{"id":28437,"date":"2020-10-27T11:38:57","date_gmt":"2020-10-27T16:38:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/?p=28437"},"modified":"2024-03-14T15:05:32","modified_gmt":"2024-03-14T20:05:32","slug":"common-energy-cubs-evaluation-of-a-new-community-solar-offer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/blog\/2020\/10\/27\/common-energy-cubs-evaluation-of-a-new-community-solar-offer\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Energy: CUB\u2019s evaluation of a new community solar offer"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This is an evaluation of Common Energy\u2019s community solar offering. (If you are not already\u00a0familiar with community solar, we recommend reading our Introduction to Community Solar<\/a><\/strong> first.)<\/p>\n

How will signing up for the Common Energy community solar offer affect my electric bill?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

To participate in Common Energy\u2019s offer, you must first connect your utility and billing information.\u00a0To do that, you must have an online account with your utility (ComEd or Ameren) and enter your login info (username and password) into Common Energy\u2019s online system. Once you\u2019ve signed up with Common Energy, your utility bill will be redirected to Common Energy. Instead of the utility emailing you a bill, Common Energy will send you a monthly statement.<\/p>\n

Common Energy will look at your energy usage history to determine your subscription size,\u00a0measured in kilowatts (kW). Each month your subscription will produce solar energy, measured in\u00a0kilowatt-hours (kWh).\u00a0Once the community solar project you are assigned to is completed, your monthly Common Energy\u00a0statement will include the community solar bill credits produced by your subscription. Common\u00a0Energy gives you a 10% discount<\/strong> on these bill credits compared to the standard utility supply cost.\u00a0That\u2019s where the savings come in. The total amount you save monthly will vary as the solar\u00a0production of your subscription varies.<\/p>\n

What about alternative suppliers? <\/strong><\/p>\n

All customers, regardless of their alternative electricity supplier, can now receive solar bill credits as part of a community solar program. Click here to learn more about alternative suppliers for consumers in\u00a0ComEd territory<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Ameren territory<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What does CUB think about this offer?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Community solar allows more Illinois consumers to enjoy the benefits of renewable energy, and\u00a0CUB is pleased to see these offers hit the market. However, we think that requiring customers to\u00a0turn their utility account credentials over to Common Energy will be a barrier for customers who\u00a0don\u2019t have online accounts. Additionally, Common Energy promises 10% savings over your utility\u2019s\u00a0energy supply price, but other community solar companies are offering 20% savings. Visit\u00a0www.SolarInTheCommunity.com<\/a> to see CUB\u2019s analysis of other deals available in Illinois.<\/p>\n

This chart summarizes key points about the Common Energy deal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
What utility territory does the company serve?<\/td>\nAmeren and ComEd.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Does the company offer savings?<\/td>\nYes. Common Energy offers 10% off the utility default supply\u00a0rate for the community solar bill credits you receive.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Is there a credit check when I sign up?<\/td>\nCommon Energy performs a soft credit check, which should not impact your credit score.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
What is the contract term?<\/td>\nNone.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Is there an “exit fee” for leaving the contract early?<\/td>\nThere is no cancellation fee, but you must provide 90 days’
\nnotice.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
What are my billing options?<\/td>\nAutomatic payment is required. Common has access to your utility account and pays your utility bill through your payment, so Common statements will replace your utility bills.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

When will my subscription go live? When will I start to see credits on my utility bill?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This depends on when the community solar garden you are assigned to is completed. The\u00a0Community Solar Standard Disclosure Form you receive from Common Energy includes the month\u00a0they expect your subscription to go live in the \u201cSubscription Specifications\u201d section. Once you sign\u00a0up you can also check your customer portal for updates on your project.<\/p>\n

What happens if I move?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you move within your current utility territory you can take your community solar subscription\u00a0with you. If you move outside of the utility territory, you can cancel with no penalty. If you need to\u00a0cancel you must give Common Energy 90 days\u2019 written notice. During that period Common Energy\u00a0will still bill you for the solar produced, and you will still receive bill credits if your account is still\u00a0active.<\/p>\n

Can I sign up for Common Energy\u2019s offer and a real-time pricing program?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, you can participate in Common Energy’s community solar program alongside ComEd’s Hourly Pricing program or Ameren’s Power Smart Pricing plan.<\/p>\n

How do I sign up?<\/strong><\/p>\n

To enroll in Common Energy\u2019s community solar program, visit Common Energy’s website<\/a><\/strong>. See all community solar offers available to you at\u00a0Solar In The Community<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Have you signed up for a community solar program?<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Let us know about your experience!<\/a><\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This is an evaluation of Common Energy\u2019s community solar offering. (If you are not already\u00a0familiar with community solar, we recommend reading our Introduction to Community Solar first.) How will signing up for the Common Energy community solar offer affect my electric bill? To participate in Common Energy\u2019s offer, you must first connect your utility and billing information.\u00a0To do that, you must have an online account with your utility (ComEd or Ameren) and enter your login info (username and password) into Common Energy\u2019s online system. Once you\u2019ve signed up with Common Energy, your utility bill will be redirected to Common Energy. Instead of the utility emailing you a bill, Common Energy will send you a monthly statement. Common Energy will look at your energy usage history to determine your subscription size,\u00a0measured in kilowatts (kW). Each month your subscription will produce solar energy, measured in\u00a0kilowatt-hours (kWh).\u00a0Once the community solar project you are assigned to is completed, your monthly Common Energy\u00a0statement will include the community solar bill credits produced by your subscription. Common\u00a0Energy gives you a 10% discount on these bill credits compared to the standard utility supply cost.\u00a0That\u2019s where the savings come in. The total amount you save monthly will vary as the solar\u00a0production of your subscription varies. What about alternative suppliers? All customers, regardless of their alternative electricity supplier, can now receive solar bill credits as part of a community solar program. Click here to learn more about alternative suppliers for consumers in\u00a0ComEd territory\u00a0and\u00a0Ameren territory. What does CUB think about this offer? Community solar allows more Illinois consumers to enjoy the benefits of renewable energy, and\u00a0CUB is pleased to see these offers hit the market. However, we think that requiring customers to\u00a0turn their utility account credentials over to Common Energy will be a barrier for customers who\u00a0don\u2019t have online accounts. Additionally, Common Energy promises 10% savings over your utility\u2019s\u00a0energy supply price, but other community solar companies are offering 20% savings. Visit\u00a0www.SolarInTheCommunity.com to see CUB\u2019s analysis of other deals available in Illinois. This chart summarizes key points about the Common Energy deal: What utility territory does the company serve? Ameren and ComEd. Does the company offer savings? Yes. Common Energy offers 10% off the utility default supply\u00a0rate for the community solar bill credits you receive. Is there a credit check when I sign up? Common Energy performs a soft credit check, which should not impact your credit score. What is the contract term? None. Is there an “exit fee” for leaving the contract early? There is no cancellation fee, but you must provide 90 days’ notice. What are my billing options? Automatic payment is required. Common has access to your utility account and pays your utility bill through your payment, so Common statements will replace your utility bills. When will my subscription go live? When will I start to see credits on my utility bill? This depends on when the community solar garden you are assigned to is completed. The\u00a0Community Solar Standard Disclosure Form you receive from Common Energy includes the month\u00a0they expect your subscription to go live in the \u201cSubscription Specifications\u201d section. Once you sign\u00a0up you can also check your customer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[929,475,681,69],"tags":[1148,595,169],"class_list":["post-28437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-clean-energy","category-solar-2","category-solar-power","category-updates","tag-common-energy","tag-community-solar","tag-solar"],"cp_meta_data":{"classic-editor-remember":["classic-editor"],"_edit_lock":["1710446738:25"],"_edit_last":["25"],"_wp_page_template":["default"],"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["30"],"borntogive_strict_no_sidebar":["0"],"borntogive_sidebar_columns_layout":["3"],"borntogive_page_header_show_hide":["2"],"borntogive_pages_title_show":["2"],"borntogive_pages_Choose_slider_display":["2"],"borntogive_pages_slider_pagination":["yes"],"borntogive_pages_slider_auto_slide":["yes"],"borntogive_pages_slider_direction_arrows":["yes"],"borntogive_pages_slider_effects":["fade"],"borntogive_pages_body_bg_wide":["0"],"borntogive_pages_body_bg_repeat":["repeat"],"borntogive_pages_content_bg_wide":["0"],"borntogive_pages_content_bg_repeat":["repeat"],"borntogive_pages_social_show":["1"],"borntogive_gallery_slider_pagination":["yes"],"borntogive_gallery_slider_auto_slide":["yes"],"borntogive_gallery_slider_direction_arrows":["yes"],"borntogive_gallery_slider_effects":["fade"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["69"],"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":["Currently, Common Energy\u2019s signup process doesn\u2019t include the necessary consumer disclosure\u00a0form or brochure required by the Illinois Shines program. CUB recommends avoiding this offer\u00a0until the company follows the guidelines of the Illinois Shines program."],"_wpsp_is_facebook_share":["off"],"_wpsp_is_twitter_share":["off"],"_wpsp_is_linkedin_share":["off"],"_wpsp_is_pinterest_share":["off"],"_wpb_vc_js_status":["false"],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["4"],"_yoast_wpseo_wordproof_timestamp":[""],"_wpb_post_custom_layout":["default"],"_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":["off"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28437"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28437\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39726,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28437\/revisions\/39726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}