Anonymous
Post 12/05/2025 11:07     Subject: Re:DC Pepco bills
Power surge: law changes could soon bring balcony solar to millions across US
Tweaks to state laws mean many Americans will be able to benefit from small, simple plug-in solar panels
Acquiring solar panels at home can be an expensive hassle for people in the US. But small, simple, plug-in solar panels for use on balconies are soon to become available for millions of Americans, with advocates hoping the technology will quickly go mainstream.

Earlier this year, Utah became the first state in the country to pass legislation allowing people to purchase and install small, portable solar panels that plug into a standard wall socket.

When attached outside to the balcony or patio of a dwelling, such panels can provide enough power for residents to run free of charge, home appliances such as fridges, dishwashers, washing machines and wi-fi without spending money on electricity from the grid.

Balcony solar panels are now widespread in countries such as Germany – where more than 1m homes have them – but have until now been stymied in the US by state regulations. This is set to change, with lawmakers in New York and Pennsylvania filing bills to join Utah in adopting permission for the panels, with Vermont, Maryland and New Hampshire set to follow suit soon

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/30/balcony-solar-power-states-laws
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2025 11:04     Subject: DC Pepco bills
One thing that sucks is solar in the US cost 2-3 times more vs the rest of the world because of the taxes and tariffs the US imposes on solar panels.

The new plug in solar panels are starting to be approved by some states. These can lower your bill but will not bring your bill to zero.
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2025 09:49     Subject: DC Pepco bills
Anonymous wrote:I remember when we first bought our home 29 years ago we couldn't afford the Natural Gas bill. It was 500 a month. We had a gas furnace. We put the thermostat on 60 thru the winter months. Wore coats in the house and had electric blankets. We had a much cheaper bill. We were house poor at the time.

Now we are older and richer and the thermostat is on 72.


Yeah, when we paid off our home and realized we had enough money in the bank, I made that house warm. No regrets.
Anonymous
Post 12/04/2025 21:40     Subject: DC Pepco bills
I remember when we first bought our home 29 years ago we couldn't afford the Natural Gas bill. It was 500 a month. We had a gas furnace. We put the thermostat on 60 thru the winter months. Wore coats in the house and had electric blankets. We had a much cheaper bill. We were house poor at the time.

Now we are older and richer and the thermostat is on 72.
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2025 14:45     Subject: DC Pepco bills
Anonymous wrote:
jsteele wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My solution is to keep my (too) big DC house uncomfortably warm in the summer. After that first $525 Pepco bill in July, I set the thermostat at 80 degrees during the day / 78 at night.

I've said this before on these kinds of threads, but, those of us for whom a $500 pepco bill is a problem are not the people who can spend $30k on panels. If I could finance $1200/month for years to pay off the panels, I wouldn't be bitsching about a couple of $500 pepco bills, would I?


DC has free solar options. You won’t get the tax credit or the SRECs, but you will save on your electric bill.


I'm trying to decide between the no-cost (I pay nothing for the install, but the company keeps the SRECs and owns the system) and regular option. I'd love any thoughts as to which is preferable at this point. I have the savings to finance the panels etc..


Even though we could afford to pay for the panels and then get the credits, we decided it actually worked OK to not pay for them. So we got free panels, free installation, and our monthly PEPCO bill is low -- around $25 per month. It was only around $100 per month back when we had it installed, so it wasn't a big deal back then. But now I'm really glad we agreed to it. Only sacrifice is that we will never have a roof deck.
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2025 00:27     Subject: DC Pepco bills
Anonymous wrote:DC Water has also had horrendously high charges for years, with DC residents bearing the financial responsibility for the utility's overly bloated payroll and massive projects to rid the Anacostia and Potomac rivers of toxic sewage.


All of the states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are required by a court order to clean up the bay and DC is meeting its requirements by building a separate sewage system which keeps untreated sewage out of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers - almost all cities built their water systems this way but DC has one of the oldest municipal sewer systems in the US and it was never upgraded.

DC embarked on this project 20 years ago as soon as the court order was issued and will mostly be done and meeting their obligations by 2030 which in the long run will save DC a lot of money.

Oh and the water quality in the Anacostia has already improved dramatically to the point where it will soon be safe to eat fish from the Anacostia and swim in it for the first time in 150 years and the water quality in the Potomac down river of the Anacostia has already improved and soon will be improving up river as well.

And FWIW this project has eliminated sewer back ups and localized flooding in a bunch of EOTP neighborhoods so overall a really worthwhile project for the District.
Anonymous
Post 11/25/2025 19:23     Subject: DC Pepco bills
Anonymous wrote:Anyone who owns a SFH or rowhouse in DC and doesn’t do solar is a moron. In the summer months it’s literally an +$800/month increase in my bank balance relative to paying full freight to Pepco.


Wait, electric bills run $800 a month? We installed solar as soon as we moved into this house and we had it in our previous house, as well; the most I’ve paid for electricity in any month is $200, and we also have an electric car that we charge mostly at night (when we’re paying for electricity, because there’s no solar coming in). I’m seriously surprised to learn it would cost that much.
Anonymous
Post 11/25/2025 14:43     Subject: DC Pepco bills
Anonymous wrote:It would have to be installed and operational by the end of the year.


It doesn't seem like that can be done, which makes the decision easier for me.
Anonymous
Post 11/25/2025 13:38     Subject: DC Pepco bills
It would have to be installed and operational by the end of the year.
Anonymous
Post 11/25/2025 12:08     Subject: DC Pepco bills
Anonymous wrote:
jsteele wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My solution is to keep my (too) big DC house uncomfortably warm in the summer. After that first $525 Pepco bill in July, I set the thermostat at 80 degrees during the day / 78 at night.

I've said this before on these kinds of threads, but, those of us for whom a $500 pepco bill is a problem are not the people who can spend $30k on panels. If I could finance $1200/month for years to pay off the panels, I wouldn't be bitsching about a couple of $500 pepco bills, would I?


DC has free solar options. You won’t get the tax credit or the SRECs, but you will save on your electric bill.


I'm trying to decide between the no-cost (I pay nothing for the install, but the company keeps the SRECs and owns the system) and regular option. I'd love any thoughts as to which is preferable at this point. I have the savings to finance the panels etc..


Can you let us know how many MW is your system, and what the quoted price is for the install? You would have to sign the contract and pay for the solar by the end of the year for the tax credit.

How much are you expected to save per year on electricity with the lease?

If you know the above, I could give you a decent overview of what to expect if you buy vs. lease.
Anonymous
Post 11/25/2025 10:43     Subject: DC Pepco bills
jsteele wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My solution is to keep my (too) big DC house uncomfortably warm in the summer. After that first $525 Pepco bill in July, I set the thermostat at 80 degrees during the day / 78 at night.

I've said this before on these kinds of threads, but, those of us for whom a $500 pepco bill is a problem are not the people who can spend $30k on panels. If I could finance $1200/month for years to pay off the panels, I wouldn't be bitsching about a couple of $500 pepco bills, would I?


DC has free solar options. You won’t get the tax credit or the SRECs, but you will save on your electric bill.


I'm trying to decide between the no-cost (I pay nothing for the install, but the company keeps the SRECs and owns the system) and regular option. I'd love any thoughts as to which is preferable at this point. I have the savings to finance the panels etc..
Anonymous
Post 11/17/2025 21:33     Subject: DC Pepco bills
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Beverly Perry, former Pepco executive,
plays special advisor to Mayor Bowser for years and rates are now up by 30% this year; the year she leaves Bowser’s administration.

Perry did her big one and left.

https://51st.news/dc-electricity-bill-high-pepco/


rates are set by the public service commission, not the mayor


The mayor appoints the commission.