Is it possible to get ZERO electric bill?

[organic farmer]

Is it possible to get ZERO electric bill?

No.

... How does this work wrt the electric company. Will my meter go backwards? Do I get credit for the extra energy I generate and not use?

The credit is only good for one year.

The credit does not apply to transmission fees, taxes, and the fee for being connected.

[organic farmer]

Everybody is entitled to a free trip around the sun once a year.

I may steal that one.

[Naptown]

No.





The credit is only good for one year.

The credit does not apply to transmission fees, taxes, and the fee for being connected.

Actually this will vary according to the state net metering laws and the utility tariff schedule.
WWW.DSIREUSA.org will point you to the state laws you will have to check with your utility to see their tariffs.

[silverhorsefarm]

It's possible

I guess it varies state-by-state. I see bills from my POCO typically in Feb and/or March, but not again until the next Feb. This winter has been rougher than usual, however.

[joegovette]

No.





The credit is only good for one year.

The credit does not apply to transmission fees, taxes, and the fee for being connected.

All states are different. I live in NM, and have received a check from the electric company for the past 6 months ranging from $25-$45. I also have a stored bank of 450 kWh's. My bank will be used up June, July, and August. It is possible!

[russ]

All states are different. I live in NM, and have received a check from the electric company for the past 6 months ranging from $25-$45. I also have a stored bank of 450 kWh's. My bank will be used up June, July, and August. It is possible!

You still pay fees is what was meant.

[joegovette]

You still pay fees is what was meant.

The question asked was is it possible to get a ZERO electric bill. The answer is yes! Depending on where you live. Fees have not been discussed at all. Fees vary by POCO.

[silversaver]

How does this work wrt the electric company. Will my meter go backwards? Do I get credit for the extra energy I generate and not use? I think I read that you cannnot get much $$$$ for the extra, but get credit. I'm considering getting a gridtie system facing WSW (255 deg) that's my roof. I'm in San Diego and have mega space on that roof. I'm wondering if I can get at least half off my bill on a 2k system. We use around 500kwh/month. and the bill is around $100. We went away for 2 weeks and my bill for that month was $40 less than typical.

I read up on the SDG&E website and got a handle on how it works, kind of. Best savings is at peak hours 1-6pm in summer. That is when my panels are kickkin' butt.....seeing that they face west and it's usually very sunny then, more cloudy in the am hours. With systems around $2 a watt, it surely seems like the thing to do, especially with the tax break.

I'm at ZERO billing but had to pay basic metering fee @0.031 per day + other small fees. A 2kW system probably giving you about 3000kWh per year. On the math, it will cover 50% of your usage for now. BUT, there is no way you can get it for $2 per Watt even with 30% Fed incentive. It will cost you at least $4.5+ per Watt before any incentive even you pick the cheapest panels. That will take you over 10 years for your return.

[russ]

The question asked was is it possible to get a ZERO electric bill. The answer is yes! Depending on where you live. Fees have not been discussed at all. Fees vary by POCO.

Bill by definition means the sum at the end of the page - not some intermediate number.

For grid tie a ZERO electric bill ain't gonna happen - and never should happen.

[joegovette]

Bill by definition means the sum at the end of the page - not some intermediate number.

For grid tie a ZERO electric bill ain't gonna happen - and never should happen.

I agree. I have never had a zero electric bill. It has always been $-25.00 to $-45.00 since I installed my solar array. There is a fee associated with being tied to the grid of $5.62 which gets deducted from the amount that the POCO owes me from net metering. NM is very good to solar. I get $.04 for every kWh that I produce. I don't pay for any electricity up to the amount that I produce. Free electric at $.09 Tier 1 and $.13 Tier 2 plus I get paid $.04. Bills to me are things that I have to pay for services. I receive a check monthly so it is income not a bill. I like your idea of a bill since this bill pays me monthly.

[billvon]

I'm in San Diego and have mega space on that roof.

If you are in San Diego the answer is yes. We get money back from SDG+E. (Or at least we did until this year; with an electric car, our bill for the year has climbed to $30.)

[J.P.M.]

How does this work wrt the electric company. Will my meter go backwards? Do I get credit for the extra energy I generate and not use? I think I read that you cannnot get much $$$$ for the extra, but get credit. I'm considering getting a gridtie system facing WSW (255 deg) that's my roof. I'm in San Diego and have mega space on that roof. I'm wondering if I can get at least half off my bill on a 2k system. We use around 500kwh/month. and the bill is around $100. We went away for 2 weeks and my bill for that month was $40 less than typical.

I read up on the SDG&E website and got a handle on how it works, kind of. Best savings is at peak hours 1-6pm in summer. That is when my panels are kickkin' butt.....seeing that they face west and it's usually very sunny then, more cloudy in the am hours. With systems around $2 a watt, it surely seems like the thing to do, especially with the tax break.

In San Diego you can zero out your elec. bill and even get money back. It will probably not be cost effective to add that much solar however, at least not at this time.

It is probably necessary to spend some time figuring out how SDG & E charges you for what you buy from them. It's a PITA but IMO worth it if you want the most bang or your long term buck and don't want to be at the mercy of hearsay and unethical peddlers who twist the truth to snare and screw the ignorant.

Every utility's policies are different. Sometimes you can get $$'s back, sometimes not. Sometimes you can but will get back a pittance. In either case, almost never will it be cost effective to offset an entire electric load w/solar. Ya' gotta' do your homework to find your sweet spot - then, pay your money and take your choice.

Bottom line : At 6,000 kWhrs./yr. I seriously doubt that solar is cost effective for you at this time, or any time in the future. We should all be so frugal.

[bcroe]

I have never had a zero electric bill. It has always been $-25.00 to $-45.00 since I installed my solar array. There is a fee associated with being tied to the grid of $5.62 which gets deducted from the amount that the POCO owes me from net metering. NM is very good to solar. I get $.04 for every kWh that I produce. I don't pay for any electricity up to the amount that I produce. Free electric at $.09 Tier 1 and $.13 Tier 2 plus I get paid $.04. Bills to me are things that I have to pay for services. I receive a check monthly so it is income not a bill. I like your idea of a bill since this bill pays me monthly.

Maybe northern IL is even better. No grid tie fee, no Tiers. No money exchanged, but I
can generate enough to heat the house & cover electric use. Buying is $.082 per KWH.
There is still a flat meter/connect fee of about $18, not complaining. Bruce Roe

[Lomag]

Bill by definition means the sum at the end of the page - not some intermediate number.

For grid tie a ZERO electric bill ain't gonna happen - and never should happen.

My bill is now zero, every month, here in New Jersey. Now this obviously depends on your states net-metering laws and your power company but basically everyone in NJ should be able to accomplish this, if timed and done correctly.

Each year (I have selected March), the POCO pays out our banked kwh at the wholesale rate resulting in a bill credit. We're on the single rate plan, none of this peak and off peak business which complicates things so much more. So, let me start from the beginning, in March/April/May we generate way over our consumption and receive a kwh for kwh credit stored in a "kwh bank", many of which are used up in June/July/August. In September and October we generate more kwh than we use which get banked again and used up in November/December/January. February is a wash usually. At the end of a yearly cycle in March, we always have a couple hundred kwh still in the bank which are paid out at the wholesale rate, as a bill credit, as I mentioned earlier. Now, each month there is a $2.20 customer fee. This is our 3rd year with solar and this past March, we've received our banked kwh credit last month of about $35. So they zero'd out our bank and gave us a $35 bill credit. Going forward, this $35 bill credit will be used to pay the customer fee each month, hence, zero bills. The cycle repeats year after year, assuming solar generation is good and our consumption stays similar.

Not to mention that we receive about 8 or 9 SREC's (1 srec = 1000 kwh of generation) per year valued around $175 each currently. The value of these fluctuates depending on the srec market. In my mind, I use these srec payments to pay our other bills such as natural gas, cable, etc... I like to keep our fixed recurring expenses at a minimum. Now if i could find a way to get rid of property taxes .. lol

[bcroe]

My bill is now zero, every month, here in New Jersey.
Not to mention that we receive about 8 or 9 SREC's (1 srec = 1000 kwh of generation) per year valued
around $175 each currently. The value of these fluctuates depending on the srec market.

Are SRECs something unique to your contract, or are they something all solar people should know about?
Bruce Roe