Is community solar a scam?

No. Community solar is a real, state-created programme: your utility applies credits from a registered local solar farm to your electric bill, and you pay for those credits at a discount. What gives it a bad name is how some companies sell it — door-to-door pressure, confusing billing and allocations sized wrong — not the programme itself.

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How to tell the programme from the pitch

A real community solar subscription costs nothing up front, needs no credit card and does not change who delivers your power. If someone asks you to pay to sign up, that is not how community solar works.

We never knock on doors, never ask for payment and never ask for a credit card. You keep your existing utility and keep getting your normal utility bill.

What we do differently

We size your allocation from your actual 12 months of usage, and we know which farms allocate well and which do not. We are known for getting customers the best allocation.

When a credit is late or missing, we go back to the solar farm ourselves and work it out. Most companies hand you a phone number and leave you stuck between the utility and the farm; we do not. That is what we are known for.

How is community solar different from an unsolicited supplier switch?

Community solar adds discounted farm credits to your electric account. A third-party energy supplier changes the supply rate on the bill. Those are different transactions. A pitch that says the utility is being replaced or that a meter must be installed is not describing Lower Your Bill's community solar enrollment. You keep your supplier, electric connection and normal utility bill.

Lower Your Bill never knocks on doors. If an unsolicited caller asks to photograph your bill, check the company independently first. Use your own utility bill's number for utility questions.

Why can a real community solar bill look like a double charge?

Some community solar projects use dual billing: the utility shows the credit, and the farm separately bills the discounted amount for that credit. Other projects use consolidated billing with both entries on the utility statement. If only the farm invoice is read, the customer misses the credit already applied to the utility balance. If only the credit is read, the saving is overstated.

Compare the bill and invoice for the same production period. The saving is credit minus charge. Send both documents to Lower Your Bill if the amounts cannot be reconciled; we read the entries with you.

Why does a bad allocation create genuine complaints?

A community solar allocation is the account's share of farm output. Too much can leave unused credits building up while the customer pays for the assigned share; too little covers far less usage than it should. That is a sizing problem to investigate, not something solved by quoting a larger headline discount. The account's 12-month electric usage is the starting point.

Lower Your Bill is known for getting customers the best allocation. We know which farms allocate well and which do not, and size the share from actual usage. Send all bill pages, including the usage history, and tell us about a move or changed occupancy. An old balance or the gas section of a combined bill is not annual electric consumption.

What should I do if I already gave my bill to someone?

Review the electric statement for a supplier change, a community solar credit and any named farm or separate invoice. Ask your utility about an account change you do not recognise, using its own published contact number. A very recent solar enrollment may not show credits yet; credits appear within the next 2-3 billing cycles after utility processing. A missing line is not proof that nothing was submitted.

Call Lower Your Bill at 732-314-5010 with the full bill if you need help reading what is already there. We explain the account and, for our enrollments, go back to the solar farm ourselves when something is wrong. We never take an enrollment payment or ask for a credit card. Community solar is free to cancel at any time; supplier contracts are a different matter and should not be assumed to have the same terms.

Related questions

Does community solar require a credit check?

Community solar enrollment through Lower Your Bill requires no credit check, credit card or signup fee. We read the utility account and usage from your electric bill; you are not applying for a loan or buying panels.

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What is consolidated billing versus dual billing?

Consolidated billing puts the solar credit and subscription charge on the utility bill. Dual billing puts the credit on the utility bill and the discounted subscription charge on a separate farm bill. Compare the credit and charge for the same production period to understand the saving.

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What is a community solar allocation?

A community solar allocation is the share of farm production assigned to a utility account. Lower Your Bill sizes it from actual usage, including the 12-month history, so credits are neither much smaller than the account needs nor accumulating unused.

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What should I do about late or missing solar credits?

Community solar credits appear within the next 2-3 billing cycles after the utility processes enrollment. Send Lower Your Bill the latest full bill if credits are missing or have stopped; we check the account and go back to the solar farm ourselves to work it out.

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Can I cancel community solar?

You can cancel community solar at any time with no fee. Contact Lower Your Bill to handle cancellation with the solar farm. A subscription term is not a lock-in; moving to a different utility territory calls for ending the old subscription and checking the new account.

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Send us your bill

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Call 732-314-5010 or email info@lowerurbill.com.