Frequently asked questions
These are the most common questions we receive. If you don’t see your question, feel free to contact us.
How will the relationship between You, Xcel Energy, and Jack’s Solar Garden work?
This diagram outlines the general relationship flows between All Customers, Xcel Energy, Jack’s Solar Garden, and You.
What payments do I owe to Jack's Solar Garden and Xcel Energy once I'm a subscriber?
Advertised subscriptions for Jack's Solar Garden are simply one-time upfront payments that will provide you with monthly electricity bill credits from Xcel Energy (as described below). No further fees or payments will be due to Jack's Solar Garden for the duration of your subscription per the terms of our subscriber agreement. Your subscription includes annual invitations to visit Jack's Solar Garden for tours or farm events and email updates on the progress of research being undertaken on-site.
You will continue to receive an electricity bill from Xcel Energy on a monthly basis, though, based on the size of your subscription to Jack's Solar Garden, you will receive electricity bill credits on your Xcel Energy bill thereby reducing your monthly payments to Xcel Energy (see below for more information).
How is the monthly bill credit amount determined?
Each month, the solar production from a community solar garden is recorded in kilowatt-hours (kWh). The production amount is then allocated, based on each customer’s subscription size. The customer’s bill credit is calculated by multiplying the number of kWh by the bill credit rate ($/kWh). Detailed information on the calculation of the bill credit can be found in the published CO Electric Tariff Book on Xcel Energy’s website under the Solar Rewards Community Service section (Schedule SRCS).
Bill credits are applied to the final billed amount, after all electric charges, adjustments, riders, taxes and fees are added in. Therefore the credits will have no impact on the taxable amount owed by the subscriber.
How does the electricity bill credit work?
Each subscribing customer will receive a monthly, monetary, bill credit based on their percent of the garden production. The credit is equal to the subscriber’s percent of the garden production multiplied by the subscriber’s bill credit rate. The credit is expressed in dollars and reflected as a line item at the end of the bill. The credit does not affect customer usage. The customer will see a bill message that indicates where the credit is located on the bill.
Details on how the bill credit is calculated for rate classes can be found in the CO Electric Tariff Book published on the Xcel Energy website. The bill credit is determined based on data from the prior calendar year, and is recalculated at the beginning of each year.