Electricity is an expensive utility cost for most typical US households and commercial businesses. The cost of electricity has steadily increased over the past decade, and continues to rise as demand for energy resources increase and reserve supplies deplete. Especially in Texas – energy prices are very sore and grid conditions not optimal. During periods of critical grid conditions, ERCOT will send out conservation alerts for Texans to reduce energy consumption, and also some Texas electric utility companies will even charge more for the energy being supplied during that time. However, there are many ways for Texans to mitigate rising costs and critical grid conditions, some can even be advantageous for those who own solar-battery systems such as a Tesla Powerwall. Read below to learn about various energy hacks!
Grid Hacking Using Solar-Battery System and Net Metering Plans
One of the simplest ways for Texans to save more on electric utility costs is by periodically checking electrical utility rates and solar buyback/net metering programs. In Texas, grid energy rates change periodically due to being a deregulated grid energy market. Therefore, choosing the right electric utility provider and plan can make a significant impact on long-term electric bill savings. Alternatively, Texans who own grid-tied solar-battery systems can incur more benefits from choosing the right electric utility provider buyback plan. For Texans that own a whole-home battery backup system, they can benefit greatly by signing up with an electric company that offers “Free Nights” plans. Solar-battery systems can be optimized to be more beneficial by signing up with a “Free Nights” electric plan. Grid-tied solar-battery systems such as FranklinWH and Tesla Powerwall allow users to customize their settings for receiving the most electric bill credits which reduce the overall electric utility cost of the owner.
“Example: Just Energy has a “Free Nights” plan that periodically is available in certain areas of Texas. People who have access to this type of “Free Nights” plan can configure their systems’ to maximize on electric utility savings. Typically this plan provides customers with free grid energy credits between 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM. The solar-battery systems are setup to prioritize energy independence and money savings by offsetting grid energy consumption during the day while the sun is shining. Then at night when the grid energy is free, Texans can recharge their home and EV batteries, as well as use the appliances more without incurring a high electricity bill. This is obtained by setting the home batteries to charge at night by using “free” energy from the grid. So that by 7:01 AM when grid energy usage is not free, the batteries will be at 100% state of charge, and solar panels will begin producing energy thereby enabling energy independence for the owners.”
Texans who own Tesla Powerwalls can sign-up for Tesla Electric Plan which debuted early 2023. This alternative electric utility plan from Tesla, allows Texans to export and sell their stored solar produced energy during peak energy demand times. During mid-June of 2023, ERCOT sent an alert to Texans asking to conserve energy from the grid. While that was going on, owners of Tesla Powerwalls were earning up to $5.00 per kilowatt-hour for the electricity they exported to the grid. That means that Texans who have Tesla Powerwalls installed on their home and signed up for the Tesla Electric Plan, were actively earning money from their systems!
Of course, there are all the other typical ways to save more on electricity costs, such as checking the insulation of the building and programming thermostats such as the NEST, for optimal energy efficiency. Checking the homes’ appliances’ energy ratings is a good practice for determining electrical usage, having energy star rated appliances helps ensure optimal energy efficiency and improve solar-battery systems performance. Although it doesn’t have to be complicated technical solutions either. Checking which way the ceiling-fan blade direction is going can make a significant impact on the homes’ heating and cooling energy usage. Modern electrification systems such as SPAN can be implemented to provide great tools for saving, by giving consumers control and understanding of their energy consumption. Maximizing efficiency by using the right electrification tools will save consumers more money in the long run by giving them the ability to become energy independent. As grid energy demand increases from adoption of EVs, consumers will need to become energy conscience in order to reduce and save on electric bills.
Maximize Electric Bill Saving with EVs
This is one of our favorite energy hacks! Texans who own electric vehicles will incur a larger cost on their electric bills. Depending on how many miles driven annually, an EV could make up 20-25% of the electric bill costs and energy usage. Electric vehicle adoption also put a higher demand for electricity from Texas’ grid. In order to mitigate EVs strain on Texas’ grid, solar-battery micro-grid solutions can be implemented to reduce impact and energy cost. Texas homeowners can install EV chargers that are connected to solar-battery options. These renewable energy options can greatly benefit EV owners with managing electric utility costs and sustainability. Some EV chargers like the WallBox and SPAN Drive, allow users to schedule and program how and when their EV charges. These are great options for connecting with solar-battery systems that will save users a lot of money in the long-term. For instance, with SPAN Drive connected to a solar system, gives users the option to schedule charging for when the solar panels are actively producing energy. This greatly mitigates grid energy usage and cost which maximizes long-term saving benefits for the owner. Driving an EV powered by solar energy produced at home will give Texans the ultimate way to be independent!
Let us know if you personally have used any of these great energy hacks to save you money and perform at maximum efficiency!
