Use this guide
Choose the questions relevant to your situation. Expand each answer, save the checklist and request written clarification where evidence is missing.
Questions homeowners ask
Does this guide apply to every Arizona solar household?
No. Confirm APS is the utility for the service address and identify the actual customer category. SRP, TEP and other providers use different processes. Local permit requirements are separate. This guide focuses on APS billing and the records behind a homeowner comparison.
Will an APS bill continue after solar is installed?
Yes. APS says grid-connected solar customers continue receiving a monthly bill. Keep that bill separate from any solar loan, lease or PPA payment when comparing household costs.
Source: APS: Rooftop solar journey and bill guidance. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Is the service plan the same thing as an export rider?
No. APS explains that renewable riders work with a service plan. Record the plan for purchased electricity and the rider for exported electricity separately.
Source: APS: Renewable energy riders. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
What does APS mean by the RCP export rider?
APS describes RCP as net billing: unused solar energy sent to the grid earns a monthly monetary credit. Remaining credit rolls forward. Confirm the actual purchase rate and account eligibility.
Source: APS: Renewable energy riders. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
How does APS describe EPR-2?
APS describes EPR-2 as net billing with monthly export credits and remaining-credit rollover. Its solar guide explains that purchase rates vary by on-peak/off-peak periods and season. Ask for your applicable schedule.
Source: APS: Rooftop solar journey and bill guidance. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Can I choose a legacy net-metering rider just because the panels are old?
Do not assume eligibility. APS says Legacy EPR-6 is frozen to new customers and requires residential grandfathering qualification. Equipment age alone does not confirm the account’s rider.
Source: APS: Renewable energy riders. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Does my APS account show total panel production?
APS distinguishes exported energy visible in its account from total solar production available through the installer’s monitoring arrangements. Compare matching periods and identify each measurement boundary.
Source: APS: Rooftop solar journey and bill guidance. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
How should I compare a plan with a demand charge?
APS describes its solar demand-charge option as using the highest on-peak hour of usage for the monthly demand charge. Ask for the actual plan calculation and dated usage assumptions.
Source: APS: Rooftop solar journey and bill guidance. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Is installation approval already Permission to Operate?
No. APS separates application review and approval for installation from subsequent local inspection, meter installation and APS operating permission. Keep the actual milestones distinct.
Source: APS: Rooftop solar journey and bill guidance. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Can I view the application if my installer submitted it?
APS says the applicant must grant customer access to view an interconnection application. Ask for supported access and preserve the reference and outstanding actions.
Source: APS: Rooftop solar journey and bill guidance. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
How should I check year-end credits before signing?
Request the current rider and written account treatment, including rollover, refund conditions and the relevant dates. Keep the answer with the estimate. This guide does not assume that every rider settles the same way or that a credit offsets every continuing cost.
Your decision checklist
- Confirm the serving utility and customer category.
- Record the exact service plan and export rider separately.
- Request the applicable rate schedule and estimate assumptions.
- Compare generation, exports and imports for matching periods.
- Keep demand-charge assumptions distinct from energy totals.
- Retain application access and actual operating authorization.
- Check year-end treatment and continuing charges.
- Use qualified advisers for account, contract and technical decisions.
Save or print this guide from your browser. Keep completed records privately.
Continue your research
Check the assumptions behind the household comparison
| Item | Record to request | Unresolved question |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Utility, customer category and dates | Does this comparison fit my account? |
| Purchased electricity | Named service plan and dated schedule | Which cost periods and charges apply? |
| Exported electricity | Named rider and accepted account treatment | What quantity and valuation are used? |
| Measurements | Dated generation, import and export records | Are the periods and boundaries comparable? |
| Demand assumption | Interval usage and calculation supplied by provider | What drives the estimate? |
| Remaining costs | System payment and continuing charges | What does the credit leave unpaid? |
| Project status | Application record and issued notifications | Which next action remains outstanding? |
Example: a proposal multiplies annual generation by one electricity purchase price. Ask the preparer to separate direct household use from exports, name the export rider and show how the plan’s charges enter the comparison. Keep missing assumptions unresolved rather than using the most favorable rate. This example does not calculate savings.
Example: two households have the same monthly kilowatt-hour total, but the proposal includes a demand-charge plan for one household. A monthly total alone does not show the highest relevant usage interval. Request the data and calculation used, rather than treating identical energy totals as identical bills.
Example: the installer reports an approved application, but the owner cannot find operating permission. Ask for the exact notice and outstanding milestone through the official process. Do not energize or alter equipment to fill the paperwork gap.
For local jurisdiction records, use our Phoenix permit guide; it covers a different decision from this APS billing comparison. Continue with bill measurements, financing terms and handover records. Learn Solar Survey AI’s evidence methodology and discuss available survey services; confirm homeowner scope, qualifications and availability. A technical assessment does not determine your tariff or guarantee savings or approval. Connected homeowner monitoring and free remote diagnosis remain coming soon.
About these guides
Published by Solar Survey AI, a commercial survey-services company. Our original decision checklists are recommendations; linked authorities support the referenced facts. We may benefit if you purchase our services. This is not independent certification of our company, a project-specific engineering decision or personal tax/legal advice. Local rules, contracts and site evidence control individual decisions. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
For available survey or inspection services, confirm your project scope and availability with our team. Our planned free homeowner remote diagnosis remains coming soon.
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