How Can Adding Batteries To Your Home's Solar Energy System Lower Your Electricity Bills?
Adding battery storage to your home's solar panel setup can help you keep your energy bills to a minimum. Batteries allow you to load shift your home's electricity usage, which allows you to only use electricity when your utility company's rates are low. By switching between grid power and battery power, you can take advantage of low electricity rates while avoiding high ones, significantly reducing your energy bills. To learn more about load shifting and how solar battery storage can help lower your energy bills more than installing solar panels alone, read on.
What Is Load Shifting And How Does It Reduce Energy Bills?
Load shifting is a way that you can save money on your energy bills by relying on solar battery storage when electricity is expensive. Some utility companies have time-of-use rates for electricity. When electricity is in high demand (such as in the middle of the day during a hot summer), you're charged more for the electricity you use. When the demand for electricity is low (such as when most people are asleep at night), the rate you pay is much lower.
When you have solar battery storage in your home, you can significantly reduce your energy bills by using the power stored in the batteries instead of using power from the electrical grid during peak demand times. You'll be able to avoid paying the highest rates for electricity. During off-peak times, you can use electricity from the grid to charge the batteries or wait for your solar panels to charge them during the day. By switching between battery power and grid power depending on your utility company's time-of-use rates, you'll be able to get electricity as cheaply as possible.
Can Solar Battery Storage Still Save You Money If You Don't Have Time-Of-Use Energy Rates?
Not all utility companies offer time-of-use rates. Some charge a flat fee regardless of the demand for electricity. If your utility company doesn't offer time-of-use rates, solar battery storage can still save you money even if your utility company offers net electricity metering.
Net electricity metering means that your utility company will credit you money based on the amount of electricity your solar panels send back into the grid during the day. This is great for homeowners who have solar panels since they're able to save a significant amount of money on their energy bills by producing electricity for the grid when the sun is out.
However, not all utility companies offer net electricity metering. If your utility company doesn't offer it, solar battery storage can help you save money by reducing your dependence on electricity provided by the grid. You'll be able to power your home with the energy stored in the batteries while the sun isn't out, reducing your home's overall electricity usage from your utility company.
Ultimately, you'll be able to reap the biggest benefits of solar battery storage if your utility company has time-of-use rates. If they don't, however, battery storage can still help you save money by reducing the amount of electricity you're drawing from the grid. If you want to keep your electric bills as low as possible, then adding batteries to your home's solar panel setup is a great choice.
Contact a local solar service to learn more about solar battery storage.