Wouldn’t the electric home plan be better for you ?
My brother has tesla power. He really likes it. He said the designer was kinda an idiot with panel placement tho. I think he said he paid 30 something for 18 panels 5kwh production 1 power wall.
Managing electricity costs
- Thread starter Krak256
- Start date
My brother has tesla power. He really likes it. He said the designer was kinda an idiot with panel placement tho. I think he said he paid 30 something for 18 panels 5kwh production 1 power wall.
gmdcdvm
Supporting Member
Something I have not seen mentioned here to help with electricity costs is an evaporation cover for all the open top tanks or mesh screen lids. Evaporation cools the tank down which means the heater kicks in more often. During the summer this can be a good thing when your tank gets too warm, but during the winter this can increase your heating cost. I tend to get more evaporation in the winter when the air is colder. I go through way more top off than during the warm months. This is also relatively easy to fix with a clear piece of plexiglass and some holes for some circulation.
Gerry
Gerry
Coral reefer
Past President
gmdcdvm
Supporting Member
Oops, my bad. Missed it.
What about using internal circulation pumps instead of external pumps? Assuming any heat generated will help warm the water...every little bit counts. Thoughts...
G
ashburn2k
Supporting Member
tesla
musclebenz
Supporting Member
I went with Sunrun via Costco and it's been great so far.
SupraSaltyReefer
Supporting Member
Thanks for the recommendation. I did look into the Electric Home plan but according to PG&E it would be more expensive for me by $40 annually. $6425 Electric Home vs $6385 EV2-A. I might switch to Electric Home anyways and test it out.
SupraSaltyReefer
Supporting Member
How long have you had Sunrun for? Are you on NEM 3.0? Have you seen a big difference in your PG&E bill?
gmdcdvm
Supporting Member
We did Sunrun. At the time it was actually cheaper to buy the system than to lease it. We made sure to get a system that did 120% of our current usage to give us room to grow. Our mindset was that our current usage was very conservative to avoid big bills. Now, we use stuff freely and have yet to pay more than the monthly hook up cost with no true-up bills. We have a Tesla powerwall for emergencies. Overall we have been very happy with the results.
I think now with the recent changes in tiers there is less incentive to get solar unless you also get a battery. The exchange rate for the extra energy produced is significantly less. I think if you do the math it works out you are better off with a battery.
The other reason we went with Sunrun through Costco was because we trust them more as a company, and they extended the roof warranty.
G
Can you guys discuss the Electric Home plan more from PGE? It’s relatively new and I can’t find much info about it online. Specifically, I can’t find the actual current cost per kWh for each TOU time.
I see the TOU times are the same as EV2A and some say the $/kWh is less, with a $15/mo surcharge? For high users like some of us it might be better. Don’t know if they are allowing solar users on the plan, they said they would at some point.
Zerodameaon
Supporting Member
These rates sure are hitting hard, it is starting to make sense to replace our 5 year old electric heater with a hybrid water heater. With rebates the savings will have paid off the water heater in about 6 months. I think during the winter months I am going to plastic wrap my tank top during the winter. I don't have it yet but I ordered a Top Lids which has a lot of open space but it should be easy to fill in during the winter. Maybe they should offer some kind of winter cover like a diesel truck radiator cover but clear. I also really need to get some blown in insulation under the downstairs bedroom. The insulation we have at the moment keeps falling down or getting ripped down which isn't helping my tank heating bill. For a while I was having to run a space heater and the tank heater or I was ending up with low temps.
Coral reefer
Past President
It’s possible to help insulate the tank itself at night or all the time on no viewing panes
SupraSaltyReefer
Supporting Member
Did a bit more digging on this Electric Home plan.
PG&E announced it on April 19, 2023 according to this article. Says solar customers are not currently eligible, but maybe that has changed by now?
Keep in mind these months and times.
Summer = June - September
Winter = October - May
Peak = 4pm-9pm
Part Peak = 3pm-4pm and 9pm-12am
Off Peak = 12am-3pm
Here are the new 2024 rates:
EV2-A
Electric Home
I need to see how much electricity my Tesla is using. By shifting some of my usage around I think Electric Home might be better for me since I work from home.
Interesting. Compared to EV2a, the E-Elec rate is slightly cheaper for peak and part-peak, but slightly more expensive for off-peak (which is most of the day).
When I did the black-box rate plan comparison tool at PGE.com it said E-Elec would be more expensive for me. But I’ve shifted almost all of my use to the off-peak times with my powerwalls, so my case is pretty skewed.
MolaMola
Supporting Member
Quick question from long lost BAR member who thinks of BAR daily as I struggle to maintain tanks. Hopefully I can get back on soon and learn what everybody is up to.
For now, a quick question bc I have to get new roof ASAP and will possibly do solar same time and have a quick question. How is the addition of solar assessed for property tax increase?
For now, a quick question bc I have to get new roof ASAP and will possibly do solar same time and have a quick question. How is the addition of solar assessed for property tax increase?
Zero. There's an exclusion in the tax code to prevent any property tax increases from it. You still get 30% as a federal tax credit too from the inflation reduction act!
I have nothing to add to the discussion re: solar since I'm not serviced by PG&E, but I just want to say it's great to see you around again!!!
Having just gone through new roof & solar, the roofers & others I know said doing the installs at the same time isn't as big a deal as people make it out to be. Definitely do the solar after the roof, but trying to coordinate them intertwining partial roof then partial solar, then more roof, then rest of solar, is liable to not happen anyway. Others may chime in and say that's totally wrong, but it was my experience and aligned with the guidance I got.
Regarding solar in general, I'm all for it, but especially given you're now under NEM 3.0, I'd make sure to really look into who you go with and if the numbers work out. NEM 3.0 sucks and almost forces you to get a battery to make the numbers work (which was kind of their point in passing it). They're also working on passing a minimum electric bill for everyone (you could be covered 100% by solar and still potentially pay $50 a month or whatever to PGE).
Also make sure the solar company you work with is likely to still be around in a year. NEM 3.0 and rate threats have dropped installs up to 85% versus previous, and it's assumed a lot of these solar companies are going to go under.
