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Digital CFE meters and solar


bournemouth

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1 hour ago, bournemouth said:

I've never thought about this before but someone raised the question.  When our solar systems generate more power that we are using,  do our meters run backwards? Thanks for any info.

Your meter can't go backwards, what happens is CFE installs a dual display meter. The meter will then have one meter range that shows how much energy you've used, a few seconds later the meter will show how much energy your solar panels have generated.

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16 minutes ago, Yo1 said:

Recently CFE changed their policy to NOT buy your excess solar-generated power.  Bummer

This was discussed here recently.  Seems to be no change for residential solar customers. 

http://www.chapala.com/webboard/index.php?/topic/78849-cfe-stops-solar-credits/&tab=comments#comment-577095

 

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The CFE "solar" meters register two sets of kWh values:

Use from CFE, denoted on most meters as 1.8.0 

Sent to CFE, shown as 2.8.0 (this figure is only the excess solar energy that is not used directly in the home at the time it is being produced by the system - it is NOT the total solar production)

The difference between the two figures is the amount of energy billed, or credited, and both sets of figures appear on each bi-monthly CFE solar bill.

 

 

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53 minutes ago, Go Solar said:

The CFE "solar" meters register two sets of kWh values:

Use from CFE, denoted on most meters as 1.8.0 

Sent to CFE, shown as 2.8.0 (this figure is only the excess solar energy that is not used directly in the home at the time it is being produced by the system - it is NOT the total solar production)

The difference between the two figures is the amount of energy billed, or credited, and both sets of figures appear on each bi-monthly CFE solar bill.

 

 

Even if the credits is more than the usage, isn't there still is a minimal  charge on your monthly bill?

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This the minimum charge is the same as if you had consumed 25 KWH per month, which on my last two months bill was 2 times 23 pesos or $46 pesos plus some change per two month billing period.

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10 minutes ago, johanson said:

This the minimum charge is the same as if you had consumed 25 KWH per month, which on my last two months bill was 2 times 23 pesos or $46 pesos plus some change per two month billing period.

They have to charge you for giving you a bill.  HAHAHAHA

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52 minutes ago, Tiny said:

They have to charge you for giving you a bill.  HAHAHAHA

And they place you on the grid. Use it or not, it costs to deliver the product. You have a meter too.

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46 pesos / 2 months as a min charge for being both the "battery" and the "bank".....way less than typical monthly net metering service fee by most utilities in US & C which can run $15 to $20 / month.

And as Pete mentions, the min fee is the same for solar or non solar residential accounts.

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I note that CFE changed my meter reading date last month by a week. That screwed up my first attempt to calculate how many kilowatts I actually consume monthly and by billing period.

Any one else experience a date change?

SunnFan

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Does every single home with solar panels have a new digital meter?

Re the OP's question,  Yes, the old-style analogue 'clock-works' CFE meters with gears do turn backwards just fine - reducing the numbers of kWh shown on the CFE meter  every moment when  the solar system makes more electrical power than the home consumes.

An un-named  friend who's running panels with a grid-tied inverter, but without a CFE permit~contract, for the last 3 years still has his old analogue CFE meter,   and it continues to spin backwards just fine.   Because it sometimes spins backwards too much (causing the meter readings to fall too much during some months), he has to turn off his solar system until the meter spins forward just enough to show net higher readings every 2 month billing cycle.
;)

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SunFan, you can still work out a daily average figure and then multiply by 60 days, perfectly valid method.

Snowyco, all homes we're aware of that are registered as "solar grid tied" with CFE do have the digital dual reading meters.   What you mention is true, however CFE could cause them issues if found out including charging them for all of their previous estimated pre-solar level of consumption plus a fine.    Since there is little cost (mostly time and admin plus the new meter deposit of only about 400 pesos) to doing a CFE solar inter-connection agreement and account change, they might want to go that way, then they can leave the system on and build credits without worry.     

Plus if / when CFE changes the dial meter to a regular digital one, ....that would likely be an issue, as the regular digital ones only "know how" to count one way....UP.   So they generally see the solar production as added consumption and the bill will be higher than pre-solar.

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8 hours ago, Go Solar said:

SunFan, you can still work out a daily average figure and then multiply by 60 days, perfectly valid method.

Snowyco, all homes we're aware of that are registered as "solar grid tied" with CFE do have the digital dual reading meters.   What you mention is true, however CFE could cause them issues if found out including charging them for all of their previous estimated pre-solar level of consumption plus a fine.    Since there is little cost (mostly time and admin plus the new meter deposit of only about 400 pesos) to doing a CFE solar inter-connection agreement and account change, they might want to go that way, then they can leave the system on and build credits without worry.     

Plus if / when CFE changes the dial meter to a regular digital one, ....that would likely be an issue, as the regular digital ones only "know how" to count one way....UP.   So they generally see the solar production as added consumption and the bill will be higher than pre-solar.

Agree, agree, agree.

The homeowner with the old meter that runs backwards, is Dutch, and can be a bit stubborn.
;)

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