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
Why do I still receive an electricity bill with solar?
Solar can reduce electricity purchases without eliminating utility charges. Your bill can include energy bought when solar is insufficient, fixed charges and other tariff items. Your loan, lease or PPA payment is a separate obligation. Read the utility bill and ownership contract together.
Source: FTC: Solar power for your home. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Is the number in my solar app the electricity I sold?
Not necessarily. Production is the energy the system generated. Some may be used at home before reaching the utility meter. Exports are energy sent to the grid; imports are energy received from it. Confirm which quantity each chart or bill actually reports.
What does net metering mean?
It describes an arrangement for compensating solar electricity exported to the grid. Eligibility and the billing method depend on state and utility rules. Do not assume the name promises the same credit value, rollover or settlement terms everywhere.
Source: DOE: Homeowner solar guide. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Are exported kilowatt-hours always worth the retail price?
No universal rule establishes that. For example, PG&E’s Solar Billing Plan separates the price of grid purchases from export credits. That is a California utility example, not a rule for every homeowner. Ask your utility for the tariff that applies to your account.
Source: PG&E: Solar Billing Plan. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
What does a true-up bill mean?
Some solar tariffs reconcile charges or credits over a stated period. PG&E explains true-up within its solar billing programs, which differ by plan. Check your own account’s settlement period, payment obligations and treatment of unused credits instead of borrowing a neighbor’s billing explanation.
Source: PG&E: Solar bill explanations. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Can I multiply annual solar production by one electricity price?
That shortcut may overlook when energy is used, what is exported, tariff time periods and charges that remain. Ask a proposal to separate self-used energy, grid purchases, export credits and system payments. Request the actual assumptions rather than treating one multiplication as a verified savings result.
How do I compare bills before and after installation?
Match billing dates and days, then record usage, imports, exports, rates, fixed charges and any settlement. Note changes in occupancy, weather and major loads. Compare total household energy costs including solar payments; a smaller utility bill alone is not a complete financial comparison.
Could a higher bill prove my solar system is broken?
Not by itself. First separate changes in consumption, rates, billing periods and reporting from confirmed loss of generation. Collect comparable production records and dated bill details. Use the existing-system guide to organize evidence, then ask the utility or a qualified service provider about the unresolved issue.
What should I ask my utility before accepting a savings estimate?
Confirm the tariff name and effective date, import prices, export compensation, time periods, fixed or minimum charges, settlement rules and any separate generation provider. Ask where each rule is published. Keep the answer with the proposal so a reviewer can trace its assumptions.
Your decision checklist
- Find the tariff name and effective date on your account.
- Separate production, household use, imports and exports.
- Record fixed charges and settlement rules.
- Match date ranges when comparing app and bill values.
- Include loan, lease or PPA payments in cost comparisons.
- Ask for a written breakdown of the proposal’s savings assumptions.
- Keep bills and monitoring exports private.
Save or print this guide from your browser. Keep completed records privately.
A worked example: production is not exports
Illustration only, with no battery and consistent meter boundaries: your array generates 800 kWh in a month. Your home uses 500 kWh directly, leaving 300 kWh exported. You also import 400 kWh at other times. Total household use is 900 kWh: 500 from solar plus 400 from the grid.
The app’s 800 kWh production value and the utility’s 300 kWh export value can both be correct. This example does not determine your bill: the account tariff, timing, credits and remaining charges still matter. Storage and different meter arrangements require additional accounting.
To review a real proposal, separate the site’s modeled generation from the utility’s billing assumptions. A defined site survey helps document physical inputs; an independent assessment can identify unexplained assumptions. Neither is an official tariff determination.
Continue your research
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 October 6, 2026.
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