What are On Peak Hours?
On-peak utility hours are the times of day when electricity demand is at its highest. In most cases, this means during the daytime when people are using lots of appliances and air conditioners. As a result, utilities charge more for electricity during on-peak hours in order to cover the increased demand. If you’re trying to save money on your electric bill, one of the best things you can do is avoid using electricity during on-peak hours. This may mean turning off your air conditioner during the day or doing laundry at night.
If you are in the Phoenix, Arizona area, see our pages on APS On Peak Hours and SRP On Peak Hours.
Read MoreWhat is Solar Offset? How much Solar Offset do I need?
Offset is the percentage of your home’s total electricity usage from the last year that will be produced by your solar system over a year’s time. See below for the recommended offsets in the Phoenix, AZ area:
In APS territory, you typically want 100% to 110% offset.
In SRP territory you typically want 50% to 75% offset.
Read MoreWhat is Off Peak Hours?
Off-Peak utility hours are times of day when electricity demand is lower. This is typically on the weekends and in the mornings during the weekdays. As a result, utilities charge less during Off-Peak hours. If you’re trying to save money on your electric bill, one of the best things you can do is use your large appliances, like your air conditioner and clothes dryer, only during Off-Peak hours.
If you are in the Phoenix, Arizona area, see our pages on APS Off Peak Hours and SRP Off Peak Hours.
Read MoreWhat is Net Metering?
Net metering is a system where excess electricity produced by a solar panel system is sent to the utility grid. The utility company credits the customer for every kWh sent to the grid. The customer only has to pay for the difference between the amount of electricity bought from the grid and the amount of electricity sent to the grid. If the customer sent more electricity to the grid than what was bought, the utility pays the customer per kWh based on the utility’s buyback rate.
See APS Rate Plans After Solar and SRP Rate Plans After Solar.
Read MoreWhat is a Watt?
A watt is a unit of electricity that measures energy transfer. It was named after the engineer James Watt.
Read MoreWhat is kW? What is a Kilowatt?
A kilowatt of electricity is the common measurement for electrical energy. All of the appliances and electronics in your home consume energy measured in kilowatts. A kilowatt is 1,000 watts. Kilowatts are used for measuring electricity because the amount of electricity that appliances consume. For example, an air conditioning unit uses about 4 kW. Stating 4 kW is easier when compared to stating 4,000 watts.
Read MoreWhat is kWh? What is a Kilowatt-Hour?
A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. Kilowatt-hours are a common billing unit for electrical energy delivered to consumers by electric utilities. The kilowatt-hour is a composite unit of energy equal to one kilowatt (kW) sustained for (multiplied by) one hour.
Read MoreWhat is a Grid Fee (Service Charge)?
A grid fee, also known as a monthly service charge, is the amount of money a utility company charges per month to be connected to their grid when you have a grid tied solar system.
For APS grid fees, see APS Rate Plans (After Solar).
For SRP grid fees, see SRP Rate Plans (After Solar).
Read MoreHow to convert kWH to Watts?
Formula for Calculating kWH to Watts: Watts = (kWh ÷ Hours) × 1,000
Read MoreHow to calculate kWh from Watts?
Formula for Calculating Watts Into Kilowatt-Hours: kWh = (Watts × Hours) ÷ 1,000
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