Homeowners in Arizona have been looking to solar to save money for many years. But for APS customers, time could be running out to get the biggest savings. APS solar is set to reduce one of the biggest solar incentives – the APS solar rates which means homeowners who wait to go solar will be missing out.

How does an export rate work?

Arizona homeowners with residential solar take advantage of an incentive called the RCP Export Rate. This solar incentive is used by publicly owned utility companies such as APS, TEP and UNS, to compensate consumers for the solar energy they produce and export to the grid.

Solar energy is not always used by the home it’s attached to when it is produced. Often there is excess energy – meaning the homeowners don’t use all their system produces. In that case, the excess energy is exported to the utility grid for other consumers to use. In fact, most home solar systems export 50% to 60% of the energy they produce.

The utility company benefits from this because the excess energy from consumers’ home solar systems is energy they do not have to purchase or produce. The RCP Export Rate is a fair way to compensate homeowners for this exported energy that they would otherwise lose. With the Export Rate, APS solar gives homeowners a credit for their excess energy that they can put towards months when they go over like in the summer.

“One of the biggest misconceptions of solar is how to get the most savings,” said Joe Cunningham, Co-owner of Sunny Energy. “The secret is that the biggest systems aren’t always the best. You have to think about the system throughout the year. If you have too big of a system, you will export more energy, receiving compensation that is often lower than what you pay for peak summer usage, so you end up paying more than you should. We design our systems to offset energy in a way that supports our customers’ consumption so that annual savings are maximized. That means in the spring when energy usage is lower, you’ll get credit from APS and in the summer you’ll use that credit to pay for higher bills. The result, big savings year after year.”

Lock in your savings with Sunny Energy, most trusted Arizona solar company

It isn’t too late to go solar if you’re an APS customer who wants the best solar incentives in Arizona. Any APS homeowner who agrees to go solar with Sunny Energy in time for us to file their APS application by August 31 will be grandfathered into the current rate – which could mean big savings for your family. Sunny Energy can help you lock in the savings. Your system doesn’t have to be installed – just under contract by August 31.

Call us today to learn more and lock in your savings!