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Frequently Asked Questions
I signed up for community solar. What happens now?
Congratulations on going solar! There are a few moving parts between when you enroll with Solstice and when you begin seeing solar credits applied on your utility bill. Here's a breakdown.
- First, we match your energy use to a share of the solar farm. We submit new customers to their utilities at the end of every month.
- Second, your solar garden gets built. Our solar developer partners request that we subscribe customers while construction is underway so that the solar garden achieves maximum effect once it's turned on. For this reason, there will be some downtime between when you sign up and when you start to receive credits. You won't see any changes to your utility bill or payment requests from Solstice while you wait. In the meantime, we will keep you updated on your farm’s progress and prepare you for the day when it turns on!
- Once your solar farm goes online, it generates its first complete month's worth of power. Depending on what time of the month you get your utility bill, these credits may show up the same month or be added to your next bill. You will always see only one month's credits applied to your bill.
- You'll be charged for your solar credits at the discount set out in your contract. If your project uses consolidated billing, this will happen right on your electric bill with your credits, lowering your expenses in one step. If your project uses dual-billing (which will be the case if your local utility hasn't implemented consolidated billing yet), you will get an invoice from Solstice detailing how much energy your panels produced, how much you would have paid to the utility for that electricity, and how much you will pay to Solstice (less, due to the discount applied to your solar credits).
- You can easily track your community solar subscription on a regular basis. On your Solstice account, you can monitor your panels' solar production, track your savings, see how many fossil fuels you're avoiding, and check up on your payments. It's all in one place! And if anything seems odd or confusing, you can always reach out to our customer support team and we'll be happy to help.
What does my electric bill look like with community solar?
When you join community solar, you earn solar credits as a deduction to your monthly utility bills. These solar credits represent the value of the energy your solar allocation produces each month. You get charged for your solar credits at a fixed discount, which is where your solar savings come from.
Your local community solar project may use consolidated billing - in which case you'll earn credits and be charged for them all directly on your normal bill - or a dual-bill system, in which case you'll earn credits on your utility bill and be charged for them through a separate invoice from Solstice. In either case, your savings will be identical; the format just depends on your state and utility's capabilities regarding community solar billing. For a complete explanation of billing, including examples of how it may look, check out our complete guide to community solar.
How Do I Add or Verify My Payment Information?
Step 1: Go to app.solstice.us and sign in with your username and password. If you do not remember your password, select “Forgot your password” and we will send a password reset link to your email.
Step 2: Inside your Solstice account, select the “Properties” tab and click “My Properties”.
Step 3: Each of your properties will be listed here with its current payment method. Select the payment method listed on file to verify it. If you wish to change your payment method, select your preferred payment method from the drop-down list or add a new one.
Step 3: Ensure you have reviewed any changes, click “Save and Continue”, and you’re done!
How Does Solstice Manage My Solar Share?
Solstice didn’t cover my entire electric bill this month. Why is that?
Every month you'll see solar credits on your bill for the energy your solar share produced - but while the credits will bring down your charges substantially, they generally won't perfectly offset it. This is true for both rooftop and community solar. There are two reasons why.
First, while many community solar programs cover both the supply and demand portions of your electric bill, some do not cover the Basic Service Charge from your utility. This is a charge from your provider (usually around $20) to all customers to cover basic maintenance of the grid - electric lines, residential meters, and the like. As long as you're on the grid, you'll get a basic service charge.
Second, solar energy production varies seasonally. As you might guess, your solar panels produce more when there is more sunlight! For that reason, your solar share should offset your bill well (aside from your basic service charge) during the summer months with longer days. It might not always cover all your usage during the shortest winter days, though. Here's the good news: your solar share is sized to offset your annual energy use, so during the summer, your solar share will actually produce more energy than you need. You'll be able to bank credits during those months and draw upon them during the winter when you need them. With this system, your bills should be just about offset all year 'round.
Still, there will usually be small discrepancies between your credits and your bill. You may owe your utility a few dollars. Just remember, no matter how much of your bill is covered, you'll always be saving!
Congratulations on going solar! Here’s what to expect next:
Your Solstice Timeline
There are a lot of moving parts between when you enroll with Solstice and when you begin seeing solar credits applied on your utility bill. It can take several months for this process to play out. Here’s a breakdown.
- First, when you sign up with Solstice at any given time of the month, we ensure your profile is complete and decide how many panels to allocate you. We submit new customers to the utility once per month, typically at the very end of the month. So if you signed up at the beginning of a month, you will have a month lag time here.
- Second, community solar is a relatively new phenomenon and is only available in certain areas. Congratulations, that means that you are lucky to be able to live in an area that values your access to this renewable resource. However, this also means that community solar gardens require consumer demand in order to be built and financed. We work with solar developers that require Solstice to start acquiring customers while construction of the solar garden is in process in order to ensure that the solar garden is filled to capacity once development is complete. For this reason, there can be a lag time of up to 6-8 months between when you sign up and when you start to receive credits. While we understand that this is frustrating, it is meant to ensure that the solar garden achieves maximum effect once it is turned on. You will not see any changes on your utility bill or payment requests from Solstice while you wait. In the meantime, we will keep you updated on your farm’s progress and let you know about Solstice appreciation events in your area! Please be patient, as the construction and development of these farms can often be delayed due to weather and other unanticipated circumstances.
- Once your solar farm goes online, it must generate a complete month of power before the credits can be applied. Depending on what time of the month you typically receive your utility bill, these credits may show up the same month, and if they do not, they will be added to the next bill you receive. You will always see only one month’s credits applied to your bill.
- After you have seen the solar generation credit applied to your bill, you will get an invoice from us detailing, how much energy your panels produced, how much you would have paid to the utility for that electricity, and how much you will need to pay to Solstice. Remember, you pay Solstice for 90% of your solar credit’s value. That means that the price you pay Solstice should always be lower than the monetary amount deducted from your utility bill.
- 3 business days after sending our invoice, we will process an automatic transfer of funds for your solar credits with the discount included via autopay. On your Solstice account, you can monitor your panels’ solar production, track your savings, see how much coal you’re keeping in the ground, and check up on your payments. This information is accessible, and you will never be surprised by your monthly solar bill.
When you join community solar, you save on your utility bills through solar credits. We bill you for those credits at a 10% discount, giving you savings month after month.
For more on your utility, try these resources for the utilities we serve:
For more on your utility, try these resources for the utilities we serve:
Step 1: Go to app.solstice.us and sign in with your username and password. If you do not remember your password, select “Forgot your password” and we will send a password reset link to your email. Once signed in, you will see the screen below:
Step 2: On the left under “Settings”, click “Properties” or the house icon.
Step 3: Under the “Billing Info” tab, click “Add Payment Method”. Select your preferred payment method from the drop-down list. You will be redirected to a secure page.
Step 4: Ensure you have reviewed and selected both authorization boxes, click “Save and Continue”, and you’re done!
Understanding Your Community Solar Panel Allocation
Solstice supports a subscription-based community solar model. This model allows for low commitment participation in your local solar farm with no upfront costs and guaranteed savings on your electric bill. In this model, participants do not own their assigned solar panels. Instead, participants buy the energy produced by their solar allocation at a 10% reduced rate. This allows flexible participation in our solar farms that is both environmentally and financially rewarding.
Before subscribing to one of our Solar farms, you must provide Solstice with a recent copy of your electricity bill. By providing this information, we are able to estimate your historic electrical usage and determine how many solar panels should be assigned to your household or business. Solstice sizes your allocation so that the energy that your assigned solar panels produce closely matches the electricity that you use each month.
Because your electricity needs fluctuate throughout the year, Solstice can only estimate your allocation based off of your historic energy usage. We know that circumstances may change and we will evaluate your allocation each month to ensure that the number of panels that are assigned to you closely matches your electricity needs. If you feel like your panel allocation in the solar farm is too small, feel free to reach out to our customer support team to request that it be reviewed.
It is important to note that the amount of energy produced by your solar panels will fluctuate seasonally. In the darker winter months, your panels will produce less energy than they will in the sunnier summer months. This means that you can expect to see a smaller solar discount in the winter. However, your savings will increase as the days get longer with more sunshine, and the months move towards summer. Depending on your home energy usage, it is likely that Your allocation in the solar farm will produce more solar credits than you can use on your bill in certain months. In those months, the excess credits will be banked on your utility account for use in later months when the solar farm produces less energy. Our intention is to keep your utility bill as low as possible year-round so you are seeing maximum savings and support of renewable energy.
Please remember that, no matter how many credits your solar panels produce in a given month, you will always be saving money on your electric bill.