Licensed Electrician Robert Monk » PECO

Solar PV in/out dual meters and 200A upgrade

Robert Monk — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:03:49 +0000

An existing 100A underground service with standard meter and timer-interrupted OP meter (OP tariff no longer available)

Mandolin and I have spent a couple beautiful days this week upgrading an underground service from 100A to 200A, and re-configuring the metering to support the net output of an upcoming solar PV installation by frequent partner and friends, Sumintra, LLC.

PECO requires two meters for grid-tied solar PV installations: 1 to measure what they deliver, and the 2nd to measure what you provide to the grid. The difference is what you pay, and PECO settles up any overpayment at the end of each year.

Since I could not make the underground service RMC raceway (‘conduit’) and service entrance raceway connect directly to any arrangement of right- or left-hand meter enclosures, I had to install a wiring trough between the existing pipe work and the new meter configuration. As it turned out, the short conductors of the original installation required a splice box in any case, since they would never have stretched across the generous wiring space of a 200A underground meter enclosure.

Using the trough also allowed me to shift the new meter setup to the right of its previous location, providing proper safe working clearance for this equipment.

Licensed Electrician Robert Monk Solar PV in/out dual meters and 200A upgrade Copyright Robert Monk, 2012

Smart meters finally available in PECO territory

Robert Monk — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:11:45 +0000

Pennsylvania Electric Company (PECO) has finally begun its full scale roll-out of smarter meters. Its slowness to implement the recently-mandated 15-minute increment bi-directional reporting meters may have to do with the fact it invested millions of dollars of rate-payer funds in now-outmoded ‘smart’ remote-readable meters only a few years ago, in what was probably just a matter of unfortunate timing for the ratepayers.

The new meters will help PECO and its customers better understand their electrical use, and adapt behavior to the actual cost of generating electricity, as alternative generation providers offer time-of-use tariffs with different prices different times of day, or even spot-market tariffs that could change price every 15 minutes.

PECO’s ‘smart’ meters require two meters to do the work of the required single, bi-directional meter, in violation of PA’s Act 129

PECO’s new smart meters fail to achieve compliance with PA’s Act 129 for grid-tied solar PV>" />>" />

As a NABCEP-certified solar electric PV installer, my biggest disappointment with the smart-meter roll-out in PECO territory has to do with PECO’s longstanding refusal to comply with PA Act 129, which requires PECO to offer customers a single, bi-directional meter for measuring both conventional consumption from the grid, and PV energy delivered to the grid, for billing credits in the customer’s favor.

Under Act 129, PA electric distribution companies (EDC’s) must provide a singel, bi-directional meter for solar PV grid-tied customers, upon request. However, although other PA utilities have adopted smart metering solutions that incorporate bi-directional metering, PECO has somehow managed to select a product that does not meet the Act 129 requirements. Meanwhile PUC has taken a decisively passive role on enforcement of the law. After I filed an informal complaint with the Public Utilities Commission, PECO responded that indeed they will not offer single, bi-directional meters to any customers. PUC has informed me that the only way forward is a formal complaint that runs through a court-like administrative justice system, and which requires that the complainant have standing in the sense that they directly suffered as a result of the violation of law.

I’m not holding my breath while I search for a PV customer who wants to spend time in court as a complainant. Try selling a few days in court as an ‘added perk’ to your next customer, and see how your sales go!

Smart meters in the press…

See the Phillynews.com (Inquirer) article on PECO’s roll-out of smart meters.
Have you had a smart meter installed in PECO territory?

Please, comment below or contact me directly to give a consumer’s-eye-view of the setup process and whether and how have you taken advantage of the new information your meter provides.

Energy Co-op & West Philly Tool Library

Robert Monk — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:01:06 +0000

Join the Energy Co-op & support West Philly Tool Library

Energy Co-op & West Philly Tool Library join forces for community betterment! West Philly Tool Library offers a more neighborly and civic alternative to tool rental. For everything from a handheld screwdriver to professional contractor tools like extension ladders, powered drain augers and cement mixers, and rotary hammer drills.

Why rent for $50/day when you can become a West Philly Tool Library member for $20 -$50 per year (depending on your income and conscience) and borrow as many tools as you want for a week at a time, with late fees of only $1 / day / tool! It’s a great way save money and support your community.

And now you can support this awesome community resource by Join the Energy Co-op from the mostly-coal mix used by PECO for its default service, to 50% or 100% clean wind/renewable energy from Energy Co-op.

Do it!

Licensed Electrician Robert Monk Energy Co-op & West Philly Tool Library Copyright Robert Monk, 2012

PECO Green? It met with Republicans to plan green rollback

Robert Monk — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:45:04 +0000

PECO Green?

PECO Green? We think not. PECO talks a big game when it comes to being green. But this is only the PR side of its response to Commonwealth of PA’s Act 129 requirements that it take measures to move green — or face stiff fines. Behind the PR mask, PECO has joined other utilities (save for PPL, which has stepped up in support of green legislation in PA) in meetings with a committee of state house Republicans aimed at rolling back green initiatives across the energy sector.

One more reason to power switch and send your money to a different company.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ Republican Policy Committee invited four electric utility companies and a utility trade association to testify on the “Impact of State-Mandated Energy Programs.” PECO, FirstEnergy, Duquesne, and the Energy Association of Pennsylvania (EAP) all urged lawmakers to take steps to weaken long-standing clean energy laws.

– PennFuture

Licensed Electrician Robert Monk PECO Green? It met with Republicans to plan green rollback Copyright Robert Monk, 2012

PECO RH heating OP water heater rates to be replaced by time-of-use

Robert Monk — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:58:05 +0000

PECO OP and standard residential tariff monthly statement

PECO will phase out its discounted PECO RH rate (heating) and PECO OP rate (water-heating) rates beginning in 2012, replacing these options shortly after with a new time-of-use tariff that would encourage consumers to shift consumption into cheaper, off-peak periods (between 8pm and 8am). Several months after PECO’s announcement, competitive supplier Energetix offers a ‘replacement rate’ for customers willing to switch and sign a 12-month, fixed-rate contract.

PECO’s RH rate has offered a discounted rate for electric heating — effectively subsidized by general rate-payers — for decades. The OP rate is an early and crude version of a time-of-use rate, providing a discount for a range of dedicated appliance circuits (electric water heaters, in practice) automatically shut down during peak hours (10am – 4pm).

Since most residential rate-payers aren’t home to use their water during those hours, the reserve of hot water in the heater tank typically proved sufficient for dishwashing or even one or two showers during the period when the heater is turned off. Older customers lose water heating even during weekend mid-days, although because many businesses close Saturday-Sunday, weekend mid-days are not actually peak hours. Recent versions of its PUC-approved tariff required PECO to provide a more sophisticated timer switch when replacing failed older versions, providing these customers with water heating electricity more of the time, while retaining the same OP tariff discount for all energy provided to the appliance.

Although customers will most likely be switched to the regular default rate when these tariffs expire next year, it appears that PECO will offer a time-of-use rate by that time, enabling customers to effectively continue to take advantage of an effective discounting program (if they consume smart), by:

Leaving their OP timer switches in effect to prevent energy use during expensive peak hours,
- OR: replacing, resetting, or supplementing the original OP switches with smarter versions that respond to real-time spot-market pricing, rather than assume prices will always correlate with the time of day.
Using a digital offset thermostat that minimizes heating/cooling energy consumption during peak hours, by programming air conditioning for just before and just after peak hours, using the entire house as a reservoir for cheaper off-peak energy (whether in the form of air that is heated or cooled vs. outside air). Grid-smart thermostats or auxiliary controls should become increasingly available, too. For example, PECO already uses one for its commercial customers who subscribe to its Smart AC Saver(SM) program.
For RH and other customers new to off-peak, time-of-use — or any kind of time-based tariff — these customers may benefit from a switch to time-of-use tariffs next year by monitoring voluntary consumption behavior around the home or business, and installing new timers or smart controls on high energy appliances that they feel comfortable having turned-off during automatically weekday peak hours. Joining PECO’s Smart AC Saver(SM) program is a great way to get acquainted with the time-of-use and peak-demand concepts, and save $30 every June, July, August, and September at the same time. The program certainly won’t eliminate all peak-hours consumption by your AC system, but it will reduce it slightly, which is a good start toward preparations for a switch to time-of-use tariffs. Careful tuning of an offset thermostat will go much further.
Considering a competitor’s offering. Energetix offers a ‘replacement plan’ consisting of a fixed-rate of 7.211 cents per kWh, with 12-month contract.

Robert Monk Electric can help, whether you want to switch from your RH or OP tariff into a time-of-use tariff and ensure you continue to save over the default rate by using smart switches and timers to ensure that you save money on the tariff; or you are currently a default tariff customer looking to save money by reducing consumption when the grid is under high demand.