Behind The Curtain: dispelling solar myths, Episode 3: Solar offsets and energy efficiency packages.
Apologies for the delay between episodes! This is a good one though. One that many customers get duped on. The solar offset is what % of your power bill the solar system will replace. Many customers want 100% offset when we show up and I mean, why not? If I can get rid of my power bill completely, that's good right? Well, it would be, and CAN be, but it has to be possible first. A lot of solar salespeople don't even understand these concepts, so beware what sounds to good to be true.
"If I use 10000kwh each year and my solar system produces 10000kwh each year, my resulting power bill should be $0 each month, right?"
Not really
Technically they built you a 100% offset system, but did the system produce those kwh's at exactly the right time? Did it produce at night? If your utility company has the MOST favorable net metering policy, then yes, you'll get practically $0 dollar bills from this system.
If you have the second tier of net metering policies, you'll give SOME electricity to the power company for nearly free and you'll have much lower power bills, but you'll rarely have a $0 dollar power bill as expected.
If you have the third tier of net metering, you'll still have around 60% of your power bill, you'll be convinced the system doesn't work and you'll never save money with solar. Oh, and you'll be just slightly upset.
In EACH of these cases, however, if you have a salesperson that knows how to design a system based on your utility's net metering policy, then going solar should be able to save you money in the short AND long term. The key is finding solar salesperson that understands this AND cares about saving you money.
The energy efficiency package is another way to make your offset sound amazing. They offer "no cost" energy efficiency items (LED bulbs, blown in insulation, even sink aerators) and have an "estimated reduction of energy needs". So they sell you 50% of your power with solar, tack on another 25% with energy efficiency package and they simply tell you "I can produce 75% of your power for X dollars per month". You think: "that's a bit cheaper than the other solar company AND I get free insulation!!!". In fact, the other company designed your system correctly at 50% (potentially because of a less- than- favorable net metering policy) , didn't add a fake 25% energy efficiency package to the deal and if you look at the cost per kwh produced, it's ACTUALLY much cheaper than the other company when compared on an apples to apples basis.
The solution: Call GRID for a free, no obligation solar quote. We are solar professionals first, salespeople second (and only because we have to sell solar to bring people the joy of solar). We already know your utility's net metering policy, take the time to explain it to you, and then take the time to explain why we designed the system the way we did. Click below to sign up for a free quote.
