We received a letter from PG&E our local utility letting us know that they had re-opened Time of Use "E7" rate metering to electric customers who installed solar this year. They are allowing 5,000 new customers as part of a negotiation they reached with the California Public Utility Commission. My bet is that this was mandated by PUC as part of their monopoly conditions otherwise it has to be a money loser for PG&E and why would they do that?
I checked into the rates, which pay around $0.35/kW and up per minute for peak (noon to 6pm Mon-Fri) and $0.09/kW for off peak and compared this to our current Net Metering rates which simply pay a flat fee no matter what time of day. It turns out that most of our solar is generated between noon and 6pm each day, at least 60%. That means we will be paid for that generation at the higher $0.35 or more rate. We also don't consume much during that time with not much air conditioning or appliance use. I was told by our solar supplier that if you consume <25% of your power usage during peak, it makes sense to go to E7 TOU metering.
So we went ahead and did it. PG&E swapped out the meter at no charge and I've been keeping an eye on the readings. I think we will significantly improve our payback on the equipment as a result. Maybe by 1-2 years.
Keep in mind that they are closing this special "deal" rate when they hit 5,000 customers and you can only apply if your system was commissioned in 2007. The number is 800-468-4743. You are also locked in to that rate for a year so be careful to calculate accurately if it makes sense for you to switch.
It's been nice to see our system gradually generating more power each day as the days get longer. Yesterday we hit 36 KwH with our 5.8 kW system. We're selling back net net these days!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
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