Residential customers, including solar customers, pay a Base Services Charge. Solar customers are still connected to the grid and require the infrastructure, meters, and other equipment needed to maintain it.

Your net electricity usage cost still depends on how much energy you produce and use. 

The Base Services Charge is a separate line item charge that is billed on your monthly statements that cannot be offset by the electricity you generate. However, if your account has a remaining Net Surplus Compensation credit or Energy Export Bonus Credits (Solar Billing Plan), the Base Services Charge will be paid with that credit.

NEM 1.0 and NEM 2.0 customers: Please note that because the variable electric rate has decreased, the monthly credit has also decreased. This is because SCE calculates your monthly credit based on your net energy and the current electric rate.

Learn more about NEM Billing: Guide to Your Net Energy Metering Bill

The Base Services Charge is payable each month, even for customers with Net Energy Metering (NEM) or Solar Billing Plan (SBP), regardless of energy usage.