak with a supervisor. If you get put off or blown off, repeat your request to speak with a supervisor. Keep repeating that request while all the time staying professional.

When you get to speak to a supervisor, before anything else, GET THEIR NAME. Repeat your question(s) to them and ask that you be connected to someone who can answer those question(s) in a complete way in ways you can understand. If someone tells you they need to research your question and call you back, ask WHEN you can expect an answer and a call back. If you get a vague answer, say "OK, I'll call back tomorrow and ask for you, or your supervisor to check progress on my question(s) related to...".

Folks tend to keep commitments better if they know you have their name.

Repeat the process as needed. I've found the folks at SDG & E to be sort of a mixed bag. IMO only, most grunts at the bottom who answer the phones are well intentioned and I believe want to do a good job. Their knowledge of matters is less uniform. Some are informed. Some less so. As might be expected, the farther up the chain of command you get, the better the completeness and accuracy of the information gets. Be prepared to be advised to go to the SDG & E website or other places on the net for more information and be prepared to do a bit of knowledge gathering on your own. After you do, and if you still have questions, or your original questions are not resolved/answered in a way you can understand on your own, call SDG & E back and ask for the person who told you where to look (or ask for their supervisor whose name you probably have) and ask that person for help. Then, if your questions are still unresolved/unanswered, start climbing the chain of command as above. Repeat until resolved.

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence" - Calvin Coolidge.
Courtesy, professionalism and some empathy all help persistence work faster - J.P.M.

Take what you want of the above. Scrap the rest.

[PCERoman]

@J.P.M.

Many thanks for your insight and encouragement. I promise I would not "scrap" anything from your very detailed advice.

I have actually performed many of the steps you have outlined, and have elevated this issue to the supervisory level. It was most interesting: not only that supervisor did not provide any information, she basically instructed me to provide them information contrary to their billing. Even more interesting was that she did not have a direct phone line and was communicating from an outbound e-mail account only. Our responses were bouncing back automatically! This is when I have lost hope in SDG&E.

At this step, I am looking to compare notes with someone who has the same installation, that is virtual net metering. It might clarify many more questions by simply comparing notes with someone else in the same boat than trying to pursue the issue directly with SDG&E.

Cheers.

[J.P.M.]

@J.P.M.

Many thanks for your insight and encouragement. I promise I would not "scrap" anything from your very detailed advice.

I have actually performed many of the steps you have outlined, and have elevated this issue to the supervisory level. It was most interesting: not only that supervisor did not provide any information, she basically instructed me to provide them information contrary to their billing. Even more interesting was that she did not have a direct phone line and was communicating from an outbound e-mail account only. Our responses were bouncing back automatically! This is when I have lost hope in SDG&E.

At this step, I am looking to compare notes with someone who has the same installation, that is virtual net metering. It might clarify many more questions by simply comparing notes with someone else in the same boat than trying to pursue the issue directly with SDG&E.

Cheers.

Understood. When similar to what you describe happened to me, I assumed I had been blown off and started the process again, and also bitched to the CPUC. I got a call back from SDG & E and some info related to my queries about a week after that. Don't know if the second (new) attempt w/SDG & E, or the CPUC, or both that shook the fruit off the tree.

I don't know of any SDG & E customers who use virtual net metering and as I wrote, I'm unfamiliar w/ SDG & E virtual net metering, otherwise I'd relay what info others may have shared with me.

Good luck.

[PCERoman]

Understood. When similar to what you describe happened to me, I assummed I had been blown off and started the process again, and also bitched to the CPUC. I got a call back from SDG & E and some info related to my queries about a week after that. Don't know if the second (new) attempt w/SDG & E or the CPUC both was what shook the fruit off the tree.

Again, many thanks for the words of wisdom. I haven't yet used that approach, but that might just be my next step.

If you hear of anyone with net metering arrangement in SDG&E domain, please alert me.

Cheers.