If you have rooftop solar, you may have noticed an amount due for your Clean Energy Alliance (CEA) electricity charges when logging into San Diego Gas & Electric’s online portal, My Energy Center.

We understand this change may be confusing, especially if you are used to paying your electricity charges once a year. The good news: Your CEA electricity rates have not increased, and no new fees have been added. SDG&E has changed how charges are displayed in the My Energy Center portal.

Here’s what you need to know about the portal update and your payment options.

Why Am I Seeing an Amount Due?

On Oct. 24, SDG&E updated My Energy Center with a new homepage display that separates your charges into three categories:

  • CEA Electric Generation Charges: The cost of the electricity CEA generates.
  • SDG&E Electric Delivery and Gas Charges: The cost of delivering electricity to your home and providing gas service.
  • Total Amount Due: Your combined account balance.

Previously, many solar customers did not see their monthly CEA charges displayed as an amount due in the online portal. Instead, they saw a prompt to pay these charges at their annual true-up. Now, My Energy Center displays CEA generation charges as they occur each month. This means you may see a balance due even if you are used to paying once a year.

In short: the My Energy Center update changed how your charges appear online, not how they are calculated.

Do I Have to Pay Monthly or Can I Pay Annually?

That depends on your solar billing plan. You may have one of two options:

Option 1: Pay monthly. This is the default option for solar customers.

Each month, CEA calculates the difference between the electricity you use and the electricity your solar panels produce.

  • If you use more electricity than your panels produce, you may have a charge to pay.
  • If your panels produce more electricity than you use, you receive a credit that carries over to future months.

Paying monthly can help you avoid building up a large balance that is due at your annual true-up.

Who can choose this option? All solar customers, including NEM 1.0, NEM 2.0 (Personal Impact) and Solar Billing Plan (Solar Impact) customers.

Option 2: Pay Annually at True-Up

Some customers can choose to pay their CEA generation charges once a year, at their regular annual true-up.

Who can choose this option? Residential customers enrolled in NEM 1.0 or NEM 2.0 (Personal Impact) before April 15, 2023.

Customers on the newer Solar Billing Plan (Solar Impact) must remain on monthly billing and cannot switch to annual payments.

How do I switch to annual billing?

Contact CEA Customer Service at (833) 232-3110 or AskCEA@TheCleanEnergyAlliance.org to request the change. Your new billing schedule will begin at your next annual true-up and remain in place for 12 months.

One thing to note: If you choose annual billing, SDG&E’s My Energy Center does not currently show your running CEA balance. You can find your cumulative CEA charges on your downloaded SDG&E PDF bill under “CCA Electric Generation Charges.”

What If I’m Enrolled in Auto Pay or a Payment Plan?

If you use Auto Pay:

  • If you remain on monthly billing, SDG&E Auto Pay will automatically pay your full account balance each month. This includes your CEA generation charges, SDG&E delivery charges and gas charges.
  • If you do not want your CEA charges paid monthly through Auto Pay, you can unenroll from Auto Pay or contact CEA to see if you qualify for annual billing.

If you have an SDG&E payment plan:

  • Your monthly CEA charges may now appear as additional amounts due on top of your scheduled installment payment.

Who Should I Contact with Questions?

CEA provides your electricity generation service, while SDG&E delivers the electricity and manages your billing account. Depending on your question, contact the appropriate provider below.

Contact CEA at (833) 232-3110 or AskCEA@TheCleanEnergyAlliance.org for questions about:

  • Your CEA electricity rates and generation charges.
  • Switching between monthly and annual billing, if eligible.
  • Your CEA charges and annual true-up.
  • Your electricity plan options.

Contact SDG&E at (800) 411-7343 for questions about:

  • Logging into or using My Energy Center.
  • Making online payments.
  • Your electricity delivery and gas charges.
  • Auto Pay enrollment and changes.
  • Setting up or updating a payment plan.

Still have questions? CEA’s customer service team is available to help explain your solar billing options and understand how the SDG&E portal update affects your account.