At the end of year six the meter reading was 99065, meaning we have produced about 947 KWh more than we consumed over the past 6 years. Year 6 was our lowest producing year so far, about 8.22 MWh. Our panel’s fiscal year begins/ends on March 26.
| Year | Total MWh This Year | Cumulative |
| 1 | 9.67 | 9.67 |
| 2 | 9.1 | 18.77 |
| 3 | 9.33 | 28.1 |
| 4 | 9.1 | 37.2 |
| 5 | 9.02 | 46.22 |
| 6 | 8.22 | 54.44 |
I asked the company that services my panels if they could detect any issues that would explain the drop-off in electricity generation this year. They reviewed their monitoring information and determined this was just due to this past year’s weather.
My panels are only pitched at 25 degrees, so when snow accumulates on them it does not slide off as quickly as it does on my neighbor’s panels, which are inclined much more sharply. So if snow is followed by freezing weather, as occurred this year, we can go many days with no solar production. See January 2024 below.
Now look at January 2025:
It snowed and stuck both years but the 2025 snow lasted much longer. Other months produced comparatively less electricity as well. We accumulate a surplus during the summer months which tends to run out sometime during the winter, typically late January to mid-February This year it ran out in December. We had to buy grid electricity for part of December and all of January and February this year for electricity we used over and above what the panels generated.
Electric prices have gone up a lot since we installed our panels. At the time of installation we were paying 10.7 cents/KWh. That price included both supply and delivery. Additionally the monthly customer charge was fixed at $8.22. The following chart, from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows 2025 and 2024 residential rates per KWh for Maryland and our neighbors:
Full chart is at https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.php?t=epmt_5_6_a
Notice that Maryland is now over 18 cents/KWh! So for 8220 KWh generated this past year, we saved (avoided) about $1500. In addition, we got $400 for our Solar Renewal Energy Credits (SRECS). That’s real money sent to us. We also received about $72 for our March/April 2024 surplus last May. That’s a total value of almost $2000.
I expect that electric rates will continue to rise. Maryland was about to take a coal plant offline. Higher than expected demand has caused the local utility to keep it on-line for the next two years, as there is not enough electricity available to import from other states. In exchange for keeping this plant open, customers will soon see a new monthly fixed fee on their bills of about $4. Additionally, the normal monthly customer charge has risen to $9.97/month.
East Coast states north of us (New York – Maine) are already paying 25-30 cents per KWh. As prices rise, the economics of rooftop solar make more sense. At current prices I would encourage anyone who can install rooftop solar to do so, especially before retiring, when income becomes more fixed.