The ever rising cost of electricity coupled with the implementation of Load Shedding in South Africa endorses the need of alternative solutions to power up your home or business... Is it possible for these alternative solutions to pay you back whilst saving you money and reducing downtime?
In this NEW series, we introduce you to the concept of net metering. This initial article discusses what net metering is, describes how it works and outlines its benefits.
Follow the series as we unfold more about the device used in metering, and where KwaZulu-Natal currently stands with regards to incentivizing feeding back into the grid...
What is Net Metering?
Net metering is a billing mechanism that is used to credit owners whose renewable energy system feeds electricity back into the national grid.
How does Net Metering Work?
This occurs when a renewable energy system generates more electricity than what is used in the premises during the day. If the system has a net meter implemented, then the meter will provide a credit against the electricity that is used at night, or during periods when the electricity used exceeds the output of the solar system.
The Benefits of Net Metering
- Encourages the generation of electricity in a clean and efficient manner.
- Exporting of power to the grid reduces consumer’s future electricity bills, provided the local municipality has a feed-in-tariff structure in place.
- Increases demand of solar energy, resulting in the creation of jobs for the installers, electricians and the manufacturers that build the systems.
- Net metering also protects national electricity grid by allowing generation of electricity closer to the point of consumption.
In the next article...
Now that you have an understanding of what net metering is, in the next article we will tackle the device used for it, and its functionality...
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