Surplus compensation, explained with your bill in hand

Aminata Diallo is Director of Customer Experience at Luxsolaris.

The number-one question reaching our customer centre in Paterna isn't technical. It's this: "I have solar panels and my bill isn't zero. Is it working?" Almost always, it's working perfectly. Let's take it step by step.

What happens in your home every day

1. At midday your panels produce more than you use. That surplus goes to the grid.
2. At night they produce nothing and you buy energy from the grid, as before.

Simplified compensation is the arrangement under which your supplier deducts the value of what you export from your bill.

Three rules worth knowing

• It's compensated in euros, not kWh. An exported kWh is worth much less than a bought one: the first counts only energy, the second also carries network charges and taxes.
• You're never paid more than you consume. Compensation can at most bring the energy charge to zero. Anything beyond that is lost (unless your supplier offers a "virtual battery").
• You still pay for contracted power. That's why the bill doesn't reach zero.

The two lines on your bill

Look for:

• "Energy consumed": the kWh you bought from the grid.
• "Surplus compensation" (or similar), with a minus sign: what's deducted.

If the second line appears and isn't zero, your system is exporting and being compensated. If it hasn't appeared three months after installation, call us: sometimes the grid operator is slow to notify your supplier and we need to chase it.

Getting more from what you produce

• Run the washing machine, dishwasher and water heater between 11:00 and 17:00.
• Set your electric car to solar mode.
• If you export more than 40% of what you produce, see whether a battery pays off.

And if you'd like someone to walk you through it with your bill in hand, call +34 000 000 003. That's what we're here for.