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.

Pioneer Community Energy Distributes $190,108 to Solar Customers for Surplus Solar Generation

Elderly Couple Celebrating

Placer County, Calif. – Pioneer Community Energy (Pioneer) provided either checks or credits to 3,406 of its solar customers who generated more electricity than they used over the past year in its first Net Energy Metering (NEM) cash-out.

Pioneer mailed checks totaling $174,521 to 1,996 customers with kilowatt hour (kWh) balances above $25. An additional 1,410 customers with kWh balances below $25 received credits to their accounts totaling $15,587.

“Pioneer Community Energy made a commitment to support solar when we started providing electricity in 2018,” said Peter Gilbert, Lincoln Vice Mayor and Pioneer Board member. “Providing compensation for surplus generation is part of our program.”

Under Pioneer’s NEM program, Pioneer reviews solar generation and usage for the previous 12 months during the March-April billing cycle. Customers with a net surplus, those who generated more electricity than they used during those 12 months, receive payment for the extra energy generated by the kilowatt hour. Pioneer pays its customers $0.005 more per kWh than PG&E.

More than 17,000 Pioneer customers have solar, but only 17.5% of those customers generate more energy than they use over the year.

More News from Pioneer

More News from 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