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I am considering a solar DYI Installation outside of Houston (BTW I already have a 23kW Generator) and believe I have the perfect location for about a 15 kW system, (I would like to go bigger but I am limited to 900 Sq/Ft) Current consumption 19,815 kWh/yr 1,651 kWh/Mo/Avg. $1,990/yr I am concerned as to the ROI time Frame.
I understand the Net Metering which Texas does not have but there are Buyback Programs. The problem in Texas is there are two components to Texas Energy Pricing.
1. The Energy in the form of kWh's
2. The wire charges (TDU Charges) of .045 cents/kWh from Center Point Energy for every kWh consumed.
3. #1 & 2 Equal what is referred to as the "All In" charges. for the total sum of your monthly Energy bill. Suppose the Energy is .07 + .045 = .115c/kWh
My next 12 mo contract will be .104 + .045 + 14.9c/kWh
This is where the problems come in: In the winter when we over produce we hope to equal what we over consume in the summer.
1. When I over produce I should receive credits for X kWh @ .07c/kWh 'Great' Example 3/2021 I used 1072 kWh.
2. When I over consume I will burn X kWh credits @ .07c/kWh + Generation Example 9/2021 I used 2452.
IF I size my system correctly @ 110% I should have a net Zero energy bill?
Now for the kicker: The .045c/kWh is not going to disappear. I still owe CPE (The DTU charges) for the net difference between what I Generate & Consume in the summer months.
The way I see the billing is I am going to be billed by (CPE TDU charges) @ .045c/kWh for every credit I burn down, which I accumulated during the winter months.
The only solution I see is to run a Hybrid System with Battery backup, but a battery system will raise my installation cost another 15k. on top of the 25k for the DYI system.
Or Over Produce @ 1.3:1
This is an Email from my Power Handler
Hi Jerry:
This is Matt, RSE Co-Founder. A few things.
(1) I want to clarify your utility versus your provider. Centerpoint is a utility which manages the transmission and meter; it is NOT an energy supplier and thus has no plans available for you. You will have to sign up for a buyback plan with an actual supplier to be able to effectuate an Interconnect Agreement, as the supplier settles the billing statement with ERCOT. Green Mountain and Octopus are examples of suppliers ("REPs"), but they are not ones with good solar buyback plans. We highly recommend going with our preferred partners here, either Almika, Shell, or Heritage (or others depending on which is cheapest). Nearly all of these plans are net metered, meaning they give you 1:1 energy credit on your buyback.
(2) A common misconception is that "if I produce more than I pull in a month, I'll have a net credit with the supplier." This may not be true. When you pull from the grid, you have to pay Centerpoint the TDU charge of 4.5c on every kwh in addition to the supplier's energy rate of ~9c, so your all-in cost on every kwh consumed is 13-14c. When you produce energy, the supplier buys it back at the 9c rate, but you do not get a net offset credit from Centerpoint under the common plan terms. Thus, you will have to "overproduce" by ~1.3x your consumption in order to get a bill credit. I don't want you to be surprise when you get bills from the supplier even if you feel you "net offset 100%". The reality is unless you have a battery, the 100% offset will be offsetting your usage during the day when your panels are active and then pulling from the grid at night. If you do have a battery, you can let us know, and the rates can in fact change.
We are happy to discuss this further. In any event, your best bet is to stick with us, let us enroll you with Heritage, and then let's together evaluate your panel's usage profile using your Smart Meter Data to determine IF these buyback plans are actually a better deal.
Matt
I understand the Net Metering which Texas does not have but there are Buyback Programs. The problem in Texas is there are two components to Texas Energy Pricing.
1. The Energy in the form of kWh's
2. The wire charges (TDU Charges) of .045 cents/kWh from Center Point Energy for every kWh consumed.
3. #1 & 2 Equal what is referred to as the "All In" charges. for the total sum of your monthly Energy bill. Suppose the Energy is .07 + .045 = .115c/kWh
My next 12 mo contract will be .104 + .045 + 14.9c/kWh
This is where the problems come in: In the winter when we over produce we hope to equal what we over consume in the summer.
1. When I over produce I should receive credits for X kWh @ .07c/kWh 'Great' Example 3/2021 I used 1072 kWh.
2. When I over consume I will burn X kWh credits @ .07c/kWh + Generation Example 9/2021 I used 2452.
IF I size my system correctly @ 110% I should have a net Zero energy bill?
Now for the kicker: The .045c/kWh is not going to disappear. I still owe CPE (The DTU charges) for the net difference between what I Generate & Consume in the summer months.
The way I see the billing is I am going to be billed by (CPE TDU charges) @ .045c/kWh for every credit I burn down, which I accumulated during the winter months.
The only solution I see is to run a Hybrid System with Battery backup, but a battery system will raise my installation cost another 15k. on top of the 25k for the DYI system.
Or Over Produce @ 1.3:1
This is an Email from my Power Handler
Hi Jerry:
This is Matt, RSE Co-Founder. A few things.
(1) I want to clarify your utility versus your provider. Centerpoint is a utility which manages the transmission and meter; it is NOT an energy supplier and thus has no plans available for you. You will have to sign up for a buyback plan with an actual supplier to be able to effectuate an Interconnect Agreement, as the supplier settles the billing statement with ERCOT. Green Mountain and Octopus are examples of suppliers ("REPs"), but they are not ones with good solar buyback plans. We highly recommend going with our preferred partners here, either Almika, Shell, or Heritage (or others depending on which is cheapest). Nearly all of these plans are net metered, meaning they give you 1:1 energy credit on your buyback.
(2) A common misconception is that "if I produce more than I pull in a month, I'll have a net credit with the supplier." This may not be true. When you pull from the grid, you have to pay Centerpoint the TDU charge of 4.5c on every kwh in addition to the supplier's energy rate of ~9c, so your all-in cost on every kwh consumed is 13-14c. When you produce energy, the supplier buys it back at the 9c rate, but you do not get a net offset credit from Centerpoint under the common plan terms. Thus, you will have to "overproduce" by ~1.3x your consumption in order to get a bill credit. I don't want you to be surprise when you get bills from the supplier even if you feel you "net offset 100%". The reality is unless you have a battery, the 100% offset will be offsetting your usage during the day when your panels are active and then pulling from the grid at night. If you do have a battery, you can let us know, and the rates can in fact change.
We are happy to discuss this further. In any event, your best bet is to stick with us, let us enroll you with Heritage, and then let's together evaluate your panel's usage profile using your Smart Meter Data to determine IF these buyback plans are actually a better deal.
Matt
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