The selected rate switch date is independent of meter reads or billing cycles, and the selected date will be the date your new rate applies to both the power consumed and generated by your home. For example, if you selected ‘March 14’ as your switch date, you will be charged/credited the LO rate until March 13, and then the HI rate would apply starting March 14 onwards, until you decide to switch back. The different rates and date ranges will be visible on your bill, and you’ll be able to see the higher rate being applied on the exact date you requested.

The HI Rate is not regulated and is set by the Solar Club™. Microgen regulation stipulates that the rate at which a retailer buys surplus electricity from the micro-generator and the rate at which it sells electricity to the microgen customer (delivered from the grid) must be the same rate during the billing period. There is no restriction on the actual rates themselves, as this is left up to the individual retailers to set based on market conditions. Customers can switch between the HI and LO Solar Club rates once per billing period.

Your distribution and transmission costs will remain part of your invoice; these, unfortunately, don’t go away with micro-generation. However, the charges are based only on the electricity you import from the grid, not the amount you export from microgeneration. The variable portion of your distribution and transmission fees are lowered as a result of net billing.

In Alberta, under the Micro-Generation Regulation, micro-generators are billed using net billing. Under net billing, homeowners are credited or paid for excess electricity at the same rate they pay for power from the grid. This can lead to a zero or near-zero electricity bill.

Net metering is when homeowners sell excess electricity back to the grid at a rate that is often lower than the retail rate. This means while they can still save on their electricity bill, the savings may not be as significant as with net billing.

The difference in values is due to a system called Net Billing, which is the system implemented throughout Alberta and is overseen by the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC). Under net billing, at any given time, your system acts either as a net exporter (producing more power than it uses) or a net importer (using more power than it produces). Customers get charged their retail rate per kWh when they use power from the grid and are paid the same retail rate when they sell excess power back. Both consumption and generation are recorded and billed separately. What shows up on your invoice under ‘energy consumed’ is your net energy consumed, and your ‘microgen’ values represent the net energy exported.