Appreciation post: That one week my solar panels actually paid off

Last July we had a heatwave in Phoenix where my AC ran nonstop for six days straight. I checked my solar meter and it showed I generated 340 kWh that week, which covered every bit of my usage plus some. My electric bill that month was negative $12. Has anyone else had a moment where their renewable setup finally felt worth it?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_phoenix11d ago

That's awesome, congrats on the negative bill. My setup finally paid off during a similar stretch last August. Had three back to back 115 degree days here and my monitors were showing peak production right when the AC was screaming hardest. The best part for me was watching the net meter spin backwards in the late afternoon. My power company does time of use billing so those peak hours are expensive. Generating power during the hottest part of the day actually made a bigger difference than I expected. I ended up with a $0 bill that month which felt like winning the lottery. Your mileage may vary but that feeling of sticking it to the electric company is pretty great.

knight.xena11d ago

Wait, so your meter literally ran backwards in the afternoon? That sounds like pure magic, wow.