You may not give a lot of thought to how your electrical bill is calculated, but if you have or plan to install solar panels, it’s important to understand how your electrical company measures your energy use.
For Southern California Edison customers, this calculation is about to change. The current system of net metering is the more beneficial option for families with solar panels. If you want access to net metering, you should install your solar panels now so that you can lock in lower electrical rates. Read more to learn about how net metering works.
What is net metering? Net metering is straightforward: the electric company measures how much energy you use from the grid, and how much energy your solar panels export to the grid. You get charged for whatever energy you use that isn’t covered by your solar panels. Let’s say that your solar panels produced more energy than you used. In that case, the electric company would actually pay you for that extra energy! However, under the new plan, you could get paid less for the extra energy that you produce!
The old program for homeowners with solar panels was called NEM (Net Energy Metering). Southern California Edison has now initiated NEM 2.0, with changing rates and charges. NEM 2.0 customers will now have to be on a TOU (Time of Use) schedule, and will be charged higher rates for energy usage during peak hours—and get paid lower rates for power produced not during peak hours.
Electric rates are only going up. Southern California Edison initiated a high usage charge starting January 1st. Homeowners who use much more than the average will be paying 31 cents per kilowatt hour—almost twice the amount as the lowest tier. This charge could make your bill go up significantly, and it’s not going away. If you want to avoid this high usage rate, or if you just want to stop paying ever-increasing amounts for electricity, now is the time to go solar!
If you’re going solar, there’s no better option than Semper Solaris. Semper Solaris is locally and veteran-owned, and was co-founded by John Almond—San Diego resident and in the business world for over twenty years—and Kelly Shawhan, former U.S. Marine Corps Captain. We pride ourselves on our strong military values such as keeping our word, taking responsibility for our actions, and communicating clearly and constantly. We love to hire our nation’s veterans, and we also show our support for veterans by offering special discounts for military, first responders, and their families. Our solar installation experts are known for being friendly, professional, and well-trained in their abilities—so much so that Semper Solaris has earned an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau for our outstanding customer service, not to mention our excellent ratings with customers through services like Yelp.
Semper Solaris also uses the incomparable SunPower solar panels, which are designed in the United States. SunPower panels are especially durable because of a special copper backing and have won world records in efficiency. They also come with a powerful 25-year bumper-to-bumper warranty, unlike any other company’s warranty.
Call Semper Solaris today to set up an appointment. One of our courteous professionals will be happy to come to your home and work with you to evaluate how solar panels might work for your home and to help you start saving money today.
