Solar panels, for many they are a smart way to help reduce your carbon footprint and eventually cut back on your energy bill.
This is what homeowner, Ed McCarthy was thinking when he agreed to install panels on his home.
“Since the Carr Fire, global warming and the changes in our environment have been more on my mind. Switching to solar seemed like one way that I can contribute to making a better environment for my children and making sure we have a smaller carbon footprint going forward,” said McCarthy.
Ed’s entire game plan changed, when his neighbor told him about the proposed changes moving forward. The Redding City Council will discuss on Tuesday adopting a Resolution approving Net Energy Metering Successor Tariff.
In the past, when a home’s solar would produce more energy than the home used, customers would be paid back 15 cents per kilowatt hour of excess energy.
Now R.E.U. is proposing to drop that rate to 3.9 cents per kilowatt hour.
“If the city council votes on Monday to accept the new rates, and the new structure that R.E.U. has proposed, our system will no longer be financial viable, we will never be able to pay off our system and we will have to back out and cancel our contract,” said McCarthy.
R.E.U. says the current structure is not cost-based, fair, or equitable.
The problem home owners are having is R.E.U. will pay 3.9 cents per kilowatt hour of over generated energy, but when energy is needed, customers will pay the full retail rate.
“So every night when my system isn’t generating power, i’m going to be paying 15 cents per kilowatt hour for that system. Even if I generated a ton of electricity during the day, that imbalance is going to make solar customers some of the highest paying customers in all of R.E.U. because we have paid to create the generation, and we are paying again to get electricity back from the city,” said McCarthy.
McCarthy has decided to postpone his installation of solar, until he see’s what is decided at the City Council meeting. A few of his neighbors like Mark McGowan wish they would have held off purchasing solar as well.
“I’m still paying on that, Obviously.So if they, if the city of Redding changes or R.E.U. changes their price structure from what it was when we bought the system, I don’t know I may never pay off my system,” said McGowan
If you would like to attendee the meeting tomorrow, it will be held in the Council Chambers, 777 Cypress Avenue, Redding at 6 P.M.
