Solar is probably the most desirable upgrade for buyers. Hat tip to Eddie89 for sending this in:
Defying overwhelming public opposition, state officials voted in late 2022 to make drastic changes to California’s rooftop solar rules (called “net energy metering”).
Solar users under NEM3 will get 75% to 80% less from the utility for the extra solar energy they share with the grid. Compensation for that extra energy will go from an average of $.30 / kWh to around $.05 / kWh. NEM3 solar users will also be put on a rate plan with higher evening electricity rates. These changes will extend the payback period for a solar investment from an average of six years to more than ten years.
Here are some FAQs about the changes, often referred to as NEM3:
https://solarrights.org/faqnem3/
What if I have solar and sell my home?
If you are a NEM1 or NEM2 customer and you sell your home, the new owner will take over the remainder of your 20-year lock-in period.
However, this will be different under NEM3, which has a shorter, 9-year lock-in period that is lost when a home is sold. This is another incentive for a home seller that has a fully paid off solar system that’s under either the NEM1 or NEM2 rules. The buyers get more solar bang for their bucks!
EXACTLY why I did not get solar or buy an electric car – “they” always change the rules to run it later
State sticking it to solar customers and industry. I’m solar, 2018 NEM2. System generates 12,000 KWH per year….and we still pay. As long as you are on the grid at all w/o battery storage they have created fees that solar customers pay regardless of use. Now don’t even ask me about my gas bill I just received yesterday!
Lucy, Charlie Brown, football.
We installed solar panels and a backup battery (fully paid) last year. The day the battery was installed and charged, we actually experienced a blackout in our neighborhood and we didn’t realize it until we got an automated call from SDG&E informing us that our power was back on and we didn’t notice that the power was off!
Granted, it’s not a full, whole house backup battery (won’t power AC compressor, clothes dryer, oven), but just enough to power all the essential lights/120V sockets and fridge for 24 hours. And the the panels recharge the battery and power the house the next day.
Overall, we’re glad that we invested in solar panels and battery backup. Peace of mind for when there are blackouts (especially since we’re now working from home 100% of the time) and offsetting “some” of the outrageous energy rates charged by SDG&E. Sure, they keep adding mysterious “fees” and increasing them every year, but at least we’re a little more self sufficient now and we’re paying less in electricity, overall.
Also, with a backup battery we’re able to do some Time of Use arbitrage by running the house only off the battery between 4pm and 9pm (Peak Rates) and therefor blunt the more expensive electricity rates during the summer. We also have the ability to have the battery discharge to the grid during peak times and get a slightly better rate payback than when the panels send excess electricity we don’t use during off peak times.
I always wondered if it would be feasible for a utility company to maintain the power plants and grid at the old rates as more people got solar.
Seems that state officials conclude it wasn’t.
I always wondered if it would be feasible for a utility company to maintain the power plants and grid at the old rates as more people got solar. Seems that state officials conclude it wasn’t.
Another taxpayer bailout disguised as, well, umm – it’s not disguised!