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Should you install solar on your home? 10 key considerations

Arizona's endless sunshine continues to make rooftop solar panels an enticing proposal for homeowners. Already, tens of thousands of Arizonans have installed panels to make electricity for them, and falling prices and new financing options continue to draw consumer interest.

But homeowners should consider several questions before deciding to install rooftop panels. Here are 10 primary considerations you should think about before signing a contract:

Worth a read:

https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/energy/2018/07/04/solar-panels-worth-10-things-consider-before-installing/733033002/

Summary of Residential Rate Plans for APS Customers with an On-Site Distributed Generation System

Summary of Residential Rate Plans for APS Customers with an On-Site Distributed Generation System

(Interconnect applications submitted after August 31, 2022)

This is not an official APS document, it is a summary of residential rate plans for APS customers with an on-site distributed generation system put together by the Arizona Solar Center from the rate schedules posted at https://www.aps.com/en/Residential/Service-Plans/Compare-Service-Plans. See the actual rates by following the links at the above APS web page link. These are the charges for energy purchased from APS, see below for backfeed credits (exports of power to the grid, "APS purchase rates" also known as RCP).

APS Rate Plan - Customers with an on-site distributed generation system

Updated July 23, 2021

Bundled rates

SAVER CHOICE

SAVER CHOICE PLUS

SAVER CHOICE MAX

SAVER CHOICE TECH

(Note 2)

Basic Daily Service

$0.427

$0.427

$0.427

$0.427

Energy Charges- per kWh

On-Peak Energy Charge-Summer

$0.24314

$0.13160

$0.08683

$0.05750

Winter

$0.23068

$0.11017

$0.06376

$0.04750

Off-Peak Energy Charge-Summer

$0.10873

$0.07798

$0.05230

$0.04750

Winter

$0.10873

$0.07798

$0.05230

$0.04750

Super Off-Peak Energy Charge

(November through April)

$0.03200

n/a

n/a

n/a

Demand Charges per kW (Note 1)

On-Peak Demand Charge:-Summer

none

$8.40

$17.438

$20.25

Winter

none

$8.40

$12.239

$14.25

Off-Peak Demand Charge:-Summer

none

none

none

$6.50

All above 5 kW

Winter

none

none

none

$6.50

All above 5 kW

APS Purchase Rates- per kWh

For application dates after August 31, 2022 the Tranche 5 RCP export rate will be $0.08465 per KWh

(Future rates to be determined)

$0.08465

$0.08465

$0.08465

$0.08465

Rate Periods for the above:

The On-Peak time period for residential rate schedules is 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through

Friday year round. Off-Peak time period is the rest of the day and holidays.

The Super Off-Peak period is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and applies to those plans with a rate shown above.

Holidays for Off-Peak:

  • New Year’s Day - January 1*
  • Martin Luther King Day - Third Monday in January
  • Presidents Day - Third Monday in February
  • Cesar Chavez Day - March 31*
  • Memorial Day - Last Monday in May
  • Independence Day - July 4*
  • Labor Day - First Monday in September
  • Veterans Day - November 11*
  • Thanksgiving - Fourth Thursday in November
  • Christmas Day - December 25*

*If these holidays fall on a Saturday, the preceding Friday will be Off-peak. If they fall on a

Sunday, the following Monday will be Off-Peak.

APS Residential bills will include the following adjustments:

  1. The Renewable Energy Adjustment Charge, Adjustment Schedule REAC-1. (
  2. The Power Supply Adjustment charge, Adjustment Schedule PSA-1.
  3. The Transmission Cost Adjustment charge, Adjustment Schedule TCA-1.
  4. The Environmental Improvement Surcharge, Adjustment Schedule EIS.
  5. The Demand Side Management Adjustment charge, Adjustment Schedule DSMAC-1.
  6. The Lost Fixed Cost Recovery Adjustment charge, Adjustment Schedule LFCR.
  7. The Tax Expense Adjustor Mechanism charge, Adjustment Schedule TEAM.
  8. Direct Access customers returning to Standard Offer service may be subject to a Returning Customer Direct Access Charge, Adjustment Schedule RCDAC-1.
  9. Any applicable taxes and governmental fees that are assessed on APS’s revenues, prices, sales volume, or generation volume.

And these Rate riders:

  • CPP -(RES) Critical Peak Pricing (Residential)
  • EPR-2 - Partial Requirements
  • EPR-6 - Partial Requirements – Net Metering (Residential Non-Solar)
  • RCP - Resource Comparison Proxy (This is for solar generation exports of power to the grid)
  • E-3 - Limited income discount
  • E-4 - Limited income medical discount
  • GPS-1, GPS-2, GPS-3 Â Green Power

Notes:

  1. The kW used to determine the demand charge above will be the Customer's highest amount of demand (kW) averaged in a one-hour On-Peak period for the billing month.
  2. The SAVER CHOICE TECH rate schedule is available to residential Customers with the following:
    1. 1. Two or more qualifying primary on-site technologies purchased within 90 days of the customer enrolling in the rate; or
    2. 2. One qualifying primary on-site technology purchased within 90 days of the customer enrolling in the rate and two or more qualifying secondary on-site technologies.

 

 

Eclipse Effect on Mesa PV System

This is a plot of PV system output on August 21, 2017 in Mesa, Arizona.  Note the morning dip caused by the partial eclipse. The red line is the calculated average for the date, based on historical data.

Sonnen Signs a Deal to Put Storage in New Arizona Housing Developments