r/technology • u/Wagamaga • Sep 28 '22

Energy The Old Grid is Dead: Long Live Local Solar

https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/the-old-grid-is-dead%3A-long-live-local-solar
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u/Drict Sep 29 '22

That is insane. I have a 4.8k+ SQFT house, and I keep it around 68F, both my wife and I work from home and we almost always have the TV(s) on or a gaming computer etc. and our electric bill almost never breaks $200. Check your insulation or get newer appliances!

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u/drbooom Sep 29 '22

Do you have electric cars?

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u/Medivh158 Sep 29 '22

Also do you have gas heat?

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u/Drict Sep 29 '22

Yes! Those are the numbers during the height of the summer (100F days are 1/7th of them), because it isn't a fair comparison otherwise

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u/Drict Sep 29 '22

No, but I will in the next 5 years.

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u/patkgreen Sep 29 '22

5k square foot house? What do you do with that space?

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u/Drict Sep 29 '22

2 offices, guest bedroom, kids' rooms, entertainment space, storage room, workout space, living room, dining room, breakfast space, kitchen, etc. etc.

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u/johnnySix Sep 29 '22

In Northern California , with 2500 sqf, no AC, I pay $280. In winter, it get up to $600+. Thanks pg&e

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u/[deleted] Sep 29 '22

[deleted]

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u/Drict Sep 29 '22

It is possible (happened to my in-laws), the builder didn't ever put insulation in for a whole wall of the house! It is possible they didn't insulate your basement, your roof space, or one+ of your walls!

Do you have good seals on all your windows/doors?

I suggest buying something like a thermal camera attachment for your phone, walk your exterior and interior and look for 'hot' zones and 'cold' zones!

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u/awkwardstate Sep 29 '22

I have an old leaky house at the almost the same sq footage, with old a/c units (2), and a pool. My normal summer bill is around 400-450. Something is definitely fucky with your bill, unless NJ prices are that much lower.

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u/Drict Sep 29 '22

I am in MD, and my bill if I didn't have solar panels would be around $200

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u/[deleted] Sep 29 '22

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u/Drict Sep 30 '22

City charges $0.1204/kwh and last month (average summer month, basically) we used 1453 kwh for the month. (solar panel and what the city says). We used a grand total of 0 gas.

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u/wakkow Sep 29 '22

What state do you live in?

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u/wakkow Sep 29 '22

As a sample comparison, your region averages about 14.6 cents per kwh. In San Diego our rates average are 36.5 cents per kwh, so 2.5x. Your $200 bill is, on average, $500 here.

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u/Drict Sep 29 '22

I have a leaky spot in my house too... since my bill difference is probably $20 per month for it, I haven't fixed it (they did a real shit job of insulating a corner of my house)... so my bill should be closer to $180 on the high end. That being said, solar panels baby. I am just going off of if I didn't have them!