Every day, we get the question“How Much?” or “HM?” This is a very easy question and often is asked without the use of a vowel to solve a once inescapable problem of paying high electric bills. “HM po?” goes through a systematic process for a proper answer. There is no such thing as an ordinary house or a typical bungalow, so bear with us if we are makulit. We just want to make sure we give you the right answers in regards to solar panel installation in your Philippine home.
Here is the step-by-step process on how we figure out the answer to “HM?”
Consumption
What is your consumption? The kWh used per month or the monthly bill would give you the gross consumption. We profile how much energy or kuryente is used during daytime hours vs. nighttime hours. Of course, solar is very effective during daytime hours because it can directly displace utility or “kuntador kuryente”.
Second is nighttime consumption. What appliances do you turn on during the night, how many air cons are on, etc.? For ethical reasons, we would not suggest using your air con on lead acid batteries at night, since it is a false economy build;unless, of course, if you live on an off-grid location or the Spratley Islands.
We then take this into account and start crunching numbers. For the old school people out there, we use Net Metering vs. batteries to offset night consumption since it’s 3x cheaper to generate energy from solar than to store it. Batteries last a fraction as long as a solar panel so we do not even use it for savings. We’d rather opt for banking surplus production during daytime hours via Net Metering.
Net Metering
It is a special meter that the Utility Provider has to install to comply with National Law, specifically RA 9513 Sec 10. If your house has surplus solar energy, the utility has to purchase the excess energy. The net metering process is complex for the average homeowner to process, and even smaller solar outfits have a hard time on its documentary and rigid technical standards. Solaric handles the Net Metering process and advises you on estimated costs as your home has to be updated to latest electrical codes. Each job is wired differently, so costs vary.
We do not disconnect the Utility as they are there to give you power at night and buy your surplus power at day. We simply integrate solar power with existing wiring. Solaric customers become Prosumers of grid power—consumers who also produce and sell back their excess power.
Sizing
We look at the roof of your house, factory, or facility, either through Google maps or site survey; the only actual limiting factors for solar are the amount of unshaded roof space and budget.
From our online tech survey or actual field visit, we can see how many solar panels we can fit and determine the best yielding sides of your roof.
Our default strategy is to install enough solar to offset normal daytime loads (sub 5 year ROI) and if the client wants more aggressive bill reduction, we can put more solar to cover night time loads. This will ZERO out the bill or result in a negative electric bill—so you can buy that Tesla.
The most common concern is how much solar is needed to run the air con and the usual appliances, such as ref and fan. To answer this question, that would be a 1.62 kWp installation at Php140K. To the industrial installation solar, we put in the Big Boy Solar, the one that wipes out hundreds of thousands of pesos from a colossal electric bill.
Quotation
We do bill analysis of usage patterns: Day vs. night usage and available roof space, then suggest build sizes with approximate savings. Our solar engineers will go over various build options (e.g. Philippines vs. China vs. Korea panels), installation locations, and long term impact of electric bills. Solaric has the widest range of build options and, of course, we offer the best prices. From there, we can come up with Return on Investment calculations. This can range anywhere from 3 to 6 years ROI or even faster if electricity rates increase.
And that is when we can finally tell you “HM?” We will even tell you in great detail, using vowels, numbers, and all that.
Key Takeaway
In the Philippines, solar panels and their installation are not cheap nor are they for the financially impatient, but they will generate returns that are easily 5x more than its initial investment. Solaric DIY packages for less than P30k make it an even better investment than a smartphone.
Solaric has been systematically reducing electric bills and making the Philippines a greener place by enabling thousands of homes and businesses to say no to coal by putting red hot high electric bills on the deep freeze and by showing global warming who the real boss is.
For more information, visit this link or email info@solaric.com.ph. You may also call us at 02 5040092 for seasonal specials or to schedule surveys.