What Rate Plan to Choose if You Missed the Dealine and You Want Solar This Year!

Did you miss the boat and forget to change your rate plan to E6?

 

If you are planning to install PV solar this year but forgot all about changing your rate plan to E6 for solar, be sure to read all about PG&E's rate plans changes at:

 

From PGE - Rate Changes: 2015-2019 that will affect all homeowners!

Go to: http://www.pge.com/en/myhome/saveenergymoney/plans/rateupdates/about/grc.page

 

For PG&E general rate plan information: http://www.pge.com/en/myhome/saveenergymoney/plans/index.page?

 

According to my professional source at Energy Saving Pros, ETOU-A would be the best plan choice for solar customers if ESP is creating a solar system that will cover 70% of your pge bill with South or West facing panels.

Rate plan E1 would be your next best choice for a PV solar system that covers less than 70% of your PGE bill with East facing panels.

Energy Saving Pros could always add panels later if you decide to start off with a smaller PV solar system.  I recommend you install enough panels to cover your high tiers for the best return on investment, that would be a 70% solar system or higher.  Energy Saving Pros would plan for the future and offer you an inverter with enough power to handle any future add-ons.

 

I hope this helps you navigate through PGE's sea of confusion when it comes to rate plans and which one is best for you!

 

 

 

 

PGE E6 is Closing May 30th! 2016!

Time-of-Use Plan (E6) 

The current residential Time-of-Use rate (E6) is closing to new customers not enrolled by May 30, 2016. All customers enrolled in the E6 rate plan as of May 30, 2016 will be able to remain on the rate through 2022.*

 Save by shifting daily usage to low demand times.

 

With Time-of-Use (E6), you still need to conserve energy throughout the month to avoid and react to higher priced tiers, but the price you pay also varies throughout the time of day and season. Because this is a multiple-tiered TOU rate, it is also likely to be best if your total electricity use during the month is low. This works great if you can use air conditioning and major appliances in the morning or late evening (after 7 p.m.) from May through October.

Rates are lowest in the morning, late evening and weekends from May through October, and at all times outside 5-8 p.m. on weekdays from November through April. The graphic below shows Time-of-Use pricing for a customer who stays in the lower priced tier over one year. See the next section to understand Time-of-Use and Tiers.
The E6 rate plan is likely to be the best option if your total electricity use during the month is low. This rate is not likely to be the best option for you if you have a high total monthly usage that goes into the higher priced tiers.

 

E6 Rate Closure  

Recently, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved new rate structures with the goal to more closely align electricity prices with the true cost of providing service. As a part of these changes, the residential E6 rate plan is closing to new customers. Customers who would like to enroll in the E6 rate plan must do so by May 30, 2016. All customers enrolled in the E6 rate plan as of May 30, 2016 will be able to remain on the rate through 2022.*

*In addition to closing the E6 rate plan to new customers who are not enrolled by May 30, 2016, the CPUC ordered that E6 eventually be phased out. Customers may remain on E6 only through 2022. Through 2020, the terms of E6 will remain the same, with a two-year transition to a 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. peak period by 2022. Please note, if you move your service, you will not be eligible to remain on the E6 Rate Plan.

 

Placer County Wants You To Go Solar!

 

MPOWER 100% Financing for Residential Solar and Energy Upgrades!

Placer county wants its homeowners to go solar now!  They have created MPOWER to give the homeowner incentive to purchase solar through this program with NO Money Down!

Don’t wait! Apply now!
Add $1,500 in water efficiency measures when you apply between May 1 and October 31, 2016 and mPOWER will waive the application fee!

It’s a good time to look at MPOWER financing if you’ve been putting off needed upgrades for your home such as a new furnace and air conditioner, energy efficient windows, or even a solar photovoltaic system due to the high up-front costs.

MPOWER offers financing for up to 100% of your project costs with a fixed-interest rate and terms up to 20 years for many improvements.

Start saving money now and protect against utility price increases while increasing the value of your property and improving the comfort of your home.

I love this county program!  You can put solar on your roof with NO MONEY DOWN and start saving money day one.  In addition, you will receive a 30% federal tax credit to which you can either pay down the principal or put it towards your monthly payments and enjoy free energy for a few years.  Simply, the tax credit pays for your monthly payment from MPOWER, so there is no reason not to do this program!

If you are thinking about moving, think about how you can enjoy producing your own free energy while increasing the value of your home.  Having PV Solar on your roof will increase your property value up to 20%.  Real Estate buyers look for homes with PV solar first!  They love the fact that they will be paying less of a monthly payment to MPOWER than a higher bill to PGE.

MPOWER serves Placer County, though there are other programs in neighboring counties that I can discuss with you.  Send me a message and I will be more than happy to help you!

Ending up in PGE's SUE Tier will cost you big money!

Last year Cecil the Lion was hunted and killed!

At the same time, the CPUC announced a 5 year plan to not only show utility rate increases, but to also show a restructuring of utility rate tiers and how it will affect the homeowner.  The media coined this action as the "Greediest Grab Ever".

PGE Rate Structures

Beginning in 2016, PG&E will be reducing the number of tiers in the standard rate plan from 4 to 2 (reducing to three tiers in 2016 and to two tiers with a Super User Electric charge in 2017) as part of Residential Rate Reform efforts.
The two-tier rate structure remains in effect for gas usage.

Electric

Please notice that in 2016 tiers 2 and 3 are combined, which results in 3 tiers, instead of 4.  In 2017, PGE introduces a SUE tier (Super User Electric) and combines tiers 2, 3 and 4. Notice the SUE tier is the highest rate.

Now look at one of Energy Saving Pros customer's PGE bill for the last year...

Depending on the month, this customer uses between 1149 and 2276 kWh per month. 

According to a PGE customer service rep, she tells me that they calculate your kWh according to your region and season.  What this means is that if you live in a hotter area, you will be allotted a different amount of kWh usage than someone who lives out of your region.  The same goes for a region that is cooler.

Using the example above and taking into consideration how much energy he uses, his rate plan, the season, the time in which he uses his energy, the day of week, his region or city where he resides, he could be spending the bulk of his time in the SUE tier, being charged the highest rate.
 
This is a smart reason why you should consider solar now!