The long-term financial savings and reduced environmental impact of switching to solar energy for household use are compelling arguments in favour of the switch. However, look into solar energy a little more. You can learn about yet another perk of installing solar panels: With net metering, property owners may profit from selling excess energy generated by solar panels. Solar net metering in Ontario can further lower monthly power expenses and help offset the cost of installing solar panels.
Utility providers and their respective state and local governments have different net metering policies. During peak solar energy production times, you can sell excess electricity to the utility company if you live in an area with a net metering programme. Then, you can get a credit to use when you require grid-based electricity, like in the winter when your solar energy system might not meet your electrical needs due to the shorter days.
What is Net Metering?
With reliable solar net metering in Ontario, homeowners with solar panels can sell their excess energy to the utility company. This can save the solar panel owner money, lessen the strain on the electrical grid, and increase access to solar energy’s environmental benefits.
Through net metering, excess solar power can be used for other purposes. With solar panel batteries, owners can store energy for later use; with net metering, owners can sell excess energy to the grid.
The idea that you may get paid to generate energy through net metering must be clarified. However, the electric provider will not likely issue you a check if you deliver energy to them. Instead, the electric metre will run in reverse when you contribute to the grid and in the normal direction when drawing power. As a result, you won’t have any electricity costs at all, or at least a lot less.
What is the function of net metering?
Most people using solar energy are also linked to the grid so that they may take advantage of net metering. That’s because even if your solar power setup is top-notch, it won’t be able to provide electricity round-the-clock due to factors like cloudy days, shorter days, and the darker days of winter. You may need to use grid power to power your home appliances during these hours.
However, with net metering, whatever electricity you produce in excess can be sold back to the grid when demand is low. Then, you’ll pay just for the electricity your home consumes.
Benefits of Net metering
The greatest advantage of net metering is the possibility for homeowners who install solar panels to save money. However, there are other benefits as well.
Make Less Use of the Power System
Adding your surplus solar energy production to the grid reduces the demand for energy from nonrenewable resources. As a result, the local grid may become more reliable and less harmful to the environment. Furthermore, the carbon footprint of moving nonrenewable energy sources into the community is reduced because the energy is created locally.
Gain More Command Over Your Monthly Energy Bills
You might be more conscientious about your energy consumption once you discover how much you use. If you use electricity responsibly, you can help the planet and reduce your monthly power bill.
Condense Your Repayment Time
Because of the potential for significant cost savings, net metering programmes make it more appealing for homes to invest in high-quality solar panels. Therefore, if you take advantage of a net metering programme, you may expect a significantly faster return on your investment in solar panels. The typical payback period for home solar panels in Canada is four to five years, but it might be more than ten years in a state without net metering rules.
Boost the monetary worth of your home
Up to 4% more money can be made on the sale of a home when solar panels are installed and connected to the grid through net metering.
Recent research by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that for every $1 saved on utility bills, home values improve by $20.
Help Bring Down Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Excess renewable energy can be fed back into the system with net metering. You can effectively sell your solar energy to clients that don’t have solar panels.
This technique benefits your wallet and the environment since you’ll be adding 100% renewable electricity to the global electricity mix.
By reducing CO2 emissions, you are ultimately aiding in the fight against Climate Change.
Compared to conventional power generation, which produces 385g of CO2/kWh in the United States, solar electricity generates only 30g.
Conclusion
Home solar power systems rely on net metering, allowing them to generate a profit even without battery backup. You can use this mechanism as an energy wallet, filling it with credits earned from producing more energy than you need and spending those credits whenever you need to draw power from the grid. Smart Grids and net metering will enable thousands of microgeneration facilities to band together as virtual energy producer cooperatives.
