Do not make the same error made by the Spaniards, they invested their money in solar panels to cover their electric consumption at home, and send the remaining energy to the grid, thinking that they would get a bill with credits in return. The government decided to stop paying for that energy sent to the grid, and people still had to pay for having solar panels

@sbrazenor2

Күн бұрын

I live in the USA, but the electric company I have to use decided arbitrarily that they would just cut the amount they buy in half. So those people expecting to make money on having solar, or have their systems paid off by the electric surplus got a big "fuck you" from the power company.

@Apollo440

Күн бұрын

@@sbrazenor2 would be cool if you could sell it to the neighbors or even give the surplus away for free. But I bet it's illegal in some way...

@sbrazenor2

Күн бұрын

@@Apollo440 everything good has become illegal. 🤣

@Apollo440

16 сағат бұрын

@@sbrazenor2 it sure is! But not everything that's illegal is good too :)

@simpletongeek

2 сағат бұрын

Nothing wrong with providing cheap battery charging service. Especially for those neighbors without solar cells.

Good info. The power companies never wanted people to return power to the grid. Even in the states that pushed people to hardest to get solar when it was really expensive to do so.

@bluetech2809

3 күн бұрын

Of course, they didn't even want people to generate their own electricity but I guess they could only lobby against it for so long.

@patrickd9551

Күн бұрын

@@bluetech2809 Sure they want you to generate your own power. But they want you to keep it as your own. The grid was never designed for this type of usage, nor is the power consumption in line with solar generation. And now that more and more solar is keep being added, the cracks in the solar scheme are become more and more visible. The grid is the only means you have to give your cheap power to somebody else and without it you would receive exactly 0 cent/kWh. But luckily there are a few options to consider. Buy yourself a battery and accept the price per kWh stored as the offset between energy generated and energy used. Storing energy costs money, but this way you won't have to pay the energy company money to the added downside of paying large sums of money for a battery. You could accept the offset as set by the energy company for energy generated and energy used. You give them cheap energy, but when night falls, the company needs to burn expensive fossil fuel when you need it after all and you get the reliability bonus from the grid. Or you could even go as far as to go completely off grid and pay $0 to the power company, not even a grid connection fee. But that would require you to buy a backup generator, building a extensive power distribution panel, put in even more storage and solar panels to offset those cloudy days. But winter is still going to be expensive with all the fossil fuel you have to buy. There is however not an option in which you can reap all the benefits without having to pay for all the disadvantages. It's also called supply and demand.

It took me $40k in solar equipment to live a pretty normal off grid existence.

Here in Florida they have a " connection fees" of $30 per month..even if you dont use a single KWH. I use a non grid tied system with my array of pannels in my backyard...( no rooftop for me)...but I will pay that " connection fee" every single month. However Im still saving over 2k per year..and I dont need to rewire my whole house

@BeatTheBush

3 күн бұрын

I hear you. Well, for the system in this video, grid tied only in the sense it draws power only like a vacuum cleaner and not feeding energy back.

@grantguy8933

3 күн бұрын

Can you disconnect for good?

@drowe2

2 күн бұрын

Check your water bill too, and I’ll bet there’s a base rate too.

@nolongeranurse3369

2 күн бұрын

@@drowe2 yep 13.99 per month even if 1 gallon not used

I know in some parts of Australia the electric grid companies are actually charging home owners with grid tied solar a charge for HOLDING THE EXCESS SOLAR .

@BeatTheBush

3 күн бұрын

What? You have to pay to feed excess solar back? Unplug it! Turn on an AC!

@timothyfirth4809

3 күн бұрын

@@BeatTheBush yes to feed excess to grid

@TheSimpleLivingAussie

3 күн бұрын

The funny part of that is you cannot store AC power. It's all a big con from the greedy power companies 👍

@damham5689

2 күн бұрын

​​@@TheSimpleLivingAussiethey convert it to dc and store it in large battery banks. Tesla was one of the first huge battery banks installed a while back. The big problem in Australia is home owners solar grid tied systems inverters often have different sign wave signals, so trying to make all of them compatible with the grid is costly and full of problems.

43c per kwh? holy cow...

Same with Edison in SoCal. You can't have a true $0 monthly bill and still be connected to the grid because of the minimum service fee. I also noticed the electricity companies lobbied and got what they wanted from the CPUC this year and are now crediting us less on the power we feed back to them through solar panels. There's no incentive to produce more power than you need. Alternatively you can store the solar generated power in batteries and use it when you need it.

I don't have PG&E for electric, but I sized my system to keep me in the baseline rate territory (less than 300KWH/mo) where I pay about $0.15/KWH. I've been moving many low power loads onto the solar power system and let the big loads, like the stove and my shop metal working tools, stay on the grid. I do have PG&E for natural gas and run into the minimum delivery charge there. But when you factor in the Calif. Climate Credits, I've not paid a gas bill since the fall of 2018.

@BeatTheBush

3 күн бұрын

Looks like you can size that system up slightly and get that electric portion even lower!

@The4Crawler

3 күн бұрын

@@BeatTheBush Yes, may do that in the future. Right now, I have panels on the roof, but maxed out on my rack space. Planning to build some new ground mounts around the SE and SW sides of the house and will make those racks larger to fit more panels if needed.

@CL-nj3zs

11 сағат бұрын

@The4Crawler wrong. PGE counts the power feed back to the grid as part of your baseline. I have a large system where I produce 3300kwh a month but I only use 500kwh from the grid. I use up my baseline in 3-5 days. Rest of the month are tier 2 rates.

@The4Crawler

11 сағат бұрын

@@CL-nj3zs That's true. I, however, run a diversion load on my system that absorbs all excess power that would otherwise go back to the grid. That is a temporary solution. Ultimately, I want to move more of the house loads mostly off grid and use the grid connection for the high power loads and for backup on cloudy days.

Am confused.. bottom 'used nothing' fee is $13. But if you use some minimum electricity, then cost is $30-40. I think the $13 is lower, so don't use any, and pay the $13, right? So sell 350 watts back to service at $0.04 to get $13 back and it's a wash. :)

Get your friends to charge their EVs at your house and let them pay with beer and pizza.

@BeatTheBush

3 күн бұрын

Lots of things you can do if you have excess. Like heating and cooling to a perfect temp.

PG&E was one of the top reasons I moved out of the state of CA. Their prices are outrageous

@khiemdee4573

2 күн бұрын

You left a state partly because a utility company? Haha

@ThePaigeMa5ter

2 күн бұрын

@@khiemdee4573 👍

@Clickbait540

Күн бұрын

Please don’t tell me you came to Arizona?🙏🙏🙏

@jinsu0504

Күн бұрын

@@khiemdee4573 I'm sure that could've been his straw that broke his back. lol cali is expensive AF with taxes and property value...if your parents were smart and invested in real estate when it was AFFORTABLE...not cheap, but affortable, then cali is livable....in NY we have PSEG and they prices were kw energy far exceeds other companies....like con edison...and its because it is monopolized and they KNOW it is the ONLY electrical company that supplies electricity to parts of upstate NY and long island.

@jinsu0504

Күн бұрын

I really wanted solar roofs for emergency power outages and charging a tesla but after seeing the insurance on those cars, i opted for house renovations and a prius instead lol...400+ a month for 1 tesla, while now I pay 350 for 2 toyota cars....yea a big NO to electrical anything

Hot water tanks can behave like a battery, just dump your excess electricity into it. I didn’t try it yet, but supposedly it can keep water hot for many days.

@Hansen710

3 күн бұрын

My bitcoin miner gives heat and acts like a batteri that stacks money for later Its also posible to heat a water tank with it

The electric companies not paying decent compensation for reverse electricity is extra disingenuous considering places like California are constantly in the negative for electricity needs. California has constant brownouts, especially in the summer, since its companies can’t even supply the needs of its customers. They should be ecstatic with the thought of customers helping out the power grid, but no. They’re totally fine letting their customers go without electricity during peak hours. IMHO, they should increase the amount they pay to customers to help incentivize people to get solar.

I assume you have a way to control your solar system so that you're not sending any up to the GRID? If your meter runs backwards....they'll still charge you (via "smart" meters) as if it was regular usage.

It's crazy that you're not even allowed to disconnect from the grid.

@Soljarag5

3 күн бұрын

Sure you can, he wants to keep it hooked up just incase

@paul.phillips

3 күн бұрын

@@Soljarag5 It's really not possible, not here anyway, you end up losing certificate of occupancy. Same for turning off water or sewer.

@Apollo440

3 күн бұрын

@@paul.phillips and then somebody can connect the power / water / sewer on his name and receive squatting rights in your home. Yep, that's how it works.

@paul.phillips

3 күн бұрын

@@Apollo440 Yes, exactly.

@astro365

3 күн бұрын

​@@Apollo440damn, this is scary to even think about.

I live in Los Angeles and have So Cal Edison here. I also have solar and use 0 electricity from Edison, but still get a bill for approximately $15 or $16 per month just for the connection fee.

What if you stop paying and they kick you out for good?

Are you under NEM 2 or NEM 3?

My light bill was 30$ and i used minimum lights and refrigerator and AC ...so i dont know ...and i had no solar energy generator

I didn't use 911 and Verizon still charged me.

@xekis

Күн бұрын

I guess you may as well use it since you are paying for it.

@webreakforsquirrel4201

Күн бұрын

@@xekismaybe the people calling about cold chicken nuggets were on to something.

@zeroturn7091

Күн бұрын

You’re on their network.

Lucky you The Washington State PUD charges 40 dollars plus tax for a meter bill. I average around 20 cents per day on electricity use. But at the end of the month, I still pay around 48 to 50 dollars per month 😢

@edolson1698

Күн бұрын

I live in Washington state and have solar that covers my yearly use by back feeding during the summer and all PUD changes is .59 cents a day which amounts to a min charge a month of about 15.00 , I don't know what's happening with your bill.

@wt9653

Күн бұрын

@@edolson1698 I don't back feed to the grid. I store it during the day and use it at night. My DIY cost 5,000 dollars after the Federal credit. 2400 watts of solar panels and 10kwh of battery.

How did you tie the all in one unit to the grid? Did you hire an electrician?

@BeatTheBush

Күн бұрын

It is not connected to the grid.

I had solar in California when net metering was really good. Basically my bill was flat $20/month. I'm glad I left the state before these new awful rules took effect. There was no way there were going to keep subsidizing solar customers forever. I now live in a state with

Do you have the option of scaling up your solar and storage and disconnecting service for gas/electric? It sounds like a dream to be entirely energy independent with a cheap used gas/propane generator on standby.

@BeatTheBush

3 күн бұрын

It's a DIY system so yes, it can be expanded. Solar can be tripled keeping the same inverter. I can use two inverter to get to 240V and use one as a backup if one goes out. To move to a completely electric, one really should use heat pumps for heating and cooling for best efficiency.

Tbh this makes sense bc they’re still maintaining the line to your house

Guess what. Those minimum fees are supposed to increase this year based on your income unless that has been rescinded and I missed it.

In TX my base charge is $4.95 which my credits can cover. So no bill since I got solar installed.

We’re a net producer under PG&E too and are equally annoyed. Great explanation!

I have a questions: If you are able to never use the utility, then never pay the bill for the minimum charge, what can happen? They can cut you off and disconnect your power and remove your meter, then, you pay off what you owe, and never schedule reconnection. Is this a possibility?

@BeatTheBush

Күн бұрын

Interesting question. I'm not sure. I may just call PGE to ask this but I assume most of the customer service wont really know.

Same here in Arizona, After taxes and minimum connection fee, there is no way for my bill to get lower than 32.00 a month. I do get a "net" credit but it's a much lower rate I get credit for even though I have to buy at a much higher rate.

I turned off my power and went out of country for 2 months and they billed me my normal bill for that time of year 😂

Can u invoice PG&E not for your electricity but for access to your electricity

We have 27 panel 9,99 kWh system, best so far is 1864 kWh in one month. Total price installed was 10k euros. Now the roof is full of black panels and it looks good.

@BeatTheBush

Күн бұрын

Sounds awesome!

Are you in the Central Valley in Nor Cal?

@BeatTheBush

Күн бұрын

Nor Cal.

can' t really size the break even because of seasonal variation (unless you live in SD)

@BeatTheBush

3 күн бұрын

Use a fudge factor? Assume 0.7 to 0.5 of projection?

I've not used electricity from the grid for 3 months now,...my electric utility company charges $20.25 as a min for the meter and active account regardless off usage it will always be charged. They came to my home after the first month to "investigate" and make sure my meter was working. I use the ampinvt 6000w split phase solar hybrid inverter, it ses a massive torroidal transformer... Love it.

I disagree. You need a 140% solar system.

@BeatTheBush

Күн бұрын

You need more to cover your usage in case it is cloudy or in the winter.

Some utilities call it a connection or a service fee and those are usually in addition to any usage. It sounds like PG&E is a minimum bill, which includes usage. Some times you can go to a "level pay" program to distribute the minimum bill to average out months where you use more than the minimum with months where you might use less than the minimum.

It could also be argued that over sizing the home system (especially the batteries) and then cutting the connection with PG&E might make sense.

In case you didn't know, Gavin Newsome hand picked the 5 board members of the CPUC. That's why our rates are insane.

@BeatTheBush

3 күн бұрын

If it gets any crazier, I might have to put the house off grid and not even pay the minimum delivery charge.

@Racing2Learn

3 күн бұрын

We’ve been thinking the same, PG&E is out of control

@rogermartinez78

2 күн бұрын

Izzy, I love how you blame a politician but refuse to recognize behind all the politicians is big business, unfortunately we live in a capitalist society and unless we change that prices on everything will continue to rise!

Ballpark whats the cost of your current system?

@BeatTheBush

3 күн бұрын

$7-8k from what you see in the picture. You could have half the battery at 10kWh and do roughly the same thing and it'll be $2k less.

@Cody_Powers

3 күн бұрын

@@BeatTheBush just seen your previous video on the setup. My average PGE for last 2 years is 280 a month. I'm thinking of starting a build to help offset my bill.

I plan on going full solar and disconnecting the grid connection

FPL here in florida minimum is $25 base for everyone.

Does NEM 2 give u better rate?

@CL-nj3zs

11 сағат бұрын

Nem2 gives you 100% credit but actual cash compensation is about 4cents/kwh in july. Rate changes depends on the month of your annual true up. Nem 3 took away of your credit and gives you cash compensation monthly. Wholesale rate for power you feed to the grid and retail rate for power you use.

City’s make money for every household whether they use any utilities or not. I can move overseas for a year and not use any utilities at all and I will still be charged $70 month. Electric, garbage, water, sewer, improvement and taxes. Just because I’m connected.

It's such an odd contradiction in terms for a miser KZreadr to live in California. My electric rate through a local co-op is officially 8 cents per kwh, but it really comes out to more like 13 cents. Pretty good.I still got solar, but it is an isolated off grid system with a grid pass through so I can charge batteries off the grid if I want to. It's there to cut my bill and to serve as preparation in case of catastrophe with the electric infrastructure.

So how much per month is your solar cost ?

@BeatTheBush

Күн бұрын

PGE bill is about $20/month with a $10 credit on average from energy credits.

@robertnasser9937

Күн бұрын

@@BeatTheBush I mean the cost of the panels, batteries and inverters ?

I can turn of my breaker box and FPL in Florida still charges $12

The electric system works "funny". Simply making the power available in your cables, without you using it, produces electricity losses. Therefore, you just being hooked to the system costs money for the company, even if you go on vacation and turn all the breakers off.

@BeatTheBush

3 күн бұрын

Also infrastructure is in a way rented. You get potential service when needed and that is worth paying for. However, why not get it for free as part of buying a small amount of electricity of 50kWh/month?

@Apollo440

3 күн бұрын

@@BeatTheBush thanks for replying. There are a lot of interesting questions to ask about "why it doesn't work that way". I wonder, why wouldn't 10 households invest like 3k each and create a solar (or any other system), which would supply electricity "for free" to all of them? The only thing they'd need to do is decide to share. Or would it be against the law to do so?

3:16 in NJ, i get 2.7 cents per kwh of excess energy, but we have net metering and that gets credited once a year. our grid connection fee is just under 5 bucks a month as of 2024. connection is very fair, in Delaware, that grid connection is around 30.

@MC-ht6lw

Күн бұрын

Everything you save goes to your overtaxing democrat government.

@saeedhossain6099

Күн бұрын

@@MC-ht6lw you are aware that NJ has had a carnival of Republican governors in the last 20 years......... maybe you just mistook them for the bloated clowns they were.....

>falling for the solar meme

this needs more views!!

Shouldn't they be paying you, for the power that you put back into the grid, and shouldn't you be charging them a delivery fee?

Yep it’s called connection fee and transmission fee. They’ve figured out how to steal legally.

That’s called a TAX. You’re being taxed to cover the government mandated service

Hey BtB, good content. I am in Redding and built a 7kW system supplying two EG4 6500XP inverters with 42kWh of LiTime batteries. I built panels on racks that are adjustable, and it's primarily for critical loads. Just getting to power bill time this month. My calcs at $0.42 per kWh,I will owe about $60/month to power the wife's fish tanks and outlets. I kept it just enough to severely reduce my power bill and have a life during the PSPS that are being threatened since it is supposed to be 119F this Saturday.

@BeatTheBush

3 күн бұрын

If they had a club where people talk about their solar systems, I would go. I once met someone that showed me his SmartESS app with his solar in real time, I was so excited. Two EG4 6500XP??? NICE....

not surprised most have a connection and meter fee

Here in Western Australia we have a "supply charge" for services even if we don't use the service. We get charged a fee to be connection to the infrastructure. I am off grid with power and water however I get charged from my water utility because there is a water supply available in my area. Even if I don't connect to their infrastructure I still have to pay a supply charge, it's total robbery. So out of principle I made them connect me up even though I very rarely use the service.

How much profit are they making if they're only willing to pay you 10% of what they've got the nerve to charge! You're getting robbed!

Really interesting video concept!

You should try to run a Bitcoin miner on solar power alone

Made a off grid system. It will only use utility when you batteries die. Don’t parallel with the grid, or you’ll need a generating permit and I takes forever to get.

@BeatTheBush

Күн бұрын

It doesn't earn much anyway, so I agree. Just produce just enough to meet your needs, not more, not less.

The california climate credit you get in april and in october can take care of the minimum delivery fee. It won't cover it 100% but enough to cover 8-10 months.

@BeatTheBush

Күн бұрын

Taking climate credit into account, the question becomes how much electricity should you consume to pay as little possible overall?

@CL-nj3zs

12 сағат бұрын

@@BeatTheBush if you want to pay absolutely $0, then apply for care. It drops the delivery fee down to $5 - $6 a month, which the climate credit will pay 100%. There's no way to avoid delivery fees from getting added to your bill.

At your annual PG&E True-Up, electricity credits are applied to your monthly connection fees. Depending on how you sized your system and what rate PG&E buys your excess solar, you may get refunded all of your connection fees. If you are selling approx $12/month of excess solar you will get refunded all of your connection fees

@BeatTheBush

3 күн бұрын

But at what rate? The info sheet shows you sell it at 4 cents per kWh? I rather pay the $12 and use the 300kWh you would have fed back to the system on.... whatever. Heating the pool.

@davidmcfarland2531

3 күн бұрын

I don’t have any way to shunt excess solar generation. I charge my EV, have AC. At the end of the year, my electric bill is $0 after True-Up. I actually get rebates due to VPP and energy conservation plans that are cash and are applied to gas charges True-Up does not offset gas charges. Being very fugal and wearing jackets our gas charges were under $40/mo this winter

You never talk about rental properties?

I figured with the massive greed of the power companies going solar would not work for me so i found ways to just lower my power bill . My central ac went out for good so i bought and installed 4 ductless mini split . And the front side of my house gets hammered by the sun all afternoon so i installed 3 outside sun shades . My power bill for a hot month in Florida went from $340 to $195 a month in the summer months . Grand total for the mini splits $3000 , total for sun shades $380 . Installed everything myself . Winter months i sit around $110 a month . I can live with that

@BeatTheBush

Күн бұрын

Whoa... $340 a month sounds expensive. Like those running heaters on a pool or AC on all the time.

I'm not sure if I'm jealous or not. Our connection fee is like $50 a month regardless of usage, but the kWh is far below yours. If you produce all your own energy, this sucks. If you're partially covering it, not so much.

I live in Florida. FPL's base bill is $25/mo.

@TheUweRoss

Күн бұрын

Hmm, "Base charge" on my FPL bill is only $9.55. No solar yet, but 9.8 kW (AC) ground mount going in right now and should be commissioned next week.

@David_Moon007

Күн бұрын

@@TheUweRoss I found it on Google.

'green' energy is pretense; it's all about the money. (not sayin' solar isn't good, but look how we're dis-incentivized at a certain point)

This advice does not apply in every state, if you live in a place with strong net metering laws your approach to solar may be different.

@BeatTheBush

Күн бұрын

Yup. I am going to assume a 1:1 purchase and sell ratio is rare.

The reasons are utilities companies don't want people to be free of them and they passed laws to keep their monopoly alive. However, when small / micro nuclear reactors are more common place and necessity dictates their usage and brownouts gets overwhelming, then thi gs will change!

Those of us in places that still have true 1:1 net metering don't really mind paying a $10 or $20 "connection" fee to use the grid as a free battery. :)

@BeatTheBush

Күн бұрын

I agree.

Under the new rules, PG&E pays homeowners the same amount per kWh that they would, during the same period, pay for wholesale providers like grid scale solar farms. The old rule forced them to buy your power at far above the wholesale rate. That was good for folks that had the space and money to put in solar, terrible for lower income folks that lived in apartments. To pay us folks who live in single family homes that much, rates for everyone had to be set higher. Activists representing the interests of lower income folks strongly advocated for the change. In their view - and it was accurate - the former rate structure was a wealth transfer from the poor to the rich. The new rate structure strongly incentivizes "self consumption" where the homeowner uses local battery storage to allow the home to use the power that would have gone to the grid in the evening after the sun goes down. This is what the grid needs, and what must happen, as solar penetration levels get so high that midday production, if not stored for later, exceeds what the grid can absorb.

get rid of your GAS. Go all electric for any energy needs

@BeatTheBush

3 күн бұрын

Yeah, a few appliances needs to be changed along with more solar to make that happen. In the works!

Could you run an extension cord to your neighbor and change them half the price of the grid?

@BeatTheBush

13 сағат бұрын

Half price is still not a good ROI. At full price, ROI is around 8-10 years.

I feel sorry for you guys down there. I'm in Alberta Canada which is just above Montana. In Alberta we have what they call the Solar Club. From Feb to Oct when I'm exporting more than I'm importing I switch to the higher Solar Club rate. Right now it's 30 cents a kWh. (Does not include Distribution variable fees) I earn enough credits all summer long to zero out my bills, they even pay me GST (Tax). That is my combined power and gas heating bills. In the winter we switch back to the lower rates when we are importing more than we export. During the winter those credits go towards all of my bills, even all the fee's are covered. Last year I paid a grand total in Feb of $400 for just gas and nothing for power. The year before I paid $10.46 grand total for both. I have 9000 watts grid tied. Facing South, East and West.

@BeatTheBush

3 күн бұрын

But then it's cold over there in the winter. Really cool you get $0.30/kWh selling back.

@timcat1004

3 күн бұрын

@@BeatTheBush minus 40 C is the same as minus 40 F ya it get's cold here.

Your so smart, consider sharing your engineering knowledge with disadvantaged kids. Maybe help elderly with their electrical needs. The poor you already help with your financial advice. Helping the poor, orphans, and elderly will always be a beautiful thing.

@solomonchau7725

2 күн бұрын

That takes WORK. That's a job. Why should HE be responsible for all these people who won't ever pay him a dime? Plus, he lives in California where they'll just tax him even more for trying to help the less fortunate. He does enough. Leave him the hell alone with your "being nice" attitude. Sorry, but not sorry.

$25 in Florida, BS.

There is such $0 bill if you're connecting to the grid. You ALWAYS pay monthly service fee no matter what. In order to get $0 bill, you need to disconnect your service.

U got refrigerator 😅😂..explain what are you using for that ???

@BeatTheBush

13 сағат бұрын

Fridge plugs into this system 24/7 for 10 weeks non-stop so far.

i had pg&e once back In 98

Write your congressman and senator. They can help, sometimes.

7.3.24 Great information. Thank you for sharing

Huh..? 5:48 mark.. "generate about $100 per month".. or $1200 a year. I can't stand that state. i spent too many years there.. sacto area.

Dude, it's De Minimums!

If you used zero electricity you should simply isconnect from the grid. It would not make sense to pay someone for a service that you don't use would it? Or could it be you need the grid for backup and security? For which, 13 dollars is actually more then acceptable. Of course they are paying you pennies to the dollar, because everybody is dumping energy at the same time, nobody really wants it, unless the price is low enough to want it. But when evening comes (and the sun don't shine), electricity is simply more expensive because your energy comes from fossil. It really isn't that hard to understand is it? Let's put it differently: You paid money for a battery system to store solar energy for consumption later on. That costs money doesn't it? It's only logical the energy company does the same. That price difference between generation and consumption should offset the price of the battery system. The grid also needs to generate power when it's night, they just have different offsets.

How much are you guys paying? Mine summer plan is variable per kwh weekdays 2pm-7pm: $0.10 standard $0.24 high $0.45 critical high (~ 10 days a summer) $0.06 7pm-2pm (the next day) $0.11 outside of summer rate plan.

Your room looks uncomfortable and hot af..

wow you are ready for a big earthquake or something. i wonder how much more resilient the grid would be if everyone was backfeeding a little like in germany they legalized 600-900w backfeed if you just fill out a short online form and let them know. they are debating raising it to 1200w since it was so helpful during the energy crisis the last 2 years. i added 200w of solar panels to my phev and installed a small micro inverter and replaced the 12v agm battery with a custom 4kwh lifepo4 battery. getting a lot better range and when my car is full instead of leaving it plugged in to trickle charge, i plug my house into my car now lol. i made a somewhat detailed post with a lot of pictures on the gm chevy volt forums under the gen1 modifications section.

@BeatTheBush

Күн бұрын

A short form online to back feed a little sounds awesome. Everyone can then just get 1200W and you pretty much can cut much of your daytime usage out. But do they pay 1:1 in germany?

would this be called Asian hate? what ever happened to that?

This is common for all utilities. Forcing all costs into a per unit charge would lower energy use by changing the economics of energy improvement projects for home owners. Pay back periods would be shortened, making projects more attractive.

Damn orland??? U live in the middle of nowhere 😂 thats a hick ass town with nothing going on except for farming.

Are you going to send those "green" PV panels to the landfill once their useful life is over?

@BeatTheBush

Күн бұрын

I actually had one break in transit and I went EVERYWHERE in my area to recycle it. Nope. I ended up breaking it down and putting it in the trash. There needs to be a new PV recycling program.

@southbound1969

Күн бұрын

@@BeatTheBush Yes. And you do know that those PV panels are loaded with toxic compounds and heavy metals. Maybe that's why they won't touch them.

Still not sure why people live in California.

The only good reason to do solar is in the case of any sort of power outages or in case your electric provider jacks the price up so high it is not reasonable. Right now electric here is still cost effective enough that I have not gone off grid, but it is a good thing for a person to be off grid ready/capable just in case there is some sort of problem.

Is it really worth it to go through so much pain to save 100 or so dollars. My solution is to just make more money and live a comfortable life

@BeatTheBush

Күн бұрын

It's not really pain for me. I enjoy it. Who wants to talk about solar and backup systems?!?!

another "solution" is to leave CA

@BeatTheBush

3 күн бұрын

Lol... yes, that is one way but you might just replace one problem with several others like tornados or freezing weather.

An engineer with too much free time.

@BeatTheBush

Күн бұрын

Free time is a luxury.

maybe set up a small crypto mining rig that you can turn off/on based on how sunny the day is?

@BeatTheBush

3 күн бұрын

The rig itself is expensive and needs to be run 24/7 to get best ROI.

I am ignorant and really dont know upur life. I think i remember your house is paid for and you like to travel. Do you REALLY have to live in California? Get out.

@surechap

3 күн бұрын

I think he's mentioned it's the weathe, friends and family that keeps him from leaving

@caesarvalenti2763

3 күн бұрын

@@surechap People that don't live in Northern CA do not realize how great we have it here. Sure, it is not perfect, but it sure beats the hellholes that are Texas and Florida...weather wise...and in many cases, politically

@BeatTheBush

3 күн бұрын

I build this system because its my hobby and it's extremely fun for me. Sure it saves money and that is part of the fun. Bay Area actually has a very diverse food scene. And yes, weather, friends, and family makes it worth while to stay. Rather than save this amount, I think about earning more.