How Much is My Energy Bill After Installing Solar?
I had an interesting call from a client who had gotten solar, not from us, but from another contractor. This client wanted us to help figure out why, after a year had passed with their new system, they were experiencing just as high and sometimes even a much higher energy bill, even though the system worked very well initially.
He was certain that somehow he had been taken advantage of by his contractor. We were intrigued by this issue and offered to help figure it out.
We started by inspecting his system. It appeared that all had been installed correctly, good panels, Enphase Micro Inverters, etc. Next we did a search of his previous SDG&E usage and found that indeed, his history reported a much higher usage curve than would be expected. We had another conversation with this homeowner and attempted to figure out what was going on with his energy bill.
What we found was shocking!
This client, now assuming that all of his energy usage was free, went on an energy “spending spree!”
For example, he bought an electric vehicle, a second freezer, and, in his own words, ran his a/c almost non stop!
This stuff should have been pre-planned at the time of the solar purchase, certainly not after the fact. Had the proper planning been undertaken, he could have avoided all of the attended stress and sky-high energy bills.
Solar is not a miracle, nor can it give anyone free license to act without consequence. It is, in fact, a tremendously good investment, but one which, like, all things, must be tempered with lots of common sense.
When you need answers, please contact Raneri and Long Roofing and Solar. We can help you to make the right decisions.