Electricity prices | Of the total consumption of 12,400 kWh, we bought 2900 kWh of electricity!

These days, the price of electricity is soaring, to the despair of many. In a country as cold as Norway, we rely on electricity to heat homes, it goes without saying. When we are then presented with a multi-headed energy monster featuring ugly words like empty ponds, low power output, NORPOOL, new export cables, bad north-south cables, grid rent, electricity tax and so on – then it’s no wonder that it confuses and annoys us ordinary people Who just want a little warmth in the living room. Understandably, many feel helpless.

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Perhaps to ease that feeling a little bit, I’d like to talk a little bit about our experience. It’s going to be a bit special, but I think it would be good for good service.

high power consumption

In November last year we moved into a house where the sales assignment gave us an estimated energy consumption of 29,000 kilowatt-hours (kwh) per year. This is somewhat higher than the average consumption for Norwegian homes, which as far as I know is about 23,000 kWh. Of course, it is impossible to say how much the estimated depreciation in our newly purchased house from 1985 would cost us a month. Consumption is very low in summer, and high in winter. Last year the price of electricity was very low, and this year it is through the roof. Only God knows what the price will be next year. Could. But – depreciation throughout the year still gives a hint of cost. For us it was too high, and we decided to install solar cells on the roof. Now I must hasten to say that of course it is not possible for everyone. Some don’t have an adequate ceiling, and some have other financial priorities that should come first. But – as I hope to show in this article, everyone will enjoy the fact that those who can install such a facility, do so.

easy to get

The practical part of installing such a system was very simple. We got a phone call with our power supplier, and from there the whole project was done with us as the public on the sidelines. Our 33-panel plant was completed at the beginning of February, priced around NOK 155,000 after deducting just over 25,000 Enova’s subsidy. Since then, it’s been up and running and producing everything from 800 to 1,600 kWh each month.

This is more than we usually use, and since the electricity is fresh, it must be used at the same moment it is produced. Therefore, the electricity produced by our panels first goes to cover the consumption in the house at the time of production, and then the rest goes to the electricity network. What is sent online is recorded in some kind of solar account, which we can take out when the station produces less electricity, for example in the winter.

raisins with sausage

So the raisins in the sausage, and what I think is the most interesting for the readers. That is, what the numbers say about the cost related to production and consumption. All these details are taken from the applications of the energy supplier and the solar cell company.

So far this year we have purchased 9200 kWh from the power supplier with regular monthly bills. This is the electricity that was used for consumption in the daytime when the solar cells were not producing (at night), or producing very little to cover the consumption (cloudy weather). In addition, there is total consumption for January and the first part of February, when we had no solar cells.

The plant has produced a total of 9,500 kWh since commissioning. Of this, 6,300 kWh has been deposited into the solar energy account. This means that we have a direct-to-home panel consumption of 3200 kWh. This usually occurs during the day when the sun is hot and consumption is relatively moderate.

Deposit into a solar energy account

In summary, we see that we have real consumption so far this year of 9,200 kWh purchased + 3,200 kWh produced directly for electricity = 12,400 kWh.

This consumption doesn’t seem so bad, but it really becomes gold when the deposit in the solar account – which we have in our favor and can be used whenever we want – is deducted from what we bought. Then the real figure for the electricity purchased will be 9200 kWh – 6300 kWh = 2900 kWh. Of the total consumption of 12,400 kWh, we purchased 2900 kWh of electricity. With today’s rate, this means a cost of about 4,500 NOK + fees for the first nine months of the year.

Finally, I want to conclude by reiterating what I started with: This is not suitable for everyone for various reasons. But – it fits a lot. I even think it suits many. And let your mind float a little…. One can imagine that if everyone who could install solar cells on homes did this, perhaps Norway’s electricity consumption would be reduced so much that production could keep up with consumption in bad times? And then perhaps the price of electricity can be kept at a more moderate level, so that those who cannot install solar cells for various reasons, do not have to pay the whites out of the eye to get a little warmth in the living room?

And if this isn’t a win-win situation, I don’t know….