Solar Users: Don’t Get Burned. Vote NO on AB 942
California’s AB 942 Rug-Pull Threatens to Break Existing Solar Contracts
Just when you thought it was safe to bask in the warm, renewable glow of your rooftop solar panels for another decade or more, California’s energy policy is threatening to leave you red and peeling. A new proposal, Assembly Bill 942 (AB 942), seeks to break existing solar contracts, shortening their terms by 10 years and potentially depriving solar users of up to $100/month or more in solar value. Solar advocates, consider this your official call to put some fire under the feet of your legislators by telling them to vote NO on AB 942.
Heard enough? Here’s a handy form to make your voice heard: https://solarrights.org/
Want to get angrier? Keep reading.
Backed by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and Governor Gavin Newsom, AB 942 proposes altering the Net Energy Metering (NEM) playing field for long-time solar adopters. The bill was introduced by Assembly member Lisa Calderon, who spent 25 years as a lobbyist for Southern California Edison before donning her Capitol blazer. It’s a curious résumé twist, sort of like if your dentist used to be an executive for Big Candy. One can’t help but admire the efficiency of a political system where the same people who shaped the contracts now get to decide when to break them.
Specifically, AB 942 targets long-time solar customers under NEM 1.0 (adopted in 1996) and NEM 2.0 (rolled out in 2017) — the earlier, more generous programs that allowed homeowners to sell excess solar power back to the grid at nearly retail rates. Both NEM 1.0 and NEM 2.0 customers were promised, under their NEM Agreements, 20 years of grandfathered terms; AB 942 proposes to shorten those agreements by 10 years and disallow solar customers from passing on their NEM1 or NEM2 status to future home buyers. In short, they’re trying to steal back a decade’s worth of value promised to solar users. Not on our sun-dial! (All jokes aside, this is unacceptable.)
If AB 942 passes, customers who’ve had their systems for ten years or more could be bumped into NEM 3.0 (effective as of April 2023), a much stingier system where exported solar is reimbursed based on the utility’s "avoided cost," which could reduce energy bill credits by roughly 80%. Translation: instead of getting paid like a small-time energy producer, you get treated more like someone returning empty soda cans for nickels. For many homeowners, this could mean a loss of $50–$100 per month in solar value—potentially over $1,000 a year.
But Wait, Aren’t Solar Customers Helping the Grid?
Yes. And not just by making rooftops look cooler. Solar customers under NEM 1.0 and NEM 2.0 were long considered valuable contributors to the energy grid, reducing peak demand, lightening the load on infrastructure, and lowering overall energy costs for everyone. You could think of them as early investors who helped get the clean energy market off the ground. Now, with AB 942, they’re being told their returns were too good for too long.
The CPUC, however, claims these legacy solar deals unfairly shift costs to non-solar customers, citing an $8.5B increase in electricity bills for non-solar users last year. Critics argue that’s like blaming cyclists for potholes. Solar advocates argue that rising energy bills are due to uncontrolled spending on transmission and distribution infrastructure, which has risen by 300% over the last 20 years while solar panels have helped keep the demand for electricity flat. Not to mention that retroactively changing contracts threatens to erode public trust.
And yet here we are, watching the fine print of established agreements dissolve like a utility company’s definition of “green energy.”
How Sandbar Solar & Electric Can Help You Outmaneuver the Shade
At Sandbar Solar & Electric, we’ve long championed battery storage, not just because we love gear that sounds like it belongs in a sci-fi movie, but because it actually works. In a world where contracts can be rewritten seemingly overnight, a solid battery system gives you the power (literally) to reclaim control.
Optimized Battery Integration
We’ll design a system that stores your excess solar power and uses it when it matters most, like during peak evening hours or whenever the utility decides your kilowatt-hour is suddenly worth half a bag of pretzels. Our setups are custom-built for your home’s actual energy use, not some utility’s spreadsheet fantasy.
🧠 Smart Energy Management
You’ll get advanced tools to track and control your energy flow in real time. Think of it as having a financial advisor for your electricity — minus the judgment, plus sleek touchscreen interfaces.
🌐 Grid Independence, Supercharged
Batteries reduce your dependence on the grid, which means you’re not as affected when rates spike or power drops. It’s the energy equivalent of switching to cash after your credit card company starts charging a fee just to check your balance.
🔮 Future-Proofing, The Cool Way
Whatever happens with AB 942, having a battery means you're better protected. Policy changes will come and go, but a well-designed solar-plus-storage system will keep working, and saving you money, through it all.
🏡 Tailored Designs That Actually Make Sense
No cookie-cutter systems here. Your energy use isn’t average, so why should your system be? Whether you’ve got a yoga studio in your garage or just a very enthusiastic air conditioner, we’ll tailor your solar setup to fit your life.
At Sandbar Solar & Electric, we’re here to help you stay ahead of the policy plot twists, without giving up your hard-won energy independence. We don’t just install panels and vanish. We stay with you for the long haul, like a dear old friend who brings snacks and knows how to fix the Wi-Fi.
AB 942 might change the rules, but we’ll help you rewrite the playbook, on your terms, with your power, on your roof.
