Net Energy Metering
Customers with on-site renewable energy systems, such as solar panels, can receive credits on their bill when they generate more energy than they need
Net Energy Metering (NEM) allows customers with on-site renewable energy systems to receive credits on their bill when they generate more energy than they need. For more details, see the NEM tariff document.
Have you heard about the Solar Billing Plan or Net Billing Tariff? To learn more, visit our Solar Billing Plan page.
Benefits
We offer many benefits to our rooftop solar customers:
Convenient Monthly Billing: To help you avoid a large true-up bill at the end of the year, CleanPowerSF bills monthly for any generation usage that is not covered by bill credits.
Premium Credit for Annual Net Surplus Generation: Each month, you’ll receive bill credits at retail value for net energy generated. Annually, the net excess energy left in your account is credited at a higher premium retail value to thank you for generating clean, local electricity.
Option to Upgrade: Upgrading to SuperGreen, CleanPowerSF’s 100% California-certified renewable energy service, ensures that you can be powered by renewable energy, even if your solar panels do not produce all of your annual electricity usage.
Eligibility
All CleanPowerSF customers that meet PG&E’s NEM program requirements are eligible for our NEM program. CleanPowerSF customers are also still eligible for PG&E’s Virtual NEM, Virtual NEM for Multifamily Affordable Housing, and NEM Aggregation programs.
How To Enroll
CleanPowerSF customers installing solar should apply for NEM through PG&E. Once your application is processed, you will be automatically served by CleanPowerSF’s NEM program. To learn more about installing solar visit PG&E’s Solar webpage or call PG&E at (800) 743-5000.
Understand Your Bill
CleanPowerSF charges are included in your monthly PG&E statement. See our Understanding My NEM Bill to learn more.
Annual True Up
At the end of your April bill cycle, CleanPowerSF will review your account to determine if you are a net generator—meaning that you generated more energy than you used over the past year—and are therefore eligible to receive Net Surplus Compensation (NSC). CleanPowerSF currently credits our net generators at a rate of $0.0893 for each excess kWh you generated, more than PG&E's rate.
Your Net Surplus Compensation will be issued as a bill credit that will apply to future CleanPowerSF charges. However, if you would like to receive your payment by check, please complete this online form by August 31, 2026.
If you would like to submit the form by mail or email, please complete this PDF Cash Out Form.
Annual NEM Cash Out Process
The following outlines our brief process and timeline. For questions or assistance, please contact our customer service team at (415) 554-0773.
1. Notification
All NEM customers with Net Surplus Compensation may request a cash out. Customers with $100 or more will receive a courtesy notification letter.
2. NEM True-Bill
Customers will receive their NEM true-up bill around April - June each year, detailing their annual usage and credit.
3. Cash Out Requests
Customers must submit their NEM Cash Out Request Form 60 days of the first bill following the end of the Annual True Up period or by August 29, 2025, or within 90 days of when your CleanPowerSF account has closed.
4. Processing & Verification (approximately in a week)
Once CleanPowerSF receives the Cash Out Form, staff verifies customer information.
Customers will receive an email confirmation regarding their request and instructions for next steps.
5. Remittance & W-9 Form Requirements
Returning Cash Out Customers: If you have previously completed a NEM cash-out request and have an existing supplier ID, we will ask you to confirm your remittance address through the confirmation email.
New Cash Out Customers: If this is your first NEM cash-out request, the Controller’s Office will email you a secure email request to complete an IRS W-9 form to establish a supplier ID. For your data security, DO NOT submit the W-9 form to CleanPowerSF.
6. Check Issuance & Mailing (approximately in 4-6 weeks)
Once the W-9 form is received, we obtain a supplier ID from the Controller’s Office. With a supplier ID and confirmed remittance address, we request a paper check from our Finance team. The check is mailed to the customer’s remittance address.
Questions?
For more information, visit our FAQ page or contact us.