Off grid but still receive a utility bill

I have lived here for 37 years and never seen a pole replaced near us because all of our utilities are underground. They did upgrade to a 1Mv feed on steel poles at the highway, though.

Hedges said:

Is this based on PV panel STC (or other) rating?
Or inverter watts rating?

Hybrid inverters can have large amount of PV, smaller AC inverter, balance used for battery charging.
So if power company charges based on inverter, a replacement could cut cost in half while maintaining full production (assuming sufficient batteries.)

Click to expand...

I really don’t know how they are figuring it. My co-op is bad about making their own rules up. I signed the contract about 12 years ago.

Nobodybusiness said:

One pole every 20 years.
Lived here for 20 years and never seen a pole replaced yet unless some drunk hits them.

Click to expand...

The power pole in my yard hasn't been changed in the 40 years I've lived here but the utility company guy did check it out a few years ago. I imagine longevity depends on environmental factors and here the soil is volcanic ash without much organic mater.

And maintenance. Periodically drill a hole and inject more preservative. (is there a plume of heavy metals spreading out in the soil?)

Hedges said:

And maintenance. Periodically drill a hole and inject more preservative. (is there a plume of heavy metals spreading out in the soil?)

Click to expand...

They used pentachlorophenol until recently in poles. I belonged to a flying club and we installed old dried up pole segments as posts with cables to protect the tarmac, gravel parking lot and protected wetlands from off roaders. The local environmental government agency had kittens about the poles so we yanked them out. Now the wetland area looks like hell for hundreds of acres.

Normal my base charge is 13 dollars a month

From all these good comments here about this tells me I'm lucky so far where I'm at for the charges I'm occurring to keep the luxury to use the grid when needed. Just for the last month with little sun, I've been using it. ( they will be happy with that). Just talked to my sons friend the other day who bought a home in the big town of Columbus OH where his place had solar installed many yrs before he bought it and is grid tied. He just received a notice of an increase far above some one with no solar use. He tried the apples to apples web site for another provider and after the sign up he found out to be rejected because more and more providers will not make contracts with solar grid tied home owners now. So I'm glad I did my own thing as far as going it alone as an "off grid user". I all ways thought I should have been grid tied, seems to be a less involved way to install and worry free for today's fast paced life but now am starting to think the utility is coming up with ways to try to make up by scolding thous of you solar users that have contracts. These kind of tactics will increase and drain the thought of thous thinking about getting a grid tied system.

hugemoth said:

Pacific Power here in Oregon some 30 years ago had a $5 monthly fee for being connected. I'm sure it's more now.

Click to expand...

I believe it's up to $12 now. However, our rates just increased another 11% last week so the meter fee could have gone up as well.

In western Missouri we are in a "Co-op" and the menberships fee is $30 a month weather you use power or not. I am undecided as to make a whole home backup or just run a critical loads panel on solar and let the other stuff be powered from the grid. I need to stay a member because the electric coop got an FCC grant to bring 2gig fiber optic to every customer and I want the fast internet. I am looking forward to that 1300' run from the road to the house as part of the free installation someday. Currently running Starlink, but once the main building is up, I am moving over to fiber internet.

Farm Boy said:

In my area of OH, they have a grid tie program. I chose not to be part of it. I have electric utility at my place. My solar set up is separate from the utility. The last few months I've been able to use zero KWH grid utility use, but continue to receive a utility bill. It shows on the bill 0 kwh but charged $12.32 each month. They call this a "Line Distribution Charge". So, I have no desire to have my line cut at the road because you just never know who may need the convenience of the grid. I figure it is costing me .41 cents a day to keep my utility. I am posting this to see if this is customary across the country or may be I'm in a lucky state not being charged even more or less depending on others.

Click to expand...

30 bucks a month from our local co-op here in Southern CO.

I have noticed here, as the 12. line charge with zero grid use in one month may go up the next month depending on how much grid I use.

Farm Boy said:

In my area of OH, they have a grid tie program. I chose not to be part of it. I have electric utility at my place. My solar set up is separate from the utility. The last few months I've been able to use zero KWH grid utility use, but continue to receive a utility bill. It shows on the bill 0 kwh but charged $12.32 each month. They call this a "Line Distribution Charge". So, I have no desire to have my line cut at the road because you just never know who may need the convenience of the grid. I figure it is costing me .41 cents a day to keep my utility. I am posting this to see if this is customary across the country or may be I'm in a lucky state not being charged even more or less depending on others.

Click to expand...

I have the same thing. I pay about 15 to 20 a month for the connection. It is worth it for me. December and January were cloudy months for me.

Farm Boy said:

In my area of OH, they have a grid tie program. I chose not to be part of it. I have electric utility at my place. My solar set up is separate from the utility. The last few months I've been able to use zero KWH grid utility use, but continue to receive a utility bill. It shows on the bill 0 kwh but charged $12.32 each month. They call this a "Line Distribution Charge". So, I have no desire to have my line cut at the road because you just never know who may need the convenience of the grid. I figure it is costing me .41 cents a day to keep my utility. I am posting this to see if this is customary across the country or may be I'm in a lucky state not being charged even more or less depending on others.

Click to expand...

I'm in southern Ohio & our utility, Adams Rural Electric charges $33 for each meter.
I checked on grid-tie but the booklet of legal jargon & the cost was to much.
I went with an off-grid system & use manual transfer switches, so there is no chance it will back feed to utility.
It cost us $66 even if we use zero from utility company, but all my equipment we need shore power.
It would take a very big system to satisfy our needs but I'm working on it.
Hopefully in the next 12 months we will be producing about 75% of own electric.

If you REALLY don't like the utilities company, maybe come up with a fun way to make the gas meter spin backwards....

For me, it is an easy choice. The monthly minimum charge is something like $11 now and that is cheap insurance for when the weather does not cooperate. I have needed grid power to get through 3 of the last 7 days. If I was in the middle of nowhere, I would double the size of my solar array to cove most of the days, but even then, t would have fallen short a few times already this year. I have had a few days where the production was only 10% of last year. I could neve justify enough solar panels to cover a day like that. When it happens, I use some grid power. It's a lot nicer than firing up my old 5,000 watt Coleman generator.

This was the last electricity bill before I moved out of the old house- basically a dollar a day just to have the power hooked up- thank god for rooftop solar...

Haven't seen an electricity bill in three years lol