Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

mattbruenig.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

281–290 of 510 posts

Re: Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

#281

Post by notJim »

hbarka wrote: post #109

Assuming you are grid-tied, the reduction of electric bills is predicated on net metering, where the utility company gives you (ideally) 1-for-1 credit for the electricity you produce. In California, this was called NEM 1.0 and NEM 2.0. Every few years the California utilities lobby the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to chip away at the NEM program. This year the PUC voted unanimously to cut net energy metering an…

This incentivizes storage and time-shifting usage to solar peak times, which seem to be needed in California. Does anyone know if there are pricing signals to help with that? For example, if I (as a power-plant operator or whatever) found a way to sell electricity right as the sun is going down, am I rewarded for that?

As an individual with a solar install, I think this also encourages people to use the energy they produce directly, which also seems beneficial. For example, if your house is well-insulated, you can probably pre-cool it a few degrees while your solar is producing so that you don't need as much cooling during the peak times. If you can be home during the day time, you could set your car to only charge during peak times.

Re: Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

#282

Post by malfist »

prottog wrote: post #138
malfist wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps instead of being angry that people are using taxes that come from the working class, instead you should ask why the wealthy aren't paying their share of the taxes? And nobody pays for anything with inflation. That's not how inflation works.

> instead you should ask why the wealthy aren't paying their share of the taxes? And what is the right share that the wealthy should pay, and how wealthy should one be to be paying that amount? I'm assuming it's some level of wealth above yours. About half of the US doesn't pay any federal income tax, and a little over a quarter pays no net federal taxes at all, including payroll taxes. The labor force participation…

> Perhaps you should ask why two-fifths of adults aren't doing their share of the labor?

Careful that you don't cut yourself with all those edgy takes.

Re: Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

#283

Post by singhrac »

dahfizz wrote: post #273
jrochkind1 wrote: post #247

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can still totally offset your own actual consumption at retail rate, but any negative over your actual consumption for the month, you only get paid cash at wholesale rate? Without knowing anything about this or any context... that does not seem unreasonable to me. Note that OP didn't even require net negative at all to have it still totally be a great investment. He only offest a portion of his actual usage. So n…

> You can still totally offset your own actual consumption at retail rate AFAIK, most home solar is not set up this way. You don't use the energy from your solar panels. The solar panels feed directly into the grid, and your usage comes directly out of the grid. So if you use 100kwh, and generate 100kwh, then you will pay 100kwh at retail rate, and receive 100kwh at wholesale rate.

Hmm, I've never heard of such a setup, actually. Usually these kinds of generators are called "behind-the-meter" because they are literally behind the electric meter, so any generation you make is directly used by your house, and any excess crosses the meter. At least this web page (from a utility in NE-ISO) indicates that solar generation is still behind the meter even in a net generation setting: https://www.bostonsolar.us/solar-blog-resource-center/blog/w.... It could vary from place to place, though.

Re: Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

#284

Post by maerF0x0 »

EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK wrote: post #250
dml2135 wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From my read, the solar company delivered late, causing the original loan to fall through and requiring the homeowner to refinance at a higher rate. Since that delay cost money it does seem fair that the company should bear the cost.

Going from, say, 3% to 4% on a $20k 10-year loan would cost him about $1100. He squeezed them for $5k.

Ok, so adding in another $200 a month lost opportunity (say for 7 months. We're now at $2500... So I guess these details are adding up, still not $5k, but the case for a discount is definitely growing.

Re: Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

#285

Post by gnicholas »

ceejayoz wrote: post #229
gnicholas wrote: post #227

> if you use a 5 percent discount rate, 20 years of $2,677 of annual electricity bill savings yields a net present value of $33,361. Yes, but with an 8% discount rate, the PV is $26,283. It's true that the cost of electricity will probably rise over time, as he notes. But current interest rates make this a much less attractive proposition from a financial perspective (that is, assuming you don't care about solar gene…

> Your panels can be destroyed by hurricane, earthquake, or falling trees, rendering them worthless, for example. That’s what homeowners insurance is for.

Good point! I guess I view panels as being especially vulnerable because of their fragility and exterior location.

I've also heard that one way to get booted from your homeowner's insurance is to ever file a claim. I know several people who lost coverage after their first claim (decades after becoming a customer).

Re: Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

#286

Post by kube-system »

VintageLight wrote: post #120
jefftk wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having 21 panels requires a rectangle 17ft by 24ft (each panel is 5.4ft by 3.25ft). That's far from an estate: if it's a two story home with a flat roof you're talking 816sqft compared to a US median of 2,300sqft.

1. Most roofs aren't flat. 2. For pitched roofs, you're only going to want to install on the south or west facing sides. So only some percentage of your roof area is ideal.

And if you have a hip roof, it may be an exercise in fitting a rectangular peg in a triangular hole.

https://www.infiniteenergy.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/06...

Re: Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

#287

Post by 0cf8612b2e1e »

asdff wrote: post #52
perfectstorm wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

if you generate excess energy, can you store it for a later time when you need more energy (presumably summer time)?

While you wait decades for home battery storage technology to improve, you can make a water battery in the meantime with a few things from the hardware store. https://hackaday.com/2021/10/08/power-your-home-with-a-water...

You can buy a residential battery today that provides real value. The limitation on batteries is for grid scale supply.

Re: Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

#288

Post by figers »

hbarka wrote: post #109

Assuming you are grid-tied, the reduction of electric bills is predicated on net metering, where the utility company gives you (ideally) 1-for-1 credit for the electricity you produce. In California, this was called NEM 1.0 and NEM 2.0. Every few years the California utilities lobby the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to chip away at the NEM program. This year the PUC voted unanimously to cut net energy metering an…

There is also the savings from the solar your house produces and uses directly instead of pulling from the grid at the price per kWh.

Re: Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

#290

Post by Someone1234 »

foobarian wrote: post #237
Someone1234 wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> otherwise we could switch to electric heat but that is a huge outlay. You can walk into any major retailer, buy a space heater, and plug it into any outlet in your home. Keep in mind that your gas furnace is turned on/off using a thermostat and temperature setting, so if you reduce the set-point e.g. 1 degree, and then either locate the coldest parts of your home or areas you want to prioritize (e.g. livingrooms/be…

Sure but I don't want a bunch of random space heaters around the house. Regardless of whether they are safe or not it's a waste of space if there is an existing central heating system.

What about Electric Baseboard Heaters instead? They don't take up space like a freestanding space heater does.
Post reply on HN