I am a warm weather person; sometimes even a hot-weather person. So, when I tell you my heating bills in the winter get pretty high because I like to be warm, please believe me. By November 1, if I can wait that long, the heat is on, the flannel sheets are on the bed, lap blankets are on the couch and this year I added fleece lining to most of my curtains. I have long dreaded the havoc winter heating bills wreak on my budget. But not this year!
That’s because in August 2019 I went solar. My solar panels are net-metered with Potomac Edison, which means that any unused electricity that my panels produce is used somewhere else. My account is credited for the kilowatt hours that are used elsewhere. I honestly thought this was done in dollars and cents until I looked at my December electric bill. I still receive a bill each month — for $6.00! That is the amount of the net-metering line-and it is well worth it.
Since my rooftop panels were not installed until summer 2019, last winter I did not have much time to build up a kilowatt credit, so I still paid for electricity to heat my townhouse last winter. But this winter is different.
As I said before, I love the heat. So conversely, I hate the cold. My heat has been on since the end of October. Now I am using the kilowatt credits from the long summer days to heat my house this winter. Plus, my panels are still making electricity every day–just not as much.
I still have to pay off the loan for my solar panels. But having a set loan payment amount and the $6.00 line charge is so much better for budgeting purposes than the unpredictable heating bills I used to deal with each month.
This has been such a positive experience; it makes me wonder why more people are not installing solar panels on their roofs or in their yards. My motivation was to break from fossil fuels; I love the idea of renewable and sustainable energy. If money is your motivation, not only am I saving money on the electricity I use, but Potomac Edison also clears their net metering accounts in April and I receive a check for any kilowatt hours I have not used from the past year.
What will be your motivation to go solar?