Edison raising rates again

[jeffrey_ropp]

Carl,

Please start a thread so we can all learn from your upcoming experience.

What's your take on these new PV roofing tiles?
The payback timeframe is interesting. If someone is building a new roof (or replacing one), what would the costs be if the system (3-6kW) was installed at the same time as the roofing?

If that further reduces the payback time, perhaps there is a business possibility here. Front the costs for an installation and sell power at a reduced rate to the house owner? Viable?

Jeff

 

[Reefski's]

Jeff: i am a few months away from actually installing my system. we will be breaking ground on my remodel in July. it will be next year before we get the solar installed.

the solar costs i quoted are only for the solar system. the roofing new or old is not included. and after the rebates.

as a roofing contractor you should think new roof or at least fairly new roof prior to installing a system. we only do roofing . i don't do the Solar. it is a whole different thing.

the price i quoted that we get is the cost after the solar rebates. the solar company does all the rebate paperwork and they are assigned the rebate. some companies don't do that and the homeowner has to pay for the whole system and then wait for the rebate up to a year.

commercial installations have additional tax saving and so have a much better payback than those for homeowners.

if you are thinking of solar now is a good time. the rebates will be phased out over the next few years.

i will start a thread when i start my project in a few months, but it will be over a year before the aquarium is set up. not until the remodel is complete.


Carl

 

[d0cdave]

12KW is huge. Most folks need 5-7.5kw. I've seriously considered going solar. Just gotta bite the bullet and do it.

Jeff- Interesting business idea. You gotta consider how long these panels will last (I dont know of any longevity studies yet) and degredation of components over time. There are no real good deals on solar right now since we export a lot of the materials to other countries for their PV systems. Demand is very high as you can imagine. Also, as a business, you might not be able to get the rebates as they usually apply to the property owner not the installer.

Now, I can see an interesting business if you are already an HOA for a condo complex. You would already own the exteriors of the homes that are in your HOA, and you could install them and have a nice array of panels for the entire complex. Install electronic metering and away you go! It would be covered under the business rebate, and you could probably make money off of the KW you spin back on the grid. Not everyone has a big reef tank or hydro farm in their condo

 

[NicoleC]

SCE doesn't buy back energy from home generation, but some companies do. I bet the Anaheim Muni does.

I wish I could talk my association into installing it complex-wide, and we probably even have enough cash banked to cover it although it would drain our raindy day fund. But there's no incentive for the HOA to get involved since the homeowners pay their own electric bills.

 

[d0cdave]

If you could promise lower rates, people might go for it. Ive heard SoCal Edison gives you a credit for spinning the meter backwards. Is that not true now? If not, get a bank of batteries and store it for a rainy day

 

[NicoleC]

Nope, not in cash, just credit that expires at the end of the year. From sce.com:


Q11. Does SCE pay me money for excess energy I produce?

Answer: No. NEM customers are provided kWh energy ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œcreditsââ"šÂ¬Ã‚. These credits are used to offset the energy that you consume. Additionally, these energy credits do not offset non-energy related charges like your customer charge.


Q12. What happens to my kWh energy credits at the end of my 12-Month Relevant Period?

Answer: Upon completion of the current 12-month period (Relevant Period), an account true-up is completed and any excess kWh and associated credits are forfeited for the current period, and the next ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“newââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ 12-Month Relevant Period will begin. The customer does not get paid for excess kWh and associated credits, nor do the excess kWh and associated credits get carried forward to their new relevant period. Please refer to the NEM tariff for more details.

 

[cthetoy]

If youre an SCE Customer you can sign up for the A/C summer discount plan. Its free. Edison will come out and install a device which will allow them to turn off your AC only during a Stage 1 or Stage 2 alert. By doing so they will credit your bill depending on the size of your AC. Last year they credited me an average of $75 a month on a $300 bill. This is for Central Air customers only. I have 2 units since I have a 2 story home so you get more credits than a single story home.

Go to SCE.COM,go to Rebates,and Summer Discount Plan to sign up. Credit starts from First sunday of June to first sunday of October.

 

[d0cdave]

(puts tree hugger hat on) Well, even though you dont get "rollover" credits, your'e still contributing to the grid with solar power. Not too shabby.

Anyone live in the stix where you can use a wind generator?