HELCO Bill interpretation for Enphase CGS+ Systems
Solar Production
This is the energy produced by your solar panels during the day. If you have a newer system, you can use the online monitoring platform to see your solar production. This platform provides detailed insights into your system’s performance, including daily and monthly production data, allowing you to track the efficiency of your solar panels over time. Your daily solar production is not visible on your HELCO Bill. With newer systems, you can see this on your online monitoring site.
Consumption Curve
This represents how much energy your home consumes throughout the day and is a useful way of visualizing your consumption against the timing of your system’s solar production. Your daily consumption is not visible on your HELCO Bill. With newer systems, you can see this on your online monitoring site.
Self-consumption
Your home consumes electricity directly from your solar panels during the day without passing the electricity through the meter. Self-consumption refers to the energy consumed by your system directly from your panels. Systems with batteries expand their self-consumption and draw from the batteries during cloudy days or in the evening. Self-consumed energy is not passed on to HELCO and is not visible on your HELCO bill because they never receive it from you.
DEL
This is the electricity delivered by HELCO to your home during the billing period, as recorded by your meter. Electricity is delivered to your home based on your consumption needs. When your home needs more energy than you have from your solar production, then HELCO delivers (DEL) your energy, which increases this number.
REC
This is the total excess electricity produced by your solar panels during the billing period not consumed by your home. When your solar production exceeds your self-consumption, this excess electricity is pushed back to the grid at the time of generation, and HELCO receives (REC) it.
Net energy
If HELCO receives (REC) more electricity than they deliver (DEL) to you, your system produces more energy than you consume. Suppose this is the case, and you still receive a large HELCO bill...this is because you are consuming electricity provided by HELCO when your system is not producing electricity (possibly at night or when it is cloudy). By decreasing your nighttime usage and shifting more of your usage to the day when your panels are receiving energy, you can reduce your HELCO bill.
Some ways to increase self-consumption:
Time your electricity use:
Use high-energy appliances like washing machines, dishwashers, and pool pumps during the day when your solar panels produce electricity. This way, you can use solar energy directly instead of drawing it from the grid.
If you have an electric vehicle, the time you charge it should coincide with solar production (during the day). If you must charge your vehicle in the evenings, many EVs allow you to adjust how much you charge it and can let you set start and end times, limiting how much energy you are pulling from the grid when your solar system is not producing.
Upgrade to energy-efficient appliances: Energy-efficient appliances consume less electricity, reducing your overall energy use and reliance on grid power at night.
Install energy storage: If your REC amount is larger than your DEL amount, your system produces more energy than you consume. Installing a battery storage system could store excess solar energy generated during the day for use at night. However, the cost of batteries is substantial. Keep in mind that HELCO requires a minimum monthly payment of $25 to be connected to the grid, even if you don’t use any of their power.