Originally posted by jatin495
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1.) No.
2.) Yes.
Despite what SDG & E might want us to think, most (~ 85 % last time I checked) residential customers are still on tiered rates. Also, and in spite of what you and a lot of SDG & E customers may be duped into inferring, it seems you will be able to stay on tiered tares, at least for now. I know I am. At this time, at some future time you will be forced to "positively elect" to stay on tiered rates. That means that unless you tell SDG & E in writing, and most likely in ways they specify (probably some form), you will be automatically switched to some TOU rate.
NOMB or concern, but I'd check and make sure of your billing and tariff options, and make anyone trying to B.S. you into something by innuendo prove it in writing - chapter and verse from the CPUC and or CA legislation.
As for options you have, you can switch plans anytime you choose, but grandfathering to stay in the better grandfathered TOU times and rate schedules is no longer possible.
The TOU-DR is a bastardized rate. It is both TOU and tiered. It's basically a TOU rate schedule. But, there is a "discount" per kWh applied to all use that amounts to "tier 1" use. All other use above "tier 1" use doesn't have that discount. In Effect, TOU-DR is a tiered TOU rate schedule.
For better information than the PDF stuff I bet your looking at, Google "SDG & E +Effective and effective tariffs". You will get reality. You may not like it because it'll cause a lot of work, but it's the real deal and at the end of the analysis, if done correctly and diligently, you'll have answered your own questions.
As for what to do about switching, if you have a lot of use at peak summer times and can't/won't shift away from it, stay on tiered rates for as long as you can, at least until you get enough knowledge to make an intelligent choice. If you can shift a significant portion of peak summer use to other times, and depending on you total usage, you may be better off switching to a TOU rate, and best if a non tiered TOU rate.
BTW:
- Most SDG & E TOU times are such that summer peak hours amount to only 765 hours/yr. out of 8,760 hours/yr. (8.73 % of the total hours in a year). Some think that little factoid may be a bit embarrassing to those who claim extreme hardship about having to shift some/any use off peak periods.
- DR-SES - the schedule for use with residential PV systems is, at least at this time, a true TOU schedule with no tiers laid over it. As such, it's possible to estimate how much a PV system will generate in terms of both electricity AND revenue per year to offset a bill. I'll save you some work: Depending on orientation, in most of San Diego co., a decently oriented array with not much shade will generate ~ $450/yr. per installed STC kW of PV that can be used to offset DR-SES billing. That "revenue" can then be "spent" to offset electrical use billed as per schedule DR-SES without regard to when it's used. So, use all your power at peak time and you'll "spend" the "generated" revenue" faster than if all the use is at times other than summer peak. Lots of possibilities.
To size a system to offset all but $120/yr. plus NBC (non bypassable charges) simply divide an annual DR-SES generated bill by $450 and that'll be the appox. system size in STC kW you will need under current rates and times and the usage pattern that generates the bill used.
Every user is different and if you're looking for bulletproof guidance, you're dreaming in technicolor. Tools that can help are the green button stuff at SDG & E's website, including your use for the last 23 months in 15 minute increments. Another is PVWatts with the hourly output option. A third is combining the two in a spreadsheet. A fourth is a working familiarity with the SDG & E rate schedules as can be found by Googling as described above. That last one was the biggest PITA for me, but worth it.
To reiterate, every user profile is different. Do your own and you'll do about as good as it's possible to get. Use rules of thumb and for this business, you'll screw yourself. In that sense, this business is more dichotomous than most.
No warranties, expressed or implied, but I live in zip 92026 with a 5 kw array. I'm on tiered rates and under NEM 1.0. I intend to stay on tiered rates at least if/until I get an EV (and so maybe never). I may switch to TOU depending on what's available in the future or until I'm forced into TOU, EV or not. But that's what works best your me - not you. Your results and what works best for you will be different. Unfortunately or otherwise, the best and maybe (IMO anyway) the only good way for you to figure out what might be best for you is to run the numbers for your usage and situation.
Good Luck.
Take what you want of the above. Scrap the rest.
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