Net Metering. An Explanation

[Anarita John]

I put this up on the Pahos Life Facebook page. A lot of people found it very helpful. However, I know some members do not do facebook, so I will put it on here. I feel very sorry for those people who are now being told they can only have a certain sized system. I have already written one email, to the Green Party and will write others in order to put pressure on to reverse that situation. I'll also do another post with a resume of our use during 2021-2022.

A lot of people have asked me to explain how our solar panel billing with EAC is worked out. I hope this explanation helps. When we get our March bill, I will put a detailed review of our bills on the Paphos Life forum.

Net metering is EACs system for photovoltaic systems. I look on it as a battery, for storing the excess electricity which we produce.
Our new electric meter has two readings. Reading 1, what we use through the meter and Reading 2, what we export to the grid.

By subtracting Reading 1 from Reading 2, you are able to ascertain how much electricity you have exported and are in credit. Your exported amount is shown on your bi monthly bill as Credit Units (kwh) carried over.

Your exported amount can be used when you are not producing enough electricity.

The net metering charge is worked out on what you use from your exported amount, through meter reading 1. Each kwh you use through your meter is charged at €0.028, plus Ancillary Services charged at €0.0066, with VAT added.

Last year, 2021, we started using our banked, surplus kwh on the 12th November. We had exported a surplus of 3317 kwh. This amount was enough to heat our house throughout the winter, which was particularly cold and long, and heat our pool to a swimmable temperature for the part of the winter when it was not bitterly cold.

At present, surplus kwh are taken off you at your February, March bill. When our meter was read, on March 14th, we had 120kwh taken off us, which will not be carried forward to our next bill. There is talk of letting you carry forward kwh from one year to the next.

At present, (March 30th) for the first time since installing our 5kwh system, we are in negative territory. We have produced less than we have used and are minus 200kwh. However, as the days get longer and the temperatures rise, we will soon get back to being in credit.

On our January/February bill, EAC charged us €0.0426 per kwh, including VAT.

[tsadapeter]

Hi, thanks for the useful contribution.
would you or anybody else know, whether power consumed (i.e. aircondition) during the time of generating electricity would be used directly from solar or fed into the the grid anyway? If the latter one would pay those 4,2 cent/kwh for power used although one feeds in at the same time.

Grateful for a hint
Peter

[jeba]

It's the former. The meter indicates whether you're exporting or not. Mine does, at least.

[Anarita John]

Some of the power you generate during the day does not go through the meter and you consume. For example, on 5th April, we produced 26.02 kwh. We exported 23.2 kwh. Therefore, the difference is the solar kwh we used, 2.82kwh. If we add that to what we used through the meter,3.4 kwh, it gives us the total amount used, 6.22 kwh.
On the 28th March we produced 28.69 kwh. We exported 18.8 kwh. Therefore we used 9.89 solar units. Our total consumption was 28kwh. 9.89 as a percentage of our total is 35%

For those with a solar edge invertor, there is an explanation in their handbook.

https://www.solaredge.com/sites/default ... or_nld.pdf