april cut

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gene

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May 11, 2025, 11:13:02 AMMay 11
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nice 2nd qtr electricity price reduction

                  kwh                     fixed        rate/kwh
01411,348.3565.97
1401962,542.6174.59
1952513,769.8886.71
2503714,633.94100.79
37099999,311.87117.18

solar panels installed 2/2019
self consumption only...
15 800 kwh produced
8k investment (including solar hot water)
2.6k balance

im ok with that...would be done but ice wont buy my priduction even at 49%....

ice buddy actually told me...
ice is in electricity selling business...not buying...
lololol

hope everyone is happy and healthy!!!

pura vida...

gene

Don Hickman

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May 11, 2025, 11:38:32 AMMay 11
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Hi, Gene!  I confess that I don't begin to understand the chart but then I don't understand my own electric production, consumption, costs, etc.  Lol.  We installed solar panels in 2014 and our $300/month electric bill dropped to $20-$40/month depending on the season.  So they have paid for themselves.  But after 11 years the production has dropped about 30% or so.  I'm thinking of replacing 10 of the 20 panels with new 500 watt panels and having those 10 feed the battery bank while the remaining 10 continue to send power back to ICE which is what my contract requires.  I'm thinking I can run the entire house off the batteries and those 10 panels can keep them charged.  The inverter will automatically flip over to ICE if the batteries get too low (50%).  As of now, the batteries are only for backup when ICE drops offline.  I got tired of resetting the digital clocks.  As an experiment I pulled the plug on ICE one day and the batteries ran everything for 14 hours so I think we're good to go.

Don


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gene

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May 11, 2025, 12:17:21 PMMay 11
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let me explain the chart with an example...
from 0 to 140 kwh the fixed charge is 1348.35....plus your kwh times 65.96 colones....etc...

ice had a buying pilot program ...only 3 people signed up....they paid 49 % of production...1 only knew of one surviving producer....so i have limited info...one day they just changed her meter and discontinued her plan/contract...the new meter only does one way...if you send power to the grid...it considers it as consumption and poor thing was billed for her production...at consumption rates!!!
i helped her cut the panels off told her she needed an export limiter...her inverter was australian...i couldnt help much more ...
i was curious about your system...seems you have a nice one...i could not justify the batteries....you have quite an investment!!
i figure i save nearly 100 per month in peak months...
i have canadian solar 325p panels...they are predicted/guaranteed to produce 80% rated power at 20 years...i have 14 panels...so 80% will still produce more than i consume at peak...
should hold me for a while....seems you have it figured out too!!!
ice is not as generous here as they are with our near san jose consumers/producers...my bill this month will be 48 000  or so...a bit high but we have had a ton od visitors....lots of cooking!!!
lololol
last month was a bit shy of 40 000...
green energy (as costa rica is) is not cheap....but responsible...
i am satisfied...fat and happy!!!
i have a nearby neighbor that brought a container of panels...i think the 550 panels were 150 000 each....pretty sure they are chinese.  ...but from what i have read...they are still giid panels   and nothung that should be avoided...
14 houe reserve is great...very few outages longer than that...i just built a 2 battery lead  acid setup to hold up the internet, tv, satellite bedroom lights and fan...it works great!!!
us poor folks have poor ways!!!
lololol
if you are ever in the zone....gate is open...coffee is black and hot!!!
thanks for the info...i was curious and wanted to know!!!
lololol
mind reader???

pura vida...

gene
Screenshot_20250511_100245_Enlighten.jpg

Don Hickman

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May 11, 2025, 1:24:37 PMMay 11
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I'm still waiting for Sam to come up with a date, time and place for that lunch in Puntarenas.  Then we can really compare notes about solar systems.

I think I have a decent system even if I didn't know squat about it when I started.  Originally ICE was KWH for KWH.  I had one of those old meters that ran backwards when I sent electricity out to ICE.  But after about a year they changed that and now I have 2 meters.  One measures what I use from ICE and the other measures what I send out to ICE.  I've forgotten what they pay me for my production but it isn't much. Still, it's enough that my bill was $250/month less than before I started.  Now with the drop in production because the panels are getting some age on them, our bill is still only about $50-$75/month but it's enough that it annoys me which is why I'm thinking of replacing 10 panels with more efficient/higher production ones.

We added the batteries 3 years ago because I was tired of the daily power outages.  That plus the inverter solved that problem.  Cost way too much but at least I don't have to reset the damn clocks any more!  After thinking about it some I realized that I have all the components in place for being independent of the grid so I think that's what I'll do.  But because of my contract with ICE I still have to supply them with some power so that's why I'm thinking of the 10 panels for ICE and the 10 new ones for me.  We will still use some power from ICE because I don't have the jacuzzi or the pool pump connected to the batteries.  And I do like the jacuzzi!  It's a work in progress.

Now, about that lunch . . . 

Don

gene

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May 11, 2025, 2:39:13 PMMay 11
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well sir  thats why you worked so hard over the years to be able to contour your golden years!!!

you got it going downhill now!!!

wish i was off grid....but not gonna spend that much money....

headed to san jose monday...
doctor appointment...have quite a few this month... 

 maybe when i get uncovered....i will head to 
punteranus for some fresh seafood!!!

i have about given up beef and pork...
eat a l9t of chicken and seafood....
maria loves it too...

and wecan take you up on lunch together!!!

sure would like to meet you!!!

Don Hickman

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May 11, 2025, 3:32:45 PMMay 11
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We just returned from Miami Friday night.  Spent the week there shopping.  And eating good steaks.  Steak every night!  Put on 5 pounds!  There's simply no good beef in this country.  So like you, we eat chicken, seafood and some pork.  But the steaks in Miami were delicious.  

If you're going to San José on Rt 1, you will pass within 4 miles of our place but it's not currently possible to get here from there.  Had a huge landslide this week on the connecting road between Atenas and Grecia and it is now closed until further notice.  Which means that Friday when I have to go to Grecia it will require the long way around.  Bummer.  

Tell Sam to drop the boat building for a day and arrange that lunch in Puntarenas!

Don



gene

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May 11, 2025, 3:49:23 PMMay 11
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my appointment is 4pm
will leave my home at 10 am...enough time for a flat or high traffic....then a 4 to 6 hour return trip....not much personal time left...
lololol...
you are right about the beef...it doesnt taste as bad as it is hard to chew and swallow...lol
they dont age the beef...once i found a butcher shop that had aged beef      
it was good   
dont remember where that was!!
oh well...


pura vida...

gene
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