About time, Massachusetts
This week, a law passed allowing homeowners in Massachusetts generating their own electricity (typically through solar panels) to sell back excess power to the electric companies at a premium rate.
Utility companies here in Texas and in select other states have been doing that for some time and “net metering” allows users to be paid for excess energy at retail rates rather than wholesale rates. What is curious to me is how long it is taking states to get on board with setting this up fairly?
Some states allow energy to be sold back but at wholesale rates while others cap the amount they will sell back which is less than progressive. I’m not saying we should all wear Birkenstocks but sharing energy with the energy companies themselves seems common sense and is a ridiculously simple law all states should already have.
Can homeowners in your state sell back energy? What are the stipulations? Realtors should know basic energy laws such as these as green is no longer a trend, it is proving to be the future and agents will begin hearing these questions if they aren’t already.
Loading ...
Consumerism, Geo-mapping columnist
Marketing columnist
If the homeowner is creating the electricity and not using all of it, I think that they should be able to sell it back to the power company. Its better for everyone in the long run, the power company is going to have an increasing number of people that provide for themselves and their neighbors which is going to save money for them (it uses the existing lines and doesnt require re-investment) and also saves them from having to expand their power sources by building another plant.
-Tyler
Don’t forget, there are still tax incentives through 2010 for installing energy efficient systems, too.