As power outages continue month after month throughout California, grid independence is likely starting to look more attractive to you, especially as the cost of power continues to rise.
PG&E proposed a base rate increase of 12% for 2020, according to the California Public Utilities Commission.
Jan. 7 saw the implementation of Southern California Edison’s new “TOU” (time of use) rates, when most industry experts projected an October 2020 timeline for this to happen.
This is an added cost that you shoulder every time you switch on the lights, or turn on the air conditioner or heat.
But you don’t have to be at the mercy of the kilowatt hour. Consider these three options to make your home more energy independent.
Conservation
Lowering your usage is the most effective way to lower the energy costs in your home. Advances in technology help to make conserving energy automatic, said Marshall Howen, president and founder of Sunrise 805 solar and battery installation.
“It’s all about LED lighting, Energy Star appliances, and home automation,” Howen said. “You can purchase home automation products on Amazon (Amazon.com/smart-home-devices) that track your movements in the home, program times to restrict usage, and be sure to have things turn off when they are not being used.
“That way, when it’s 103 out, it’ll only turn on the air conditioning zone where you spend the most time in your house instead of cooling rooms you don’t use that often.”
Another way homeowners can bring down their energy use is to change some habits and preferences. Backing off the air conditioner by a few degrees on a hot day or dropping the heat on a cold day can make a good dent in energy consumption.
Additionally, waiting to run bigger appliances until off-peak hours will save money.
Generation
As the cost per kilowatt hour increases, the cost of generating and storing your own power is coming down.
“The best reason for owning solar is that you become your own generator,” Howen said. “The ability to integrate solar into both residential and commercial applications has become exponentially easier and less expensive in the last two or three years.”
An additional benefit of generating solar power is that it makes homeowners more aware of any wasteful power usage, Howen said.
“The question, as a solar provider, that I always get asked is, ‘I have an 1,800-square-foot home — how much solar do I need?’ to which I say, ‘How much electricity do you use?’” Howen said. “With solar power, battery storage systems, and home automation, your home could be smart enough to have little to no impact on your lifestyle, but substantially decrease the amount you pay for electricity from the utility.”
Solar storage
Depending on how much solar power you generate and the size of your battery, you can design a system to completely offset your usage and dependency on the grid, Howen said.
“We had a customer where, in the first four days, the solar was doing so well they weren’t using any grid electricity,” he said. “With a properly sized battery system and home automation, being tied to the grid is a convenience at that point.”
If you want to prepare for power outages — both planned and unplanned — and lower your long-term energy cost, click here to visit Sunrise 805, or call 805.895.6096 for a free quote.
Its representatives are available via phone and email to help you understand the initial costs of solar, as well as the long-term benefits of grid independence.