{"id":37089,"date":"2023-04-05T16:46:35","date_gmt":"2023-04-05T21:46:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/?p=37089"},"modified":"2023-04-13T16:54:37","modified_gmt":"2023-04-13T21:54:37","slug":"youre-a-community-solar-customer-in-ameren-territory-heres-whats-happening-to-your-bills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/blog\/2023\/04\/05\/youre-a-community-solar-customer-in-ameren-territory-heres-whats-happening-to-your-bills\/","title":{"rendered":"You\u2019re a community solar customer in Ameren territory? Here\u2019s what’s happening to your bills"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"By: Marina Minic
\n<\/em>Solar Programs Coordinator<\/em><\/p>\n

Community solar customers in Ameren territory have seen “bill adjustments.” CUB can explain:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re subscribed to community solar, you get a credit on your Ameren bill that corresponds to the amount of solar energy your subscription produced. That credit shows up as a number of kilowatt-hours (kWhs) multiplied by a rate in dollars or cents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Previously, the number of kWhs was multiplied by your electricity supply rate plus the \u201csupply cost adjustment\u201d (SCA). But starting June 1, 2022, utility companies were expected to change their crediting methodology.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than multiplying the amount of kWhs by the supply rate and SCA only, Ameren is now supposed to multiply it by Ameren\u2019s Price to Compare (the Ameren supply rate, the SCA AND the transmission charge).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, when it came time to implement the change, Ameren\u2019s billing system was not fully updated. So, the utility continued to use the old crediting methodology (just multiplying the number of kWhs by the supply rate plus the SCA) until their system was fully updated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So for months, customers were receiving bill credits that were slightly smaller than they should have been and were therefore paying slightly smaller subscription fees back to their community solar companies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In October 2022, Ameren updated its billing system to 1) use the Price to Compare and 2) switch from kWh credits to monetary credits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In November, customers were rebilled by Ameren\u2013and the utility had to make up for those months when they were crediting customers at a rate that was too small. For customers, this rebilling process resulted in a lump sum addition of credits on their Ameren bill.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But because customers had been \u201cunder-credited\u201d for those months, it also meant they were \u201cunder-paying\u201d their community solar provider, since subscription fees are based on the size of the credit on their Ameren bills each month. This is why community solar customers are now seeing extra charges labeled as \u201cbill adjustments\u201d on their recent community solar bills.<\/span><\/p>\n

Things to note:<\/span><\/p>\n