There are several reasons that your solar panels may not be reducing your utility bill. Some of those reasons, such as the amount of power you use, are in your control. Others, such as how your utility company bills you for power, you have less control over. The seasons also have an effect on how much power your system generates. Thankfully, there are ways to get that utility bill under control.
Solar panels don’t reduce your bill when they aren’t working right
Do you know if your solar panels are producing the amount of electricity that they’re supposed to? Solar systems can underperform for different reasons, and that can cause your utility bills to be higher than they should be.
That’s why Freedom Forever solar systems come with our 25-year production guarantee. We monitor your system for you if it ever breaks or underproduces power, we’ll call you and send someone out to fix it. If the problem was caused by something that was our fault, we’ll compensate you for your lost electrical production.
Many homeowners use more power after going solar
Don’t make this mistake. If you start using more power after going solar than you were before going solar, you may not be saving money on electricity. Keep in mind that your solar system is designed to produce the amount of electricity your household was using before you went solar. If you find that you need more power than your system was designed to produce, you may want to consider adding more solar panels to your system.
How you are billed for electricity affects your solar savings
What rate plan does your utility company use to bill you for power? It’s a very smart idea to review your power bill to find out how you’re billed for power. Your utility company may have other rate plans that can help you save. You should also find out how you are compensated for power produced by your system and supplied to the grid. Owners of EVs and plugin-hybrids may be eligible for special reduced rates.
Time-of-use billing can affect your solar savings
With time-of-use billing, the time of day affects how much you pay for electricity. Peak rate hours is the most expensive time to use electricity. If you are on time-of-use billing, and peak rate hours are after the sun sets, then you will be paying a lot for electricity, possibly enough to wipe out your solar savings. To reduce the impact of time-of-use billing, try to minimize your use of electricity during peak rate hours.
Home batteries can help you avoid peak rate hours
If you are on time-of-use billing, then you may want to add home batteries to your system. The batteries power your home during peak rate hours using electricity they stored from your solar system during the day. Home batteries also provide backup power in the event of a power outage.
Freedom Forever carries the Tesla Powerwall
The Tesla Power Wall can be configured to provide as much power as you need. They can provide enough electricity to power your entire home in the event of a blackout. If you live in California and your home meets certain requirements, you may qualify to have your batteries installed at a very low cost or even free.
How the season affect your solar system
Your solar system generates 65% of it’s annual output from the spring equinox to the fall equinox. From the fall equinox to the spring equinox, it generates only 35% of its annual power output. You should try to reduce your energy usage during the fall and winter months. Home batteries may also help you get the most out of your system’s power production. The batteries enable you to store and use more of the power your system generates during the shorter fall and winter days.
Freedom Forever can help with those high utility bills
Solving your high utility bill problem may mean adding panels to your solar to cover more of your energy usage. Home batteries can also bring that bill down, especially if you are on time-of-use billing. If you want to take a fresh look at your solar, and find out if there are improvements that can bring your utility bill down, just give us a call.