There are 2 ways to lower your bill with solar.
1) Reduce the electricity you purchase from Farmers EC – Electricity produced by your solar system will first supply your home, and your home will utilize that electricity before it pulls from the grid/Farmers EC. This utilized solar production should lower the amount of electricity you purchase from Farmers EC as compared to prior bills. You can think of this as a 1:1 rate of return, but only if you USE those kilowatt hours. Keep in mind, the number of kWh’s that you produce and use will not show up as a line item on your bill.
2) We pay you for the extra electricity you don’t use – Sometimes you may produce more electricity than your home requires. In this case, the excess electricity will be sent back to the grid, and you will be credited for the “avoided cost,” which is the amount Farmers EC would have had to pay for this energy in our normal course of business. Currently the rate is around $.06 per kWh, and this will show up under “Billing Summary” on your bill as “DG Avoided Cost.”