Tried a community solar share and my bill went UP the first month

I signed up for a local solar farm program here in Austin, paying $15 a month for a share. They said it would cut my grid power use. My next bill from the city was $12 higher than usual. The solar company said my home used more power that month, so the credit didn't cover it. Has anyone else had this happen? How do you make sure these programs actually save money?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamiemiller23d ago

So your home used more power that month?

fisher.mason23d agoTop Commenter

Yeah, it was crazy. We had that long cold snap and the heat pump ran nonstop for like two weeks straight. My electric dryer also died, so we were using the old backup one that seems to suck twice the power. The bill was almost double our usual.

the_julia13h ago

Honestly the real killer is how those old backup appliances just LEAK power. They might run for the same time, but they pull way more watts every second. My buddy's ancient fridge added like fifty bucks a month before it finally quit.