When you choose to go the solar route for your electricity, you don’t just save money on your monthly electricity bills but you can also help save the environment. The power generated by your solar panels can be used to power not just your home but also the homes around you. This is where solar net metering comes in. Installing this meter is an essential step if you want to experience the full benefit of your solar power generation system.
Understanding The Basics Of Solar Net Metering
A solar net meter refers to a meter that runs bi-directionally. Solar panels generate maximum electricity during the afternoon but this is when power requirements are minimal. Instead, you would probably require more power at night. But, this is when the solar panels do not produce electricity. Thus, you would need to take power from the main power grid. When you do this, the meter will run normally. During the day when the panels produce more power than needed, the power is sent to the power grid so that it can be shared with the homes around you. In such scenarios, the meter runs backwards. At the end of each month, you are billed according to the net usage. Depending on your power usage, your net bill payable may even be zero or the power utility providers may actually end up paying you!
Advantages Of Net Metering
Net metering has advantages for everyone. For you as the home owner, this results in lower monthly electricity bills and hence higher savings. You need not invest in a battery and can still have a reliable source of continuous electricity. With net metering you will not have to deal with seasonal differences. For example, in the winter when the solar panels do not produce sufficient electricity, you can get your power supply from the main power grid. In this way, net metering is actually more beneficial than connecting the inverter and solar panels to a battery. The battery only takes care of daily differences but cannot do much when it comes to seasonal differences.
Net metering has advantages for the power grid and your neighbors as well. Since you share the excess power generated by your solar panels with power grid, your neighbors can get electricity without the need to burn fossil fuels. This reduces their carbon footprint as well as your own and thus helps fight pollution. For the power grid, it means lower electricity wastage. When electricity is transmitted through the power lines, a percentage is lost to wastage. The longer power has to travel, the more the wastage. By sharing power with your neighborhood, you reduce the distance power must travel and thus can help the power grid cut down on wastage. As a result, power efficiency is higher.
Solar net metering is the best way to get the full benefits of investing in solar power for your home. It is cost effective and beneficial for everyone. So, when you choose the panels and inverter for your home, don’t forget to ask the installer about net metering as well.