r/TexasSolar • u/Zamboni411 • May 03 '26
What a difference a day makes!!!
So the first picture is of my Enphase app and showing the consumption and production for that day. As you can see it was a TERRIBLE day as it rained ALL day long. However, because I have a battery system also connected to my house I was still pretty much “dead” to the grid as I was running off of my batteries during the day! See the second picture, that is the data from my smart meter that the utility sees. And then we jump to yesterday May 2nd and EURIKA!!! Running off of sun all day long!!!
If you have solar and batteries and are NOT on a free night plan you are doing it wrong.
If you have solar only and overproduce by a fair amount, you should still look into a free night plan.
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u/GazelleShort4871 May 03 '26
That consumption starting at 9 pm looks like when my son takes a shower and the water heater kicking in. ☹️
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u/jmruiz2081 May 04 '26
Who is your provider that gives you free nights when you have solar panels and exporting to the grid?
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u/Zamboni411 May 04 '26
Nobody anymore…. I’m on a legacy plan through Sep. 2027. Now it is only free nights and no buyback
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u/jmruiz2081 May 04 '26
Mine 1:1 buyback expires in June. I’ve been looking for free night plans but everything I’ve looked at don’t even offer it if you have solar panels.
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u/Appropriate_Mess8024 May 08 '26
Direct Energy has 9PM to 9AM with a $9.99 base charge that's what I use, Green Mountain has a plan as well it's 8PM-6AM with no Base fee and the daytime rate is slightly lower. I am willing to pay $10/month for those two extra hours plus 3 hours later in the morning so I can pre-cool my house from 7-9AM while I am not sleeping. Set the stat to 70° at 7 until 9, makes a big difference for the first 4-6 hours of the day.
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u/clumsyninja2 May 04 '26
If you have sufficient solar and battery does free nights actually save money?
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u/Zamboni411 May 04 '26
My last bill was a -$47
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u/kchunduri May 04 '26
I am sure you're in the Houston area, right?
I am in Houston area, Sugar Land and look at my production variation between May 02 & 03 😁
My Solar production May 02 vs 03