Source
r/solar•
removepower

Wondering if it's even worth it now

My house sucks and I'm stuck running the AC alot during the summer, it's just too hard for the AC to cool down the house. Short of ripping the walls out and reinsulating, I'm just stuck. I've replaced my AC to a better SEER unit, done attic insulation replacement, replaced all windows and doors, replaced all lights with LEDs. This is it, I'm efficient as I can be and the bill still sucks, especially during the summer.

I'm located in San Diego, SDGE has some of the highest rates in the country. I've been sized up for a 8kw system (supposedly that would meet my needs) for my home, but I'm concerned about NM2.0-TOU that sdge has made mandatory. Is it even worth it to buy solar anymore? All the NBC charges, selling back at lower rates.

Basically I just don't wanna stress about my power bill anymore, I'm willing to spend the money upfront and install a quality system but I'm fucking tired of getting screwed by sdge. Batteries I know would help this, but everyone has said they're still too costly to be worth it.

Posted Apr 4, 2019, 1:29 AM UTC

59
rosier9•

With those electric rates solar makes perfect sense (prioritize western facing to catch evening sun). A battery system could easily make sense for you (don't believe the cath-all statements about being too expensive) to eliminate peak pricing.

2
HiTechRedNeckDave•

I installed solar in Oct 2018, SCE territory and NetMetering v2.0... my system is sized to meet my needs, so far after 5mo, I've stored up over 1MWh for summer and my NBCs have only amounted to <$5/mo... NBCs are only about $0.02~0.03/kWh... if your system is sized properly to your home use, you shouldn't have an issue... I sized my own system, contractors where quoting me smaller and higher than I needed... if you'd like some help understanding PV sizing, send me a private message and I will give you a hand... I'm not selling anything, just sharing info... I'm an energy consultant in the central valley...

1
crivexp2•

With NEM 2.0, you've got the nonbypassable charges which are small (around $0.02/kWh, compared with the $0.20-$0.50/kWh that you pay overall). Bigger issue is the new 4pm-9pm TOU peak pricing. I think the typical rate has something like $0.25/kWh from 6am to 4pm and $0.45/kWh from 4pm to 9pm. So your solar production will mostly give you credits at the midday value and you'll be buying at the higher rate. Not ideal, but you'll probably still come out ahead with solar.

See if you can pull down your interval energy usage from SDG&E and then have an installer give you a quote based on that data. It'll give you a better idea of how much you can cut your bill.

1
Solar_Spork•

This also means that an installer who just favors the south and not the south west exposures of the roof could undercut your delivered value. Lots of factors in there but "auto pilot" on design is not good with these complicated Net Metering schemes.

1
Forkboy2•

Yes, still worth it. You'll probably break even after 5 or 6 years.

The new TOU periods aren't great so you will want to minimize use between 4-9 PM. Run your AC to cool your house down to 70 degrees by 4 PM, then shut it off until 9 PM. Make sure to do laundry, pool pump etc during off peak hours as well. Replace all your light bulbs with LED.

1
removepowerOP•

That won't help, my AC has to stay on all day or the house won't stay cool. That's how old crappy homes without insulation work unfortunately :(

Soon as I turn my AC off, it'd climb 10degrees easily in about 30mins or so when it's 90+ outside.

All light bulbs are already LEDs.

1
Forkboy2•

You're probably going to want to invest in some insulation and better windows. Otherwise, you'll be paying $2-$3/hour to run your AC between 4-9 PM in the summer with solar.

Do you have a whole house fan? That's another great investment. Turn it on as soon as it cools down outside and let it run all night. That will cool off all the drywall, floors, furniture, attic, etc. which will then help keep the house cool during the day.

In the summer (Sacramento) I run my house fan all night, then I close the house and run the AC non-stop from 6-10 AM to get temp down to about 68. Then I turn the AC off. If it stays below 95, I can go the entire day without having to turn AC back on. If it gets up over 100, I have to turn it on again around 6 PM until it cools off again outside.

1
Dadd_io•

I installed solar on my southern 2nd floor roof and it dropped the upstairs temperature by 5 degrees just from the panels blocking the roof from direct sunlight. My upstairs and downstairs temperatures are now close to the same. I think you would save a lot just from this feature without even considering the energy generated.

1
removepowerOP•

Man, I really hope so, five degrees is alot! That's be so awesome, I would settle for that

3