Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Change to net metering policy reimburses me at the wholesale rate

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Change to net metering policy reimburses me at the wholesale rate

    My utility switched from true net metering to only crediting me at the wholesale rate. Basically, 3 - 5 cents per kWh, while I'm paying 17 cents for each kWh. My panels are producing entirely during the day when I'm at work and only running the fridge, electric water heater, and a few clocks on appliances. I charge my EV at night when I get home, so now I feel like I'm being screwed by my utility. Has anyone been in this situation? If so, is battery storage a viable way to push back against this?
    7.2 kW / LG NeOn 2 300's / Enphase M250

  • #2
    That is pretty much what was concluded in your prior thread. Batteries would allow you to store what you generate and consume it later, but the cost to install and maintain a battery system will be much higher than the $0.17/kWh you are paying now, especially for one large enough to support your EV. As odd as it may be, it sounds like you've been incentivized to increase your self-consumption... consider putting your laundry, dishwasher, etc on timers that let them run during the day, or cranking the AC or space heaters up high when you aren't home so you don't need to run them so hard later.
    CS6P-260P/SE3000 - http://tiny.cc/ed5ozx

    Comment


    • #3
      If you live in cold weather area an ETS (Electric Thermal Storage) system will work well. Also a heat pump water heater system such as the Nyle will soak up some of that excess. Put both systems on timer so only operate when sun shines.

      On weekends charge your EV during the day. Just change your life style to do everything during the day.........yeah....PIA!

      Comment


      • #4
        I've gotten pretty good at minimizing my energy use, especially during the day when I'm at work. Heat is technically electric baseboard, which is terrible, but I don't use it and have been heating entirely with a wood stove. Free wood from my yard fuels it. It's some work splitting it, stacking, loading every day, etc, and there are uncomfortable times when the fire goes out and the temp drops below 60. So, yeah... maybe it's worth going with a heat pump or electric thermal, as you say. I live in MA.

        It also occurs to me that I while I charge my EV at night now, in the warmer months there is still plenty of sunlight when I get home and my panels face more west than south, so that will help.

        One thing I may try is throwing the fridge on a timer with the cold setting maxed. Have it turn on at noon and shut down at 4 or so, and see what happens.

        I've been researching the situation in MA with regard to muni electric companies, there's about 50. MA mandates net metering from private electric cos, but the munis are exempt for reasons I haven't looked into yet. From the munis I've looked at so far, most do offer true net metering. Only a handful have wholesale policies, and interestingly, one has a "net metering" policy where you get nothing except $200 at the end of the year. A lot of these policies are the same boilerplate language with minor tweaks. Most seem interested in promoting energy savings and a green lifestyle through LED adoption programs, discounts on EV chargers, etc, so I think it's just a matter of them not knowing much about solar. It's not really on the radar for a lot of these small towns. I'm only the 3rd person to put panels up in my town.

        It's a bit of a problem because everyone is getting marketing material in the mail from the big solar co's talking about how much going solar can cut down on the electric bill, but none of these companies, or any of the ones I approached, took into account the hamstrung net metering we have here when providing estimates to customers.

        What I plan to do is write a letter to the board of light commissioners pointing out the benefits of true net metering and explain how encouraging solar adoption can help them offset the problems they're having with peak load times. Maybe get some signatures from others in the neighborhood, and see what happens.

        If anyone else here lives in a MA township or city with a municipal electric dept, I'd be interested in hearing your experience.

        7.2 kW / LG NeOn 2 300's / Enphase M250

        Comment


        • #5
          This is the coming battle between solar users and the utilities. You are welcome to make your own electricity with solar but increasingly less welcome to share it with others via the grid. The industry is striving for a battery storage solution, but a cost competitive solution is not something to hold your breath for. Net metering has always been an outright incentive to spur along solar adoption, but the more prevalent solar becomes, the less argument there is to maintain it. The cheapest solution is to synchronize your usage with your generation but beyond that - lobby and encourage your utility to do the right thing and help the solar transition instead of impede it.
          BSEE, R11, NABCEP, Chevy BoltEV, >3000kW installed

          Comment


          • #6
            I just posted this in another thread. It may also help you (see bottom of post). I'm also in MA, I'm curious which muni utility has switched to wholesale cost. You are right that they are allowed to. There's also a bill in committee to raise the caps on solar systems over 10kW, and one version of it has the big boys paying wholesale costs as well. As you well know, that would effectively bring MA from one of the top solar states in the country down towards the bottom. You can kiss many of those 10,000 solar jobs in the state goodbye.

            Maine Public Utilities commissioned a report to determine the value of distributed solar power. It is a very complete report, taking several variables into consideration, including both avoided market costs and societal benefits. It determined that the first year value was $0.18/kWh and long term value was $0.33/kWh. This may be helpful to you, you are not far from Maine.
            http://www.ripuc.org/eventsactions/d...(11-23-15).pdf

            Solar Queen
            altE Store

            Comment


            • #7
              Thanks, good info. I spoke with the general manager of my utility about it and he gave an explanation about how solar has no impact on the distribution and capacity costs of the department, meaning they see it as only having to pay for the energy itself.
              7.2 kW / LG NeOn 2 300's / Enphase M250

              Comment

              Working...
              X