Lowest electric bill ever....

[SolarScott]

Got my last electric bill.....it was $35. $23 was for having the meter......$13 of actual use. This is from when I can't make it overnight on battery and grid kicks in for a boost. At $13 per month, it would take a long, long time to justify an additional battery. I believe I will let Mr Grid be my cheap battery.

 

[DIYrich]

Got my last electric bill.....it was $35. $23 was for having the meter......$13 of actual use. This is from when I can't make it overnight on battery and grid kicks in for a boost. At $13 per month, it would take a long, long time to justify an additional battery. I believe I will let Mr Grid be my cheap battery.

Until you have a power outtage.

 

[SolarScott]

Until you have a power outtage.

Then I spend a little cash on gasoline or propane to run my Harbor Freight generator hooked up to an EG4 Chargerverter.....

 

[Zwy]

Got my last electric bill.....it was $35. $23 was for having the meter......$13 of actual use. This is from when I can't make it overnight on battery and grid kicks in for a boost. At $13 per month, it would take a long, long time to justify an additional battery. I believe I will let Mr Grid be my cheap battery.

Might be adequate with over 12 hours of sunlight, possibly not in the other 3 seasons.

My bank is large enough that if there isn't sunlight and we cut usage, I can run off battery for 4 days. My house uses nothing from grid, I have the breaker off.

 

[rhino]

Just remember if you are in an area that can have a large scale natural disaster you can run out of gasoline and propane.

 

[SilverbackMP]

Then I spend a little cash on gasoline or propane to run my Harbor Freight generator hooked up to an EG4 Chargerverter.....

I’ve gone through two Predator 9500s. Both failed under 100 hours. Bunch of oil changes each. Never again.

 

[Crowz]

Just remember if you are in an area that can have a large scale natural disaster you can run out of gasoline and propane.

That's why I bought the natural gas conversion kit for my generator. Won't run out of that

 

[Crowz]

I’ve gone through two Predator 9500s. Both failed under 100 hours. Bunch of oil changes each. Never again.

I'm hoping the pulsar generator I bought last me forever but who knows.

The champion 4500watt one I bought before it is about 20 years old now and has hundreds of hours on it and still runs perfectly. It was just a bit under powered to say the least.

 

[Hedges]

I’ve gone through two Predator 9500s. Both failed under 100 hours. Bunch of oil changes each. Never again.

Interesting. I've been using a HF chipper for several years now. Starts first pull every time, except if I flood it by trying to start with ignition off. (I don't use ignition switch any more, just run carburetor dry.)

"Oil changes" implies you blame the engine. So it wasn't electronics that failed?

I guess, you had a steady load, while mine only saw load when I shoved a branch in it. And I'm not sure I've passed the 100 hour mark.

 

[solarhombre]

Got my last electric bill.....it was $35. $23 was for having the meter......$13 of actual use. This is from when I can't make it overnight on battery and grid kicks in for a boost. At $13 per month, it would take a long, long time to justify an additional battery. I believe I will let Mr Grid be my cheap battery.

Very nice. Where I am, the minimum bill is $35+tax. Excess production is credited the following month, and left overs kept until the end of the year, at which point they pay me like 3c/kWh remaining and reset the account.

 

[SilverbackMP]

Interesting. I've been using a HF chipper for several years now. Starts first pull every time, except if I flood it by trying to start with ignition off. (I don't use ignition switch any more, just run carburetor dry.)

"Oil changes" implies you blame the engine. So it wasn't electronics that failed?

I guess, you had a steady load, while mine only saw load when I shoved a branch in it. And I'm not sure I've passed the 100 hour mark.

First one loss compression at twenty some hours. I assume a head gasket. Returned under warranty. Second one is locked up at 40 something hours. May be fixable if it is just vapor locked but I have a feeling that a valve is somewhere it isn’t supposed to be. I didn’t have time to mess with it before I left the states.

Mostly ran to power two of those Chinese 40 amp bench battery chargers that are fairly popular in the community. Same one that Andy often uses.

 

[RV10flyer]

$0 for the last 15 months?.

 

[k490]

I wish I could get my bill down like that. I don't think I have enough room to do it in a tract home. My summer usage is 120KWH a day right now according to solar calculations I have 5.5 hours of sunlight.

 

[RV10flyer]

I wish I could get my bill down like that. I don't think I have enough room to do it in a tract home. My summer usage is 120KWH a day right now according to solar calculations I have 5.5 hours of sunlight.

I’ve produced about 130 kWh in one day with a 20.6 kWp. Presently installing another 12 kWp of REC 405’s to get me through the winter. 15.5kWp on the shop. I love solar. Takes up about 2500 ft.² of your yard.??

 

[Maxter]

That's why I bought the natural gas conversion kit for my generator. Won't run out of that

"Natural Gas’ Reliance on Electrical Grid​

Another of the major flaws of Natural Gas grid is its dependency on the electric grid.


The gas grid relies on electricity. The gas grid requires that pressure must be maintained throughout the system. This pressure is maintained via a system of compressors and pumping stations."

 

[Consumerbot3418]

Where I am, the minimum bill is $35+tax.

Yikes, I thought ours was bad. Our utility has drastically raised the "availability charge" the last few years, almost doubled. Was $16 two years ago, now it's $28.50, while the rate for energy actually went down. I think they see the writing on the wall with solar, so are aggressively cranking up the connection fee.

$0 for the last 15 months?.

I'm seriously considering disconnecting service myself. Can put that $28.50/month towards diesel for the generator. They say they'll reconnect without 1 business day, and there's no fee. Think I'll try to achieve full redundancy first, though...

 

[k490]

I’ve produced about 130 kWh in one day with a 20.6 kWp. Presently installing another 12 kWp of REC 405’s to get me through the winter. 15.5kWp on the shop. I love solar. Takes up about 2500 ft.² of your yard.??

Sounds like you are living on acreage not a tract home. Sure, if I had even 2 acres, I could easily build a big enough array mount it on a sun tracker. 20kw would need 40 500 watt 4x8 sized panels that not going to fit on a tract home. Even the cost of trying to do it at my house might be better idea to just move to acre or two where I have the room to do it.

 

[Zwy]

Yikes, I thought ours was bad. Our utility has drastically raised the "availability charge" the last few years, almost doubled. Was $16 two years ago, now it's $28.50, while the rate for energy actually went down. I think they see the writing on the wall with solar, so are aggressively cranking up the connection fee.

Rural local coop merged a few years ago, kwh rate stayed the same. Service is now $1.75/day

That is how they are getting around the 1:1 net metering in this state. Next year it will probably go up again. But I guess the cost of transmission lines and transformers has increased over the years too. They are replacing the copper 12.5Kv overhead line here with 25Kv underground that is aluminum. They bored thru my yard this winter. They can't seem to source transformers however so it will be next year at the earliest.

I'm seriously considering disconnecting service myself. Can put that $28.50/month towards diesel for the generator. They say they'll reconnect without 1 business day, and there's no fee. Think I'll try to achieve full redundancy first, though...

The issue with disconnecting is there may be a requirement to bring your service back up to current codes before they will connect if you decide to connect again or if the property is up for sale/sold.

 

[GSXR1000]

Then I spend a little cash on gasoline or propane to run my Harbor Freight generator hooked up to an EG4 Chargerverter.....

might be able to cut back a few loads during an outage and be good

 

[LydMekk]

Got a low one today, 43 Euros. That is mostly just monthly fees with just a minuscule piece of consumption (electric gate).
Have considered complete disconnect but for the winter months when weather will make the batteries cry out for grid charging at times ^^.