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How will my APS bill change after my solar electric system is operational?
Some things on your electric bill will stay the same, such as your monthly service charge and things like transmission and distribution charges to name a few.
Solar will only affect the kWh portion of your bill. Once your solar electric system is operational, you’ll see kWh credits on your bill. Any excess kWhs will be applied to your bill based on your solar rate, either EPR-2 or Resource Comparison Proxy .
The kWh portion of your bill will be based on the readings from our bi-directional meter, also known as billable meter. The production meter installed on your home measures the overall generation of your solar electric system. The billable meter registers energy flowing from your solar electric system into your home and excess energy going to our grid. This is known as net billing.
It depends on the solar rate you choose – RCP or EPR-2.
The RCP rate allows customers to receive a credit for excess energy sent to the grid. Any bill credit in excess of the customer’s otherwise applicable monthly bill will be credited on the next monthly bill, or subsequent bills if necessary. After the customer’s December bill, a customer may request a check for any outstanding credits from the prior year however, if the outstanding credits exceed $25, we will automatically issue a check to the customer. Otherwise, the bill credits will carry forward to the following year.
How Much Can I Reduce My Arizona Public Service Bill By Switching To A Different Rate Plan
For some people, the savings from switching rate plans may only be a few dollars per month, but for many it canbe $20-$100 per month. That’s between $240 and $1,200 that you may now be paying to Arizona Public Service eachyear for no reason.
Finding out what’s available to you is as simple as a phone call or email to Arizona Public Service . Even a smallsavings can be worth it.
Washington Times Examines Arizonas Aps V Solar Industry Battle Court Rich Co
Court Rich, co-chair Rose Law Group Renewable Energy Department, Jason Rose, spokesman for TUSK, explain net metering dispute
The current fight over solar power in Arizona is taking on epic proportions as attack ads pop up, accusations fly, and unlikely alliances form. The outcome of the battle between Arizona Public Service Co. , the states largest electric utility, and the private solar industry could influence the development of solar both in the state and the country.
The controversy boiled over last week when APS submitted a new pricing plan proposal for solar power customers to the Arizona Corporation Commission , the states utility commission. Critics fear the new plan will destroy Arizonas blossoming solar power industry and cost thousands of jobs.
Known as net metering, in most states with significant or growing solar power use, large utilities are required to buy unused solar energy from residential customers and send it through the grid to non-solar customers. Additionally, in states like Arizona, utilities are required to pay a retail price for excess residential solar power, as opposed to the lower rate paid to industrial providers.
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Does Arizona Public Service Offer Full 1 For 1 Net Metering Credits For Exported Solar Power
No, Arizona Public Service does not offer full 1 for 1 net metering. This means that when you export surplus power from your solar panels, you will be paid less by the utility than what you are charged to buy the equivalent amount of power from the grid.
The amount you are paid by the utility is known as a feed-in tariff. In the case of Arizona Public Service , this feed-in rate is $0.1 per kWh.
Take Results With ‘a Grain Of Salt’
Clean energy advocates warn the report’s conclusions are uncertain due to the lengthy outlook, and the report’s authors agree this is true.
“As with any very long-range study, results in the distant future must be taken somewhat with a grain of salt,” the report notes. “We have little information as to what technologies will be available or how exactly the power system will evolve.”
The study has other limitations, the authors note. The analysis may undervalue flexible resources such as battery storage because of how future energy prices are analyzed, and it has also not been paired with a loss of load probability analysis.
Battery storage is a significant component of utility decarbonization plans. Regulators recently approved a pilot for APS to use residential storage for grid optimization, and the utility is planning to install 850 MW of four-hour battery storage by 2025, the Ascend report noted.
The study also considers only three discrete scenarios, “none of which were optimized,” the authors said. “A more thorough study would leverage capacity expansion algorithms as well as discrete sensitivities to test key assumptions.”
Nicole LaSlavic, executive director of the Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association, was blunt about the limitations of the research, saying it is likely to turn out “very wrong.” Among its flaws, she said, the study fails to consider water savings associated with renewable energy use, which “is absolutely essential to Arizona right now.”
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Save On Your Srp Bill With Solar
Want to see how much you can save on your SRP bill with solar? On the EnergySage Marketplace, you can receive up to seven quotes from local Arizona installers to compare. These quotes provide custom savings estimates based on your electricity usage, the rate you pay, and the solar potential of your property. If youd like to start out with a rough estimate of solar costs and savings, try our Solar Calculator.
Net Metering In Arizona
Net metering in Arizona is a public policy and political issue regarding the rates that Arizonautility companies pay solar customers sell excess energy back to the electrical grid. The issue has two political sides: utility companies that to pay solar customers the “wholesale rate” for their excess electricity, and solar panel installers and solar customers who want utility companies to pay the “retail rate” .
Under net metering, utility customers with solar panels get a credit for the energy they send back to the grid. The credit offsets the energy that they use from the grid. According to The Arizona Republic, “Utilities view net metering as a subsidy because they essentially pay retail rates for power from rooftop solar panels when they could purchase wholesale power much more cheaply, even from renewable sources.” Solar companies take the opposite view net metering is not a subsidy and without customers being able to get a credit for their excess energy, they wouldn’t save money on their electric bills .
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Solar Is Here To Stay And Battery Technology Will Soon Provide A Boost
Despite all these setbacks and decreases in the Export Rate Credits for solar panel owners, solar has proven itself to be the future, especially here in Arizona. Clean energy is a major push for future growth and innovation. We have reached unprecedented price points on solar panels and inverters. Installation costs are also reducing. Battery technology also makes the future exciting because you can truly begin to manage your own energy, your way. However, batteries are not currently economically viable for most homeowners. So, to think the Export Rate Credit does not matter to your decision in going solar is one that is misinformed. The good news is, when batteries are at low price points like all other aspects of the Solar industry, they can easily be integrated into all systems installed by Solar Topps. Waiting to go solar until technology improves or prices come down only means fewer savings for you. The time to go solar is now. Take control of your power and energy expenses with a state-of-the-art solar system through Solar Topps.
Who Is Aps And How Many Customers Do They Have
Arizona Public Service Company is Arizonas largest and longest-serving electric company. To date, APS delivers clean, safe, and reliable energy to more than 2.7 million customers in 11 of Arizona’s 15 counties and by 2030, APS is expecting to add 700,000 new customers.4
Not an APS Customer? Find your Arizona electric company here.
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The Aps Solar Partner Program:
- is a free program with no cost to you
- provides annual savings of $360 off your APS electricity costs
- requires no commitment and is easily transferred to new homeowner
- studies late afternoon solar production against peak usage periods
- is for qualified homes with a westerly-facing roof, in peak usage areas and a limited area of south-facing roofs will qualify in targeted areas.
The solar experts at Cool Blew Electric & Solar can provide you more information on the rebates and incentives you qualify for. Call them today for a free estimate or for more information.
A Lesson On Solar Billing
First up, the solar bill. If you purchased a solar energy system outright with cash, you dont receive any solar bills except a monthly statement from your solar provider that tells you your systems production for the month. If you obtained solar panels through a lease or a Power Purchase Agreement , you will receive a solar bill each month from your solar company. If you financed a solar energy system through a loan provider you will receive a monthly solar bill from that organization, this can sometimes be the solar company, but most loans are offered through a third party.
Here are some quick details about the solar bills associated with each of these financing options:
Heres a sample of your PPA billnew design coming next monthremember yours might look a little bit different and PPA rates will vary based on where you live. Luckily, solar bills are a bit more straightforward than your utility bills. Solar companies do not have access to all of the data your utility company owns in regards to your usage, so most of the information you will receive from your solar company is in regards to the panel production and how much solar energy was produced that month. They may be as simple as this:
The good news is, the utility bill piece of your savings equation should be the same regardless of how youre financing your solar panels. There are essentially two or three pieces to most energy bills:
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Dont Forget About The Solar Federal Tax Credit
On top of these state tax rebates and exemptions, you will also qualify for a huge tax credit from the Federal government. Known as the solar Investment Tax Credit , this rebate is worth 30 percent of the system cost, and will be deducted from your federal income tax. Keep in mind that the federal ITC applies only to those who buy their PV system outright , and that you must have enough income for the tax credit to be relevant.
Understanding Net Energy Metering And Your Aps Bill
With a bi-directional meter, also known as a billable meter, APS will measure the difference between the number of kilowatt-hours your solar panels generate and the amount of electricity you consume from the grid. This difference is called Net Energy Metering or NEM, which APS uses to calculate your solar bill.
And when your solar panels generate more energy than you need, the excess power will go back to APS electric grid, and depending on the solar rate youre in, youll receive an energy credit for your next APS bill, or you could even choose to get paid by check.11Learn how to read your APS NEM bill.
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A Change To Net Metering
In Arizona, net metering was long a major part of what made solar financially strong. In 2016, APS brought a case to the Arizona Corporation Commission which is the elected governing body over energy utilities in Arizona. In this request, they asked for a massive decrease in solar buyback which would have been quite damaging to solar. Thankfully, they were only granted a fraction of what they requested in the form of a 10% decrease from their 1-to-1 buyback rate. Following this, APS has met with the ACC each year and requested subsequent 10% decreases which have been granted each year except for 2021. The good news is these decreases have been minimal enough to keep the financial argument for solar strong, and there are some other advantages to these changes as well.
How To Read A Solar Net Metering Bi
When you get a grid-interactive solar electric system installed in Southwest Florida, FPL or LCEC will replace your standard meter with a bi-directional meter. This meter records electricity flow in both direction to an from the electric grid and the net amount of energy consumed since it was installed. This process is known as Net Metering, and it allows the utility to bill you for just the net amount of energy you consume.
There are a few different meter styles, but they all work essentially the same way. There is a LCD display that shows dots moving to the right when you are receiving electricity from the grid, and to the left when you are delivering electricity to the grid. The speed the dots move indicates the rate at which electricity is flowing. Here is how you can read the numerical parts of your meter display, which rotates between various readings:
This meter shows that the customer has received 15,170 kWh from the utility grid since it was installed. This is utility energy use in excess of the solar energy produced and consumed at the time of production.
DEL : This is the kilowatt-hours of electricity delivered from the grid since the meter was installed. It indicates energy delivered to you in excess of solar energy production.
REC : This is the kilowatt-hours of electricity you sent to the grid since the meter was installed. It indicates energy produced by your solar energy system at times in excess of what was used in your home or business.
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How Much Does Installing Solar Panels Save The Average Arizona Public Service Residential Customer
If you input the details for a APS customer with a power bill of$240 per month into thebest online solar panels calculator,it tells you that you need a 6.26 kW solarsystem that will produce 11,066 kWhper year and that this system will return the owner a$37,868 profit after repaying the costof the system.
The solar savings possible for you as anAPS customer will depend on the amount of electricity you use and thecost of the solar system you buy. Savings also vary based on the direction of your roof or any shading of your roof thataffects output.
Here is a monthly and lifetime solar savings estimate for the same relatively typicalAPS customer with a$240 per month electric bill prior tosolar and who installs a 6.26 kW solar system.
How To Read Your Solar Export Electric Bill
If you’re a solar customer on SRP’s Time-of-Use Export or Electric Vehicle Export price plans, see how to read your bill below.
Select any of the numbers to obtain information about the charges and main sections of your energy bill. If you have questions, please call 236-4448, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m to 7 p.m.
If you have questions, please call us at the telephone number listed here.
Key information
This section lists pay by date, account number, amount owed and service period. If you have a My Account log-in, you can use the service period dates to get a detailed usage history.
Your account summary
The charges for the current month, including discounts, previous charges, export credit and taxes are shown here. All energy you export to the grid will show as an Export Credit after the taxes.
Messages for you
This section provides you with more information about your current bill, your account and SRP options and programs that can benefit you.
Bill stub
The stub lists the payment amount due and the due date. The bill stub should accompany your payment if you mail it or use an SRP PayCenter®.
Meter information
Comparing your monthly usage
This section features a table that compares the number of billing period days, daily average usage , daily average costs and average daily temperatures for the current billing month, last billing month and the same billing month last year.
Export history graph
Energy history graph
Customer information
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A Great Time To Invest
In order to be grandfathered into the current rate, homeowners will need to have their solar plans registered with APS before October 1st, 2021. Rooftop Solar can run the numbers for solar as well as battery backup systems, and our experts are able to tell you your exact savings year-over-year under current Arizona net-metering law. We expect a sunny future but your savings can still be very bright today! Request a quote to have us design a custom proposal for you today.
What Will My Aps Bill Look Like After Going Solar
After you install solar panels, you will continue to receive your monthly electricity bills from APS. Each monthly bill will include a summary of the amount of electricity you purchased and the amount of electricity you sold . This is net metering in action:net meteringis a solar incentive that allows you to claim credits for any excess solar electricity you send to the grid. You can use these credits to counterbalance what you pull from the grid at times when your solar panel system isnt generating enough electricity to meet your needs .
As is increasingly the case with solar shoppers elsewhere in the country, particularly in California, new APS customers with rooftop solar panel systems need to go on a time-of-use plan. Both the electricity you sell and the electricity you purchased from APS will be divided into separate TOU buckets: on-peak, off-peak, and super off-peak. This is the amount of electricity you purchased and sold during each time period over the course of a month.
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