PG&E has increased rates for all customers to support their poles and wires (T&D). This affects Pioneer and non-Pioneer customers equally – everyone’s rates will go up the exact same dollar amount.
Don’t be misled. We guarantee that Pioneer’s savings over PG&E have not changed. Calculate your savings in El Dorado and Placer County.

Understanding Your Commercial Solar Bill with Pioneer

Update for NEM 3.0

Understand NEM and Your Commercial Solar Energy Bill

Energy bills for businesses with private, rooftop solar systems or commercial solar arrays see different billing details than standard energy customers. We’ve provided some details about billing to help you understand your commercial energy bill as it relates to solar power generation, Net Energy Metering, electricity transmission, utility distribution and energy consumption.  

Pioneer partners with PG&E for the distribution of commercial energy billing. PG&E distributes monthly billing statements to customers with PG&E’s transmission and delivery charges and Pioneer’s electricity generation charges. Since PG&E collects payments on behalf of Pioneer, you only need to make one payment to PG&E for the total amount shown on your bill. There will never be any duplicate charges. PG&E will bill for Net Energy Metering (NEM) transmission and delivery charges, annually, through its annual true-up process.

Benefits of Pioneer's NEM Program

  • Generation credits are applied at the retail rate against the electricity consumed each month.
  • Pioneer pays $.005 (1/2 cent) per kWh more than PG&E for any over-production sold back to the grid (Net Surplus Compensation Rate or NSC). See Pioneer’s current NSC rate.
  • Unused generation credits rollover, from month to month.
  • Pioneer bills for net electricity used, monthly.
  • Net Surplus Generators will receive checks during the March/April billing period if their credit balance for the past 12 months exceeds $25. Credit balances less than $25 will be rolled forward onto the next bill.

Pioneer NEM Enrollment Process

Eligible solar customers can return to Pioneer at any time. When a solar customer enrolls with Pioneer, PG&E will set the renewed annual true update to align with the transition date to Pioneer.

What is an Energy True-Up?

With Pioneer, the true-up process occurs monthly. If a customer produces more kWh than consumed in a month, the excess is credited to the customer’s account. This will appear on the current bill and roll forward to the next month’s bill. If a customer consumes more energy than produced (kWh), the net energy consumed will appear on that month’s bill as a charge. Pioneer and its customers perform this true-up on a monthly basis. In the March/April time frame, if there is any cumulative credit owed, a check will be issued to the customer. 

PG&E performs its true-up process on an annual basis.

For questions or additional information on your solar energy production, Net Energy Metering or anything about your commercial energy bill, please contact your Pioneer Community Energy team by email at info@pioneercommunityenergy.org or by phone at (916) 758-8969 or 1 (844) YES-PIONEER.

Solar Customers Receive Annual True-Up

Pioneer issued checks to solar customers with a cumulative net surplus of energy (known as Net Surplus Generators) during May for the March/April billing period if their credit balance (calculated at the Net Surplus Compensation Rate) for the past 12 months exceeded $25.00. Credit balances of less than $25.00 were rolled forward and applied to the next bill.

A few of our clients have contacted us to confirm the check’s authenticity. Rest assured, it is indeed real! If you receive a Blue or Orange check from Bill.com with a reference to Pioneer, it is safe to deposit. 

We take pride in helping our solar customers save; Pioneer pays $.005 (1/2 cent) per kWh more than PG&E for any over-production sold back to the grid (Net Surplus Compensation Rate or NSC).Â