How PG&E’s Bankruptcy Will Impact Solar Customers
On January 14th, 2019, Pacific Gas & Electric announced that it would file Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This action does not mean that the company will stop supplying electricity or be dissolved. Instead, filing for bankruptcy allows them to restructure their debts and shed some of their financial obligations. This is an extremely significant decision, reflecting […]
How We Use Historical PG&E and SMUD Rates to Project Your Future Energy Costs
When we put together an energy savings estimate for a client, we have to anticipate what electricity will cost in the future in order to give an accurate estimate. Historically, electricity rates have increased, and that’s unlikely to change. If your average monthly bill this year is $200, next year it’ll increase by a few […]
Why We Recommend SunPower
One of the most common questions we hear from customers is, “Who makes the best solar panels?” The manufacturers they typically ask about, such as Panasonic and LG, are often the same ones who made their television or washing machine. However, the manufacturer we recommend most often is one that most of our customers don’t […]
SunPower Granted Tariff Exclusion for Solar Panel Imports
At the beginning of 2018, the United States government enacted a tariff on imported solar panels. Essentially, most companies that imported more than 2.5 gigawatts’ worth of crystalline silicon solar cells and solar modules would have to pay a 30% tax on the equipment. While the cost of solar power has continued to get cheaper, […]
How Net Energy Metering Helps Solar Power Users Save Money
Solar power is a great way for homeowners to save money by generating their own electricity and reducing their reliance on increasingly costly energy generated by local utilities. But there’s a big problem with solar energy: If you don’t use electricity as it’s generated by your solar power system, that energy is lost. Technically, that […]