How to Decrease Your Electricity Costs in North Texas
Summer has officially arrived in Texas with our first over-100 degree days beginning to stack up. That means residents all across Texas are firing up their air conditioners in an effort to keep cool. But high electricity costs and potential conservation calls are keeping many residents from setting their thermostats where they’d like, as even at 78 degrees their bills are high. So how can you stay comfortable without paying exorbitant rates? Going solar can help.
Net Metering Policies Save you Money
Net metering policies apply to homeowners with solar generating capacity. Oftentimes, solar panels on your roof produce more electricity than is actually consumed. With net metering, you can be compensated by your electricity provider for this excess power. A bidirectional meter measures how much electricity your home produces, as well as how much electricity you’re using from the grid to calculate the net electricity used. If a customer produces more electricity than they consumed from the grid, this net value will be negative and become a credit that can be banked for the following month’s bill or longer.
Grayson Collin Electric Coop Customer with solar bill
Net Metering with Grayson Collin Electric Coop
One electric provider servicing North Texas with a net metering policy is the Grayson Collin Electric Cooperative (gcec.net). Their net metering program will credit customers with the excess electricity they send back to the grid at full retail price, which is a good deal considering most plans offer less than the retail price for excess solar energy.
However, Grayson Collin Coop does charge an additional fee of $18 per month for being part of their net metering program. In addition, customers that use less than 50kW are charged a $5 low-use penalty (this applies to everyone, not just net metering customers) that is added to their base rate charges. The bidirectional grid acts as a giant battery for customers, as their excess energy is essentially stored in the grid until it is needed at night or when their solar system is not functioning at full capacity.
Avoid Price Hikes with Solar
Net metering policies can help you take full advantage of your solar system and save you additional money by not wasting any of the solar power you produce. However, even without net metering, going solar will save you money. This is because once the upfront cost of a solar installation is paid, the cost of electricity produced by a solar system is free. A customer’s ROI is influenced by many factors, but most Texans can expect to pay off their system in ten years.
Another reason that solar energy saves you money is that it is not subject to inflation like energy from the grid is. Electricity has not only been steadily increasing in cost, it is also susceptible to volatility because it is part of a global market. Having a reliable energy source for your home protects you from any price hikes by locking-in your rate, keeping our bills stable and predictable.
Avoid Blackouts & Brownouts with Solar
Every summer Texas continues to see record energy demand, and this summer is no exception. In just the second week of June, ERCOT forecasts are already predicting that Texas will break its previous demand record by a substantial amount. Outages usually occur due to high demand and poor performance from the wind and solar sectors. Luckily, though we will see high demand this summer, experts predict that the growth of solar in the state (2x as much solar capacity and almost 3x as much battery capacity as last year), will keep outages under control. However, the best way to truly protect yourself from blackouts this summer is to go solar and include a battery backup for your home. This way you’ll be completely independent of the grid, which can be highly unpredictable. Having battery storage means that even if the power goes out at night, you can keep the lights on and your appliances running.
Solar is a Great Investment
Without a doubt, solar is a great investment that benefits you, your community, and the planet. It helps you save money now while also increasing the resale value of your home, which is important if you don’t plan on staying in your home for the 10 years it will take to pay off. A study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that homes with solar panels sold for an average of $15,000 more than homes without them, and in Texas sold 20% faster than properties without solar panels.
Now is also the best time in history to go solar thanks to lower overall costs combined with hefty government incentives (such as the Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit that will cover 30% of the total cost of your system and local Texas incentives). It’s time to realize those cost savings and take advantage of the incentives and net metering policies available right now. Go solar with NATiVE and discover how easy it is to harness the power of the sun. We’re here to help with every step of your journey towards energy independence. #TakeYourPowerBack with NATiVE Solar!
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