PG&E NEM 2.0 - any issues with being able to keep NEM 2.0 if switching contractors?

[jrmnet]

Does anyone here have experience with being approved for NEM 2.0 and then switching contractors before the project starts?

NEM 2.0 application originally went in under Contractor A.

I am considering switching to Contractor B, but do NOT want to lose NEM 2.0.

Contractor B obviously wants the business, and has forwarded a statement from the group that manages these applications (it is not the PG&E solar group, it is some other group related to PG&E (I don't have the name of the group with me).

That group has stated

Changing the CSLB # wouldn’t affect the NEM2 status.

Contractor A submitted the NEM 2.0 form. Contractor A thinks I will lose my 2.0 status if I switch contractors, they said that "if your project # changes with PG&E then you lose NEM 2.0 status".

Does anyone have experience with switching contractors after being approved for NEM 2.0? Did you have any issue retaining NEM 2.0?

 

[holeydonut]

Does anyone here have experience with being approved for NEM 2.0 and then switching contractors before the project starts?

NEM 2.0 application originally went in under Contractor A.

I am considering switching to Contractor B, but do NOT want to lose NEM 2.0.

Contractor B obviously wants the business, and has forwarded a statement from the group that manages these applications (it is not the PG&E solar group, it is some other group related to PG&E (I don't have the name of the group with me).

That group has stated

Contractor A submitted the NEM 2.0 form. Contractor A thinks I will lose my 2.0 status if I switch contractors, they said that "if your project # changes with PG&E then you lose NEM 2.0 status".

Does anyone have experience with switching contractors after being approved for NEM 2.0? Did you have any issue retaining NEM 2.0?

My understanding is the NEM 2.0 grandfathering will be tied to the "completed interconnection application" that had to be submitted on or before 11:59pm April 14, 2023.

If Contractor A has a completed application, they probably spec'd certain hardware and provided a preliminary design to PG&E for review. And it's also possible they started the process to obtain a permit. If you switch to another installer, Contractor A will need to either give you full permission to that application, or somehow grant that application to a Contractor B.

Since this project is probably under Contractor A's PG&E interconnection portal login, the chance of you somehow transferring this project to Contractor B is low unless you're willing to pay Contractor A some consideration. Or, you somehow agree to let Contractor A sub-contract to Contractor B, but of course then they'll both want margin/profit.

It's possible PG&E can just go in on the backend and transfer the application to Contractor B. It's tough for me to tell if these applications are the property of the account that initiated the interconnection request, or property to the client making payments against the meter. But it would be interesting if you found out.

The "Solar Rights" doesn't seem to discuss this lol. In the old days Contractor B would just make their own new application and that'd be the end of the story.

 

[jrmnet]

I should have mentioned that I am keeping the specs and panels exactly the same.
Also, I am totally fine with compensating Contractor A with getting me in under NEM 2.0 in time.
I'm fairly certain nothing has begin with permitting yet from Contractor A.
I'm hoping someone on here has gone through this before.

 

[TespaceX]

Curious to know the answer to this as well. Have you found out @jrmnet? Thanks.

 

[andrey415]

Any updates on this thread? I am in the same situation. @jrmnet

 

[jrmnet]

I ended up not switching contractors.

Along the lines of what @holeydonut said, in my case the portal contract was initiated under Contractor A, and I would have had to have them reassign it to me as an individual, which I would then "own" the project in the portal and would then have the work completed by Contractor B. Contractor A has no incentive to release it to me since it ultimately opens my ability to switch contractors. Also, considering the speed with with PG&E moves, my concern was that pursuing this could delay the project - and of a larger concern was me missing some detail that would cause my NEM 2.0 status to drop, which ultimately I decided was a risk not worth taking. In the end contractor A did do a fantastic job even if I would have save some scratch going with Contractor B.

On an unrelated note, I do recommend doing your own math on what the system will generate per year for you. On a sunny day in CA, we generate approx only $11 per day with 17 panels. I'll do a more complete analysis once we reach our first yearly PG&E true-up event.