Billing and Payments
Q: Does Community Solar Lessen My Carbon Footprint?
A: Yes. By choosing to support a local community solar program you are contributing to reducing the reliance on fossil fuels and creating fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
Q: What Happens to the Land You Build Solar Gardens On?
A: One of our pledges as a company is to leave the land better than we found it. For example, in Minnesota, we are part of Fresh Energy’s “Pollinator Pledge.” This means, when possible, we design our gardens to serve as a habitat for bees and butterflies that pollinate local farms. We also try to build on brownfield sites, which include land with limited use such as old landfills or chemical spill sites.
Q: How Many Solar Gardens are Operational Now?
A:We have 30 fully subscribed and operational solar gardens in Colorado and Minnesota and will continue to build new solar gardens in Colorado and Minnesota in the future.
A subscription now means you will reserve a spot in one of our new solar gardens and begin seeing credits on your bill as soon as the gardens are built and active.
Q: How Does Billing Work?A:
A: In order to subscribe to a SunShare Community Solar Garden, you must be an Xcel Energy customer, live in the same county as, or adjacent to, the garden, and have a credit score of at least 680.
Q: What if I Rent?
A: The beauty of community solar is that EVERYONE, who pays an electric bill, can benefit from solar electricity – regardless of homeownership or roof quality.
Q: How Do I Subscribe?
A: If you are interested but need more information, contact one of our team members by email at info@mysunshare.com or by dialing 800.793.0786. If you are ready to subscribe now, simply fill out the short form on to receive the subscription documents.
Q: What Happens After I Submit My Subscription Documents?
A:
-
SunShare will do a credit check to ensure your credit score is above 680. This will take about 2 – 4 weeks complete.
-
Simultaneously, SunShare will reach out to Xcel Energy for your usage information in order to accurately calculate your subscription. This will take about 3-5 weeks to complete.
-
Once SunShare has calculated your subscription, and your credit has been approved, you will officially become a SunShare subscriber, and you will be put on a wait list for a to-be-constructed solar garden. Subscribers are placed into solar gardens on a first-come-first-served basis.
-
Once you have been assigned to a to-be-built solar garden, there is typically a 6 – 12 month construction time frame. While your solar garden is being built, SunShare will provide helpful information regarding your SunShare subscription, including important information about billing, how to set up automatic payments, and the expected date for when your garden will become live.
A: In order to subscribe to a SunShare Community Solar Garden, you must be an Xcel Energy customer, live in the same county as, or adjacent to, the garden, and have a credit score of at least 680.
Q: What if I Rent?
A: The beauty of community solar is that EVERYONE, who pays an electric bill, can benefit from solar electricity – regardless of homeownership or roof quality.
A: In order to subscribe to a SunShare Community Solar Garden, you must be an Xcel Energy customer, live in the same county as, or adjacent to, the garden, and have a credit score of at least 680.
Q: What if I Rent?
A: The beauty of community solar is that EVERYONE, who pays an electric bill, can benefit from solar electricity – regardless of homeownership or roof quality.
Billing and Payments
How Does Billing Work?
When Can I Expect To Receive My First Bill From SunShare?
When Can I Expect To See Solar Credits on My Utility Bill?
You will see bill credits on your utility bill one to two months after your subscription is active. The specific bill credit timing varies by utility, so details can be found in your Subscription Activation Packet that you received prior to your subscription being activated.
How Do I Pay My SunShare Bill?
To pay your SunShare bill, please visit My Account, select your SunShare Community Solar Garden, and follow the instructions. If you need any assistance or have any questions, please contact us at 800.793.0786 or customercare@mysunshare.com.
I Am Signed Up for Xcel Energy’s Averaged Monthly Payment (AMP) Program. Does This Affect My Solar Credits?
If you are a Minnesota Xcel Energy customer who is on the Averaged Monthly Payment Program: If you are on the AMP Program with Xcel Energy, for which you pay the same set amount each month, the timing of your Bill Credits will be different than outlined above. With the AMP program, your monthly payments are based on the average of your prior 12-month historical energy usage and costs, and your payments do not change each month although your actual usage does vary by month. If you are on the AMP program while being a SunShare subscriber, your actual current energy usage and Solar*Rewards Community Bill Credits are still tracked and shown on each of your monthly bills; however, the Bill Credits are paid out annually rather than being applied to reduce your monthly electricity bill. This means you will be paying two bills each month – one to Xcel Energy, and one to SunShare. You will still be earning Bill Credits for the solar energy your subscription produces, and your Bill Credits will be paid to you by Xcel Energy in the form of a check each year after your annual AMP billing cycle resets. We understand that this is not ideal, and if you elect to unenroll from the AMP program, you will begin to see your Solar*Rewards Community credits appear on your Xcel Energy bill and those credits will be applied toward your balance as described above. For additional information, please call our Customer Care team at 800.793.0786.
If you are a Colorado Xcel Energy customer who is on the Averaged Monthly Payment Program:
If you are on the AMP Program with Xcel Energy, for which you pay the same set amount each month, the timing of your Bill Credits will be different than outlined above. With the AMP program, your monthly payments are based on the average of your prior 12-month historical energy usage and costs, and your payments do not change each month although your actual usage does vary by month. If you are on the AMP program while being a SunShare subscriber, your actual current energy usage and Solar*Rewards Community Bill Credits are still tracked and shown on each of your monthly bills; however, the Bill Credits are paid out annually rather than being applied to reduce your monthly electricity bill. This means you will be paying two bills each month – one to Xcel Energy, and one to SunShare. You will still be earning Bill Credits for the solar energy your subscription produces, and your Bill Credits will be applied to your account each year when your annual AMP billing cycle resets. We understand that this is not ideal, and if you elect to unenroll from the AMP program, you will begin to see your Solar*Rewards Community credits appear on your Xcel Energy bill and those credits will be applied toward your balance as described above. For additional information, please call our Customer Care team at 800.793.0786.
What If I’m Not Seeing Solar Credits On My Utility Bill?
There are a few scenarios that might create a delay in seeing the credits on your utility bill:
- The date your utility bill was issued is before the bill credits were applied. In this case, your bill credits will appear on the following month’s bill. This timing is detailed in your Billing Activation Packet. You’re on your utility’s Averaged Monthly Payment (AMP) Program. For more information on how this affects bill credits, please see our FAQ, “I Am Signed Up for Xcel Energy’s Averaged Monthly Payment (AMP) Program. Does This Affect My Solar Credits?”
- The solar garden has under produced or not produced energy, likely due to a storm or mechanical issue. If this happens, you’ll receive notification from SunShare about the impact to production. For more information, see our FAQ, “What if My Solar Garden Under Produces or Stops Producing Energy for Any Reason?”
- You have become ineligible by moving outside of your utility’s service territory or to a location where your utility bill is covered by a third party. In this scenario, you will stop receiving bill credits from your utility, and you will therefore not receive further SunShare bills after your bill credits have ceased.