Community Solar Anybody?

[Sunset]

We use approximately $70 per month of electricity. So the savings don't seem like it would be worth any potential hassle for us.

 

[Music Lover]

We use approximately $70 per month of electricity. So the savings don't seem like it would be worth any potential hassle for us.

About the same for us.

The only people around here with solar panels are govt buildings where price isn't an issue and some off grid or remote cabin areas that have no other option. The math doesn't work for a "regular" house.

 

[CRLLS]

Here is where I get lost in the numbers. My last bill had an electricity charge of $36.83. That is an average of 3.6 cents per KWHr, the cost of the electricity used. The total bill was $148.58 after all other add-ons and adjustments, some fixed and some based on the amount of electricity I used. When NexAmp says they will save me say 10%, what exactly is that 10% of? Franky, 10% of 36.83 is only 2.5% of my bill.

Here are the line items on my electric bill.

Electricity Supply Charge 1,025 kWh $36.83
Capacity Charge
Transmission Services Charge
Misc Procurement Component Chg
Purchased Electricity Adjustment
Customer Charge
Standard Metering Charge
Distribution Facilities Charge
IL Electricity Distribution Charge
Environmental Cost Recovery Adj
Renewable Portfolio Standard
Zero Emission Standard
Carbon-Free Energy Resource Adj
Energy Efficiency Programs
Energy Transition Assistance
State Tax

 

[CaptTom]

...When NexAmp says they will save me say 10%, what exactly is that 10% of?...

That is the big question. First off, it's only going to be on the electricity charge, not the delivery charge.

And, from talking to them, reading what they sent and other sources, it seemed like only some percentage of my electricity use would be "assigned" (my word) to some share of the solar output. I think there was a caveat about how my "share" might only cover part of my energy usage, depending on a number of factors, from the solar production to how many other people had shares.

Like any financial instrument, if they can't explain it in a 10-minute telephone call, or a clearly written one- or two-page document, then I have to wonder if it's right for me.

I hope others continue to share their experience. If this is a legitimate way to help get more solar into the mix, then I hope it succeeds.

 

[jrgators]

That's good to see that Nexamp is working out for you. I read reviews about people not sure how to reconcile the two bills but looks like you've done that.

My set up (not Nexamp) sounds similar to yours with at least 10% savings on the electricity and two bills.

I didnt really pay attention the first couple of months to how to reconcile the two bills. They didnt seem to correlate. Then one day I printed out several months of both bills and was easily able to see that the Nexamp bill was always based on credits from 2 months earlier

 

[jrgators]

Is the credit for the cost of electricity used, sans, taxes, fees, etc. I know that the electric company has to get their service paid. In my bill, the actual cost of electricity used is noticeably less than half of the total bill. Especially since I have hourly pricing which saves me a bunch to start with. I'd have to give up the hourly pricing to switch to Nexamp. I'm not sure if it makes any sense for me.

yes, the credit is just the cost of the electricity. All the other fees/taxes/etc is not included. Not sure if hourly pricing would make it worthwhile or not or how nexamp would assess that

 

[jrgators]

That is the big question. First off, it's only going to be on the electricity charge, not the delivery charge.

And, from talking to them, reading what they sent and other sources, it seemed like only some percentage of my electricity use would be "assigned" (my word) to some share of the solar output. I think there was a caveat about how my "share" might only cover part of my energy usage, depending on a number of factors, from the solar production to how many other people had shares.

Like any financial instrument, if they can't explain it in a 10-minute telephone call, or a clearly written one- or two-page document, then I have to wonder if it's right for me.

I hope others continue to share their experience. If this is a legitimate way to help get more solar into the mix, then I hope it succeeds.

I only do it for the 10% discount. I personally dont care if it increases the solar mix or if "my electricity" comes from coal.

 

[easysurfer]

I didnt really pay attention the first couple of months to how to reconcile the two bills. They didnt seem to correlate. Then one day I printed out several months of both bills and was easily able to see that the Nexamp bill was always based on credits from 2 months earlier

Guess I'll have to start paying attention to my electricity bill .

I looked at the website for the place I'll be getting my community solar from. The site mentions there may be about a 1 month lag which is fine. Also, mentioned after the bills are reconciled is "The net result is a minimum savings of at least 10% of the community solar credits to you!" . The way think about it is like if I buy a $100 Amazon give card for only $90 with the savings passed on to me.

 

[Koolau]

We use approximately $70 per month of electricity. So the savings don't seem like it would be worth any potential hassle for us.

Out of curiosity (okay, nosiness) how many KWh is that? Our electric bill hovers around 70 (creeping up toward 80 as the rates continue to rise.) But that's only for 5 KWh/day (150KWh/month.) Our rates are supposedly (and I believe it) the most expensive in the nation.

 

[GaryInCO]

Wow. I have a large house, and some weather extremes, but ... I average 1000 kWh per month! You have a much more efficient house than I do.

 

[CaptTom]

..."The net result is a minimum savings of at least 10% of the community solar credits to you!"...

Yes, that's what I recall reading. Clear as mud. Presumably some portion of your electric usage is eligible for these credits. I seem to recall the salesman saying it might be a large or small portion, depending on how many others sign up and how much I use. And then I think the percentage you get on that percentage depends on solar generation.

It's all very confusing. Frankly I'd rather just buy a share in the solar farm and collect dividends.

 

[CRLLS]

yes, the credit is just the cost of the electricity. All the other fees/taxes/etc is not included. Not sure if hourly pricing would make it worthwhile or not or how nexamp would assess that

I don't know if it was ComEd or NexAmp where I read that I would have to give up my hourly pricing. I am not about to do that.

My 1000kwHrs from my last bill was high! I heat my garage in northern Illinois with electric heater. I play out there and have to keep warm.

 

[Sunset]

Out of curiosity (okay, nosiness) how many KWh is that? Our electric bill hovers around 70 (creeping up toward 80 as the rates continue to rise.) But that's only for 5 KWh/day (150KWh/month.) Our rates are supposedly (and I believe it) the most expensive in the nation.

for 1 month we used 399 KWh , our avg daily amount is 12.5 Kwh

It's $29.17 for electricity, $30.77 del, $13.19 taxes & fees.

Regarding Nexamp:
At 10% savings on the $29.17 , it's not worth it for me to save $2.92 / mo.
IL gets lots of juice from Nuke power,
52.1% nuclear, 21.5% coal, 12.8% natural gas, 12.2% wind, and 0.9% solar
Seems like Nexamp is just selling solar power to ComEd for a probably legislated high rate and needs bodies signed up to make the claim for the high rate, then passing off a small portion to a subscriber.

 

[Sunset]

Out of curiosity (okay, nosiness) how many KWh is that? Our electric bill hovers around 70 (creeping up toward 80 as the rates continue to rise.) But that's only for 5 KWh/day (150KWh/month.) Our rates are supposedly (and I believe it) the most expensive in the nation.

Your turn: How do you use less than 1/2 of what we use

We use 57% of the avg IL user. We always rate as "good" compared to neighbors for low usage.

 

[CaptTom]

...Seems like Nexamp is just selling solar power to ComEd for a probably legislated high rate and needs bodies signed up to make the claim for the high rate, then passing off a small portion to a subscriber.

That's my guess, too. You just said it more succinctly than I did.

The only risk I see in signing up is the same as signing up with any third-party provider in the new "Wild West" utility landscape since states started breaking up the big utilities. They all have some angle, some gimmick, but you never know which ones are going to actually benefit you, long term. Or what happens when they fail.

I prefer to let the dust settle a little. I really hope these efforts help develop the market for solar. It's good to have that in the mix. At least until we build more nukes.

 

[easysurfer]

I have Nexamp. Took a couple of months after signing up before the 'service started'. The Nexamp bill lags behind my electric bill by 2 months. When my electric bill comes, there's a credit equal to the electric portion of the bill. So I basically am just paying for the electric delivery charge. Then Nexamp sends me an electric bill equal to the credit that my electric company gave me minus 10%. So i'm saving 10% on the electricity without doing anything (other than signing up).

In the summer months with lots of sunshine, does the electric portion of your regular bill go down to almost nothing?

 

[Koolau]

Wow. I have a large house, and some weather extremes, but ... I average 1000 kWh per month! You have a much more efficient house than I do.

Well, full disclosure, it's a little over 1000 SF Condo that has no heat or AC (water and hot water are included in HOA dues.) Only real weather extremes we worry much about are the occasional hurricane.

 

[jrgators]

In the summer months with lots of sunshine, does the electric portion of your regular bill go down to almost nothing?

Not really. with lots of sunshine comes lots of air conditioning. My average is 500kw over the course of the year. Last year, august was the most at 1200kw.