The most predictable post-PTO phone call in Texas solar: "My system's been on for three weeks and my bill shows nothing for the power I'm sending back." Nothing is broken. There's a last mile after PTO — meter work, market-profile updates, and billing hand-offs — with published timelines that almost nobody communicates to the homeowner. Communicate them and the call never comes.
What actually happens after PTO
The meter has to learn to count backwards. Standard meters measure inflow; export requires the utility to reprogram or swap the meter with an out-flow channel. Oncor's application materials say to allow up to 30 days for the meter reprogram order after the agreement executes; TNMP installs a dedicated DG meter (a $227 charge to the customer) and authorizes interconnection only after it's in; CenterPoint reprograms following the signed ICA and PTO.
The market has to learn the house changed. In ERCOT's deregulated territory, the TDU updates the customer's load profile so the market and the REP treat the premise as a generator-attached account — Oncor updates the Load Profile ID upon ERCOT system operator approval for certified systems; TNMP revises the customer load profile 30 to 45 days after the DG meter installation.
Then the REP starts seeing exports. Oncor's guidance: surplus generation reaches the customer's REP within 30–60 days of PTO, beginning after the first full billing cycle following the later of the meter reprogram or the executed agreement. Translation for the homeowner: the first bill, sometimes two, after energization may show no export credits — by design, not by error.
And the REP has to be willing to pay. The last-mile machinery only delivers value if the homeowner's plan credits exports at all — the buyback-plan conversation belongs at PTO, timed so a plan switch lands as the metering catches up. (In muni and non-ERCOT territory the story is simpler: Austin Energy sets the PV meter as its own step; EPE's net-metered accounts settle under its tariff.)
The script that prevents the call
At commissioning, hand the homeowner three sentences: Your system is offsetting your usage starting today. Export credits appear on your bill after the utility finishes meter and market updates — typically 30 to 60 days. If your electricity plan doesn't pay for exports, now is the moment to review options.
Two operational notes for your side of the last mile. First, the job isn't closed at PTO — carry a final stage ("metering complete / credits flowing") with a follow-up touch at the 45-day mark; catching a stalled meter order beats the homeowner catching it. Second, watch for the early-energization tell in reverse: a meter throwing errors post-PTO usually means a step executed out of order upstream (CenterPoint's error-flag behavior applies to configuration mismatches, not just early operation). TexPTO keeps the post-PTO stage on every job with the 45-day follow-up built in, so the last mile is managed instead of assumed — and the three-week phone call becomes a proactive text from you instead.
FAQ
How long until export credits show up? With the major TDUs, typically 30–60 days after PTO, gated by the meter update and the first full billing cycle. Set the expectation at commissioning.
Does the homeowner pay for the meter change? Varies: TNMP charges a $227 DG meter fee; Oncor's reprogram carries no such published customer charge.
The bill shows exports but no money — why? The plan. Metering delivers the data; the REP's buyback terms decide the value. Review plan options at PTO.
Is the system saving money before credits appear? Yes — self-consumption offsets retail usage from energization; the credits are the export slice catching up.
Sources
- Oncor Interconnection Application for Certified Systems (meter reprogram up to 30 days; ERCOT Load Profile update; first-full-billing-cycle rule): https://www.oncor.com/content/dam/oncorwww/documents/smart-energy/energy-system-developers/Oncor%20Interconnection%20Application%20for%20Certified%20Systems.pdf.coredownload.pdf
- Oncor DG overview (surplus to REP within 30–60 days of PTO): https://www.oncor.com/content/oncorwww/us/en/home/smart-energy/renewables-solar-and-more/residential-small-commercial-thinking-about-solar.html
- TNMP Interconnecting (DG meter, $227 fee, 30–45 day load-profile revision): https://tnmp.com/customers/interconnecting
- CenterPoint DG FAQs (ICA → PTO → meter reprogram sequence; meter error behavior): https://www.centerpointenergy.com/en-us/Services/Pages/DGAP-FAQs.aspx?sa=ho&au=res
General information. Meter and reporting timelines are utility-published figures that change — verify per territory and quote your own live medians where possible.