I'm curious if anyone has run into issues in NW Ohio where the local municipality charges solar users a commercial rate for their energy. They claim that since you're generating power, you should be billed at this higher rate. I'm also unsure whether the credits they provide will match this commercial rate or if they'll offer a lower wholesale price instead. Just feels a bit off to me!
5 Answers
In Ohio, my experience is that commercial rates only kick in if you generate more power than you consume by 1.25 times. So it's good to check those specifics with your local provider!
It is a bit sketchy! My take is that power companies would prefer to buy cheaper energy rather than from solar users. I think they should incentivize with fair rates, like 1:1 up to a certain amount for residential solar. Also, buying back only excess energy seems fair, otherwise some regulations can lead to all your generated solar going back to the grid at a low rate. I heard of someone selling at $0.02 while they were buying at $0.50, which is just crazy! I'd suggest a buyback rate that's at least half of what they charge.
I get the regular residential rate at about $0.13 per kWh with my power company. However, when I sell back to the grid, I get around $0.07 per kWh, which is pretty low.