Sighten is pleased to announce that, from its 2.2 release, utility and rate selection on Sighten's site page can run off of Sighten's integration with Genability. Genability is widely recognized as the leading utility rates engine, capturing all utility rates in the U.S. with every rate component, tariff eligibility rule and rate option. Fifteen thousand updates are made every month to Genability's rate books, keeping them always up-to-date. 

The launch of this new feature comes with a few tweaks, so let's take a closer look.

When will I have access to the new feature?

All newly onboarded installers will have access to the feature from the get go. If you wish to have the feature turned on in your account - if it is not already, please send an email to support@sighten.io. 

Which rates will I be able to select?

All U.S. residential utility rates. The Genability database covers all utility rates in the United States. These rates will be available to select in Sighten's UI.

Will the calculations be accurate?

The coverage is not only full, it is accurate and up-to-date and models every rate component, tariff eligibility rule and rate option. Genability follows every tariff change and updates its database in 1 business day, which makes up for 15,000+ rate updates every month. 

Will there be user interface (UI) changes?

We took the opportunity of this integration to simplify the utility tile in the UI. Where there used to be four dropdown lists - Electric Utility, Utility Territory, Utility Rate Schedule and Heating Source -, there are now only two dropdown lists: Electric Utility and Utility Rate Schedule. The heating source will now be included in the rate name in the dropdown. This makes finding the appropriate utility and rate schedule much easier and intuitive for Sighten users. See the difference below.

Will utility and rate defaults change?

Yes, and for the better! Whenever you create a site, Sighten will now select by default the most likely utility and rate schedule for that particular location. Also, the utility tile will show only utilities and rates relevant to the specific address, not all utilities in the county and state as we currently show.

Can I use the new feature with my existing sites?

Unfortunately no. Sites create before Sighten's 2.2 release will continue to operate on Sighten's current utility rates database. They will continue to show the current UI and rate coverage. Only sites created after the 2.2 release can work with the new functionality. 

Does it support NEM 2.0?

Californian installers will rejoice in that Genability does indeed support NEM 2.0, including the interconnection fees and non-bypassable charges to post-solar rates as soon as it enters into effect. Sighten will also reflect the NEM 2.0 requirement for homeowners who want to go solar to switch to a time of use (TOU) rate. The UI will show the post solar rate switch turned on by default and the dropdown for post-solar rate will only show the relevant TOU rates. The image below shows an example for an address in Dublin, CA.