Solar Arrays – 5 Years Ago
Did you know power rates 5 years ago were different than they are today?
Power rates were on average about $0.04 to $0.08 cents per kilowatt hour less expensive than rates today. Naturally rates have gone up over time. Power five years ago were much less expensive leading to solar arrays that only offset about 80% of power consumption. The solar arrays were sized to only 80% in an effort to keep customers in Tier 1 rates. They would offset the cost of the higher rated power, keeping them in Tier 1. Today, rates are much more expensive, you must pay attention to when you are using power, aware of Time-of-Use rates (TOU) and On-Peak Power times. With these new rate structures, you are vulnerable to charges and higher rates. You can see price surges jump about $0.15 to $0.24 cents per kilowatt hour depending on the tier you are in and where you live. Power consumption in higher rate tiers can get expensive very quickly.
According to a SDG&E rate hike request report by ABC 10 News San Diego, they state in 2020, rates are expected to increase by 6.9%, 5.1% in 2021 and 4.9% in 2022. According to the rate hike requests we will see more increases. What do the rate hikes mean to you? A solar array sized to 80% five years ago will now see rates up to 28% higher than when the system was installed.
Solar Arrays installed years ago are not able to keep up with today’s power consuming customers. Today homeowners and business owners are powering more than they ever have. Solar arrays need to be able to power more electronics and rechargeable products than ever before.
Re-Chargeable Products (Just a Few):
- Full Electric Vehicle – Nissan Leaf (2010) / Tesla (2012)
- Full Electric Harley Davidson – LiveWire (2019)
- GPS on Cell Phone (2008)
- Computers – faster/bigger/more screens = more power
- Air Buds (2016)
- Cameras – widely available = more power
- iPad (2010)
- Ring Doorbell (2012)
- VR Oculus from FB (2012)
Electric Vehicles (EV’s) are a newer trend that impact your power consumption. EV’s are becoming more mainstream throughout today’s society with more fully electric cars and truck options coming to market daily. With these products come more power consumption. SolarTech is here to help you with your power needs. We can install a new solar array or *add to an existing array. We understand what adding a new electric vehicle will do to your electric bill. Our solar analysists can help you understand where you are today with your power consumption and help explain what the differences will be when your adding an electric vehicle to your home or business. SolarTech can install a new solar array and charging station at your home or business. Give us a call and let a solar analyst help answer any questions you may have. 619-743-9193
Need Service or Repair? Give us a call 619-743-9193 or click here to learn more.
*Some existing solar arrays may not be able to have panels added. A solar technician will be able to help you determine what options you have with your solar electric system.
References:
https://solartechonline.com/blog/sdge-rate-increase/
https://www.sdge.com/residential/pricing-plans/about-our-pricing-plans/standard-rate-plan
https://www.10news.com/news/san-diego-gas-and-electric-requests-major-rate-hike
https://www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy/the-true-cost-of-powering-an-electric-car.html