My neighbor got solar panels last month and I was skeptical until I saw his electric bill

He showed me the numbers. $47 for June when I paid $240. That's a real difference. I never thought the payoff would come that fast in Phoenix. Anyone here regret going solar or find hidden costs later?

3 comments

3 Comments

parkerbrown1mo ago

That's a pretty dramatic savings, especially in Phoenix where AC runs nonstop. I read somewhere that Arizona actually has some of the best sun exposure in the country for solar, so it makes sense the payoff comes quicker there. The main thing I've heard people complain about is when their utility company changes the net metering rules after they already installed panels. That can really mess with the numbers if the rate you get paid for selling power back drops a lot. A neighbor of mine in California had that happen and his savings went way down the second year.

hugoj121mo ago

Arizona actually changed its net metering rules back in 2016, so new customers get a lower rate than that.

charles_mitchell1mo ago

Hugo's right about the net metering changes in Arizona, but I gotta gently push back on that 2016 date. Actually got hit by this myself when I looked into panels a couple years back. The big change happened in December 2016, but APS and SRP each rolled out their own versions over the next couple years, so it wasn't one clean date. Some folks got grandfathered in under the old rates for 20 years, others got stuck with the new lower export rates right away. The savings story your neighbor is seeing in Phoenix makes total sense for June though. With the AC blasting all month, he's probably using most of that solar power straight from the panels instead of sending it back to the grid. That self-consumption is where the real money is now. The hidden cost I'd watch for is if your utility changes those rates again midstream, which some have tried to do. But for now, if you can cover most of your own usage during peak sun hours, it still makes sense in Phoenix.