UPDATE 12\/16\/2022: The CPUC voted unanimously to approve<\/a> the new net-billing plan.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n After over a year<\/a> of debate and numerous iterations, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has released its final proposal<\/a> for the state’s next phase of the net-metering program and will hold a vote today, Dec. 15, at 11 a.m. PT.<\/p>\n When solar arrays produce more energy than a home or business needs, the owner can put some of that energy back onto the grid and receive compensation. The CPUC has been deliberating on the next phase of California’s compensation program since 2020.<\/p>\n The new plan is a shift to net billing, which differs from net metering because customers are selling energy back to the utility at lower “avoided cost” or wholesale rates (what the utility pays for energy), rather than the higher retail rates (what utility customers pay for energy) that are paid in net-metering programs, according to EnergySage<\/a>.<\/p>\n