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$ Savings For First Full Year of Solar With December True-up

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  • $ Savings For First Full Year of Solar With December True-up

    Just received my final bill of the year from APS in which they true up both on and off-peak kWh credits. I had no residual off-peak credits but did have 376 on-peak credits for which APS reimbursed me at the rate of $0.029 for a total of $10.87 credited to my bill. Total savings for the 12-month period compared to pre-solar added up to $1500.09. This is for a 6.9 kW Sunpower system installed in May 2012. The savings are not an apples to apples comparison since I switched to a different rate structure when I went with solar. However, the old rate actually cost me less annually than if I had been on the new rate before I got solar so the savings are real.

    The last month or so, I noticed a change in the power curve during afternoon hours. Turns out a combination of growth in a jacaranda tree and afternoon sun position resulted in significant afternoon shading of one of my two arrays. I have trimmed back the tree partially and have a bit more to do to fully eliminate the shading. Considering the shading at maximum covered half of the array, I'm surprised it didn't cost me more than about 2 kWh daily production. With the credit reset on December's bill, I need all the afternoon production possible to bank for next summer's AC although that may be mitigated if I opt for a new AC system next year.

    I'm very pleased with the system so far; no issues apart from the occasional glitch in the online monitoring and the fact that the Sunpower Android app doesn't work properly on Jelly Bean i.e. crashes if you try to display an earlier day's production. At the rate it's going, by the time APS gets its lobbying act together and really screws solar customers here in Arizona, I should have my system pretty much paid off and be able to enjoy substantial monetary benefits for the remainder of the 20 year pre-paid lease. Unless of course I opt for the buyout in year 7 - still undecided on that.
    Last edited by Ian S; 12-11-2013, 06:39 PM. Reason: typo

  • #2
    Originally posted by Ian S View Post
    With the credit reset on December's bill, I need all the afternoon production possible to bank for next summer's AC although that may be mitigated if I opt for a new AC system next year.
    How much do you think you'll be able to save by going for a new (and presumably more efficient) AC system? My dual AC system is rated at 12 SEER, installed 17 years ago for my 3000 sq ft house. I haven't looked much into getting a new AC system yet because the old one is still working just fine (well, I had to replace a relay on the blower unit this year and replace a blown capacitor several years back, but that's about it). I don't have gas in my subdivision so the AC system is a heat pump that's used in the winter time for heating, too.

    But I recently replaced my old 3HP pool pump with a variable speed pump and the energy saving is pretty significant (about 75% less power consumption). So I wonder if the newer AC system can be significantly more efficient as well or not.

    The AC and pool pump are the 2 biggest energy hogs on my electric bill.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Volusiano View Post
      How much do you think you'll be able to save by going for a new (and presumably more efficient) AC system? My dual AC system is rated at 12 SEER, installed 17 years ago for my 3000 sq ft house. I haven't looked much into getting a new AC system yet because the old one is still working just fine (well, I had to replace a relay on the blower unit this year, but that's about it). I don't have gas in my subdivision so the AC system is a heat pump that's used in the winter time for heating, too.

      But I recently replaced my old 3HP pool pump with a variable speed pump and the energy saving is pretty significant (about 75% less power consumption). So I wonder if the newer AC system can be significantly more efficient as well or not.

      The AC and pool pump are the 2 biggest energy hogs on my electric bill.
      Going to a 16 SEER will save you about 25% on the heating cooling costs.
      NABCEP certified Technical Sales Professional

      [URL="http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showthread.php?5334-Solar-Off-Grid-Battery-Design"]http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showth...Battery-Design[/URL]

      [URL]http://www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html[/URL] (Voltage drop Calculator among others)

      [URL="http://www.gaisma.com"]www.gaisma.com[/URL]

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Volusiano View Post
        How much do you think you'll be able to save by going for a new (and presumably more efficient) AC system? My dual AC system is rated at 12 SEER, installed 17 years ago for my 3000 sq ft house. I haven't looked much into getting a new AC system yet because the old one is still working just fine (well, I had to replace a relay on the blower unit this year, but that's about it). I don't have gas in my subdivision so the AC system is a heat pump that's used in the winter time for heating, too.

        But I recently replaced my old 3HP pool pump with a variable speed pump and the energy saving is pretty significant (about 75% less power consumption). So I wonder if the newer AC system can be significantly more efficient as well or not.

        The AC and pool pump are the 2 biggest energy hogs on my electric bill.
        My 5 ton gas-pack is about the same age as yours and perhaps about the same SEER or maybe 11. Last June when the temp was close to 120 F, the coils froze and it needed 3 lb of freon. The AC tech was pushing a new unit as opposed to finding and fixing the leak but I opted to just see if the freon would last the summer which it has. So I think it's a slow enough leak but if it's a well worn 11 SEER and I go to a brand new 13 SEER, some have suggested I might see a 20% or even more reduction in electricity used by the AC. That might make the update worthwhile especially if the freon leaks out enough to require replenishing next summer. They're charging $90/lb for that stuff these days with it destined to get even more expensive since it's being phased out.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Naptown View Post
          Going to a 16 SEER will save you about 25% on the heating cooling costs.
          I've seen some unit with SEER as high as 19-20.5 nowadays. Is there a rule of thumb on how much energy savings you per SEER unit or something like that? For example, if going from a 12 SEER to 16 SEER will save me about 25%, then will going from 12 to 20 will save me about 50%?

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Volusiano View Post
            I've seen some unit with SEER as high as 19-20.5 nowadays. Is there a rule of thumb on how much energy savings you per SEER unit or something like that? For example, if going from a 12 SEER to 16 SEER will save me about 25%, then will going from 12 to 20 will save me about 50%?
            Maybe in theory but I'm skeptical. I've followed some posts on an HVAC forum and even though your unit's SEER may be high, the rest of the system - ductwork, etc. can have a major influence too especially if it's sub optimal to begin with. Then I read stories of how the newest and most efficient equipment may have shorter lifetimes than the older systems. Who knows?

            I don't think I'll have to worry about a 19 SEER unit as I don't think one exists in the 5 ton gas-pack format.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Volusiano View Post
              I've seen some unit with SEER as high as 19-20.5 nowadays. Is there a rule of thumb on how much energy savings you per SEER unit or something like that? For example, if going from a 12 SEER to 16 SEER will save me about 25%, then will going from 12 to 20 will save me about 50%?
              Not really. once you get above about 16 seer the cost of equipment will outweigh the benefits of the higher efficiency.
              NABCEP certified Technical Sales Professional

              [URL="http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showthread.php?5334-Solar-Off-Grid-Battery-Design"]http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showth...Battery-Design[/URL]

              [URL]http://www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html[/URL] (Voltage drop Calculator among others)

              [URL="http://www.gaisma.com"]www.gaisma.com[/URL]

              Comment


              • #8
                22 seer ac

                We just replaced a 16 SEER AC unit with a 22 SEER system and couldn't be happier. We did replace the entire system, including ductwork and gas furnace (now 97% efficient), and added communicating zoning control (6 zones - up to 8 max). Only time will tell how much it will save, but I definitely think it was worth the expense for us in our situation. PM me if you want more details.

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                • #9
                  22 seer

                  Originally posted by OvertheSun
                  We just replaced a 16 SEER AC unit with a 22 SEER system and couldn't be happier. We did replace the entire system, including ductwork and gas furnace (now 97% efficient), and added communicating zoning control (6 zones - up to 8 max).
                  22 is a great number; is that an air to air system? Bruce Roe

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by bcroe View Post
                    22 is a great number; is that an air to air system? Bruce Roe
                    Yes. It uses inverter technology, which i understand has been used in ductless mini splits for some time.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by OvertheSun View Post
                      Yes. It uses inverter technology, which i understand has been used in ductless mini splits for some time.
                      Quite standard in Europe actually.
                      [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

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