One California homeowner with solar panels and a battery is wondering how to measure the savings of a new energy system.
Here's what to know
"I got solar panels and a battery 18 months ago. I'm curious to know how much I would have paid the utility (PG&E) had I not had solar," the original poster wrote in a Reddit thread posted to the site's r/Solar community. "In other words, I want to compare the amount I've paid PG&E over the past 18 months with how much I would have paid if I didn't get solar/battery. Is this possible?"
"I do it every month," one person responded. "Use your inverter's app to see your consumption."
Rather than relying on a figure printed on a bill, users said the best approach is to rebuild the non-solar bill yourself.
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That means pulling monthly household usage, which is often shown as "load," from an inverter, solar, or battery app and applying the electricity plan the home was on before the system was installed.
More background
Users familiar with PG&E noted that a quick production-based estimate can be misleading, particularly under new solar compensation rules.
Instead, commenters said to start with total household consumption, calculate what that energy would have cost on the customer's non-solar rate plan, add fixed charges, and then compare that result with the PG&E bill. Under that framework, the important number is the home's cost without the solar-battery setup.
If you're interested in saving on utility bills with solar, consider exploring EnergySage and its free tools for solar installation estimates and to compare quotes. With EnergySage's help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on a solar purchase and installation.
And EnergySage's solar map shows the average cost of a home solar panel system by state as well as details on solar panel incentives for each state. Together, those resources can help readers get the best price for rooftop solar panels and access available incentives.
Where can I learn more?
For homeowners trying to pin down how much solar is saving them, it helps to see how others weigh lower bills alongside installation costs and tax credits. These articles put the month-by-month math of rebuilding a non-solar utility bill into the broader context of going solar.
• Across the U.S., homeowners are getting real about savings after installing rooftop solar.
• At EnergySage, shoppers are unraveling the mystery of solar costs before signing contracts.
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💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
• On Reddit, one person said they paid just one electric bill in 10 years after going solar.
Tracking savings is only one piece of the solar equation. Looking at incentives and long-term payback can give homeowners a clear sense of how the investment adds up.
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