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We thank All Save Energy for sponsoring this article.
There have been some recent changes for new owners of grid-tied solar equipment in California, known as Net Energy Metering 3.0 or NEM3. The industry fought back really hard against the Utility Companies and the Public Utility Commission to reduce the impact of NEM changes on future solar customers. We did successfully achieve some small wins; ultimately, the new NEM policy changed in favor of the utilities. They won’t offer handsome bill credits for turning the meter backward anymore. So, selling power back to the grid is a thing of the past. So, what does that mean for new solar customers?
It isn’t the end of the road for future solar customers in California. This marks a time when we approach designing solar systems differently. We must now include batteries paired with the solar panels to do what we call “Self Consumption” or “Energy Arbitrage,” which minimizes buying power from, or selling power to, the grid. Furthermore, in order to minimize the electric bill, we now aim to offset 150% of the electrical usage with solar generation, up from the previous 110% offset. The robust solar paired with batteries brings a new opportunity to our solar customers - fully automated, whole-home backup power. Never be without electricity again.
Enter an entirely new reason to go solar; it’s not just about saving money on your electric bill anymore. It’s about saving money at the grocery store since you won’t replace your food after every power outage. It’s about saving your comfort and security. It’s about using your CPAP machine all night, even when the grid is down. Keeping your saltwater fish tank alive. Getting out of your electric recliner. Keeping your insulin cold. The list goes on. Now solar plus storage offers peace of mind while saving you tens of thousands of dollars in the long run.
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