If you’re thinking about cutting your electric bill and carbon footprint by installing a solar photovoltaic (PV) system, you’re going to want to understand net metering. An educated consumer is the best customer.
If there is no one in your home during the day, but your solar PV system is soaking up the sun, excess energy will flow into the grid. In return, you will receive credit for that energy.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, 20-40% of a solar energy system’s output goes back into the grid. That energy powers the homes of your neighbors, while you watch your electric bill shrink.
In contrast, if you’re relaxing on the couch watching television after a long day of work, and there are a few lights on, energy will flow in from the grid to power them. Your solar panels cannot provide you with energy when the sun isn’t shining.
Each month, you are billed, or credited, for the net energy, or the difference between the energy produced by the solar PV system and the energy consumed by the house. If your panels produced enough energy to offset all of your usage, you won’t pay the electric company a penny—and may even get a credit that can be used during cloudier months in the future. Net metering is amazing!
At Exact Solar, we help our customers offset as much of their energy usage as possible. We love that we can help you use the power of the sun to avoid paying increasing energy costs and do your part to protect the planet.