When a Riverside home with rooftop solar sells, the panels go to the buyer. The billing arrangement that made those panels pay off often does not. Riverside Public Utilities' Schedule NEM, the legacy net metering tariff, stays in place only until "the Customer ceases to receive electric service at the Premises," and the tariff states plainly that "new customers establishing service at an existing Premise with a Renewable Generation Electrical Facility are not eligible for this Schedule NEM."
RPU's own Self-Generation page puts it more plainly. Existing NEM customers are unaffected unless they replace their system, enlarge it by more than 25%, or move out, and in that last case "the new customer will automatically be placed on the Self-Generation rate."
So the system on the roof conveys with the house, while the economics of that system end with the seller's account. On a solar home in Riverside, the listing describes hardware, and the buyer's actual return depends on a tariff the buyer will never be enrolled in.
A closed program that shrinks with every sale
Schedule NEM closed to new customers on November 1, 2022. To qualify, a system needed final permit completion by October 31, 2022. The tariff has no fixed sunset date. A home stays on NEM until one of the triggering events happens, and a change in who holds the account is one of them.
The utility designed it that way. At the August 24, 2026 Board of Public Utilities hearing, board member Tom Evans asked about a chart that showed legacy net metering customers declining as Self-Generation customers grew. Raincross Gazette reported that Brian Seinturier, RPU's assistant general manager of finance and administration, called the shift intentional and listed "a new resident moves into a property with an existing system" among the ways customers leave NEM. In the same account, Seinturier described net metering as "a pretty large subsidy" that other ratepayers effectively covered, and Board Chair Brian Siana noted that legacy customers had benefited as electric rates rose while Self-Generation compensation declined.
This affects a large number of homes. RPU says its solar programs have led more than 4,700 homes and businesses to install solar. Combined NEM and Self-Generation capacity has reached 72 megawatts.
What an exported kilowatt-hour is worth after closing
Under NEM, a time-of-use customer's net generation within a given period was valued at the same price RPU charged for retail energy in that period. Customers on tiered rates were credited at the price of the same tier. Self-Generation credits exports at an Avoided Cost of Energy instead. RPU's General Manager approves that rate each year, it runs July 1 through June 30, and it is based on a three-year historical average of hourly utility costs. Single-family Self-Generation customers are billed on Schedule D-TOU, Domestic Time-of-Use.
The base Avoided Cost of Energy for July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 is $0.0678 per kWh. For the previous twelve months it was $0.0832. The table below sets the current D-TOU export credit next to the D-TOU retail price for the same period.
| D-TOU period | Retail energy price, 2026 | Export credit, July 2026 to June 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Summer on-peak, 2 to 7 p.m. | $0.2304 first 330 kWh, $0.3686 above | $0.0995 |
| Summer mid-peak, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 7 to 11 p.m. | $0.1497 first 550 kWh, $0.2395 above | $0.0647 |
| Summer off-peak, 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. | $0.1253 | $0.0541 |
| Winter on-peak, 4 to 9 p.m. | $0.1728 first 135 kWh, $0.2764 above | $0.0746 |
| Winter mid-peak, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 9 to 11 p.m. | $0.1382 first 250 kWh, $0.2212 above | $0.0597 |
| Winter off-peak, 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. | $0.1253 | $0.0541 |
The table shows how much timing matters. A rooftop system produces most of its energy in daylight, and in summer most daylight hours fall in the 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. mid-peak window. Under Self-Generation, a kilowatt-hour exported at 11 a.m. in July earns $0.0647. Buying a kilowatt-hour back from the grid at 8 p.m. that evening costs at least $0.1497. Under NEM, the same export would have been credited at the retail price for its period. On a Self-Generation account, then, solar energy is worth the most when it is used inside the house as it is produced.
The export credit also moves every year, and over the past twelve months it fell. The D-TOU summer on-peak export rate was $0.1221 for the 2025 to 2026 year and is $0.0995 now. If a seller's figures on solar savings come from an older billing year, or from the seller's own NEM account, they describe a rate the buyer will not get.
The December true-up becomes a monthly bill
Billing timing changes as well. At the same August hearing, board member Christian Cruz pointed out that NEM customers true up once a year each December, while Self-Generation customers are billed monthly with no annual reconciliation. Raincross Gazette reported the exchange. Under Self-Generation, credits offset bills and carry forward until they are used up or service ends, and any remaining credit is paid to the customer when service terminates.
A seller with a large summer surplus on NEM may have seen almost no electric charges across the year. A buyer on Self-Generation in the same house will get a bill every month, built on a different rate structure and a lower export credit.
Some charges appear on every account regardless of solar. On D-TOU, the minimum bill is the sum of the customer charge, the reliability charge, and the network access charge. The customer charge is $14.93 a month in 2026. The network access charge ranges from $4.60 to $19.64 a month depending on average daily use. The reliability charge depends on the house itself.
A fixed charge set by the electrical panel
RPU's monthly reliability charge has four brackets:
- Small residence, up to 100 amps: $10
- Medium residence, 101 to 200 amps: $20
- Large residence, 201 to 400 amps: $40
- Very large residence, over 400 amps: $60
The amounts stay the same in every year of the adopted schedule, 2024 through 2028. RPU's May 2023 cost-of-service study says the bracket varies by customer size "measured by the electric panel in Amps." According to the study, the charge recovers fixed costs for the Riverside Transmission Reliability Project, the city's second connection to the regional grid, and for the generating units at the Riverside Energy Resource Center that supply reliability and cover summer peaks.
This matters most in estate neighborhoods, where custom homes are more likely to have large panels. The charge follows the panel's rating, not the household's actual usage. Schedule D does include a remedy. A customer can apply in writing to the General Manager for a temporary waiver or adjustment if the panel "was designed to draw more amps than needed for the customer's electrical usage." The same schedule says RPU will presume that whatever rate was previously assigned to an address is correct unless the customer asks for a review. It also says the utility "assumes no responsibility for advising the Customer of lower optional rates." A new owner starts with the address's existing assignment, and any review happens only if the owner requests it.
What changed on September 22, 2026
Three changes adopted together by the City Council affect buyers planning to add EV charging or more solar. The Board of Public Utilities voted unanimously on August 24 to recommend them, and the Council approved them on September 22.
- Schedule EV is closed to new customers. The separately metered EV rate opened in January 2019. Raincross Gazette reported that RPU received 219 applications over the life of the program and only 30 customers finished installation. Seinturier explained that many customers' panels were too large for the required meter adapter. Existing customers are not affected. Domestic Time-of-Use remains available with lower overnight pricing and no second meter.
- The Self-Generation cap is removed. The combined 64-megawatt limit had already been passed, and staff recommended removing it so eligible customers can keep adding solar. A new system is still limited to 150% of historic annual consumption.
- Revised Electric Rule 11 took effect. Increased estimated demand loads "will be considered as new installations," and the customer pays the net cost of any changes needed in utility facilities. The fee schedule effective July 1, 2026 lists meter-spot charges, including $1,198 for a service disconnect and reconnect and $98 for an initial inspection.
These changes apply to the same purchase. A buyer who plans to upgrade the panel for an EV charger or a larger solar system will pay the utility-side costs of that added load, and may also move into a higher reliability bracket.
The next rate cycle is also under way. In August, Board staff recommended a $148,800 agreement with NewGen for an electric cost-of-service and rate-design study running through December 31, 2028. The current five-year electric plan makes its final adjustment on January 1, 2028. The agreement was on the Council's September 22 agenda. The documents we reviewed do not confirm the vote.
FAQ
Can a buyer keep the seller's net metering? RPU's published tariff and its Self-Generation page both say a new customer at an existing solar property goes onto Self-Generation.
If the seller is already on Self-Generation, does the enrollment carry over? The Self-Generation tariff has general language about assigning rates at existing addresses. It has no express provision saying the agreement or its credit balance transfers to a buyer. RPU is the party that can settle the question for a specific address.
Does a panel upgrade automatically change the reliability charge? The published materials don't say whether the bracket changes automatically or how an owner updates it after an upgrade. They do say the charge is measured by panel amperage and that oversized panels can qualify for an adjustment on written application.
Does Schedule EV stay with a house that already has it? Existing EV customers are not affected by the closure. The tariff does not say whether the rate passes to a buyer, and it requires the customer to own an EV.
If you're buying or selling a solar home in Riverside, Brad Alewine Group can help you separate the hardware from the tariff, request the right billing history, and line up questions for RPU before the contingency period ends. Contact Us to talk through a specific property.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
