We were informed today by a representative of Pasadena Water & Power that they are planning on increasing their rates as of July 1. Presumably this will have to go before the Pasadena City Council before it becomes effective, and we do not yet have any information on the magnitude of the proposed rate increase. When we learn more, we will be sure to post it here.
However, when combined with the drop in solar rebates also tied to July 1, this date is becoming ever more significant as to the economics of electrical power for PWP customers. This proposed rate increase will only increase the deluge of rebate applications descending on PWP in advance of the July 1 deadline. Don’t delay, act NOW to be sure that you lock-in your rebate before the rebates go down - and your bills go up!
Yesterday I spent 90 minutes talking solar with the folks at Pasadena Water & Power. It was a great conversation and it really re-confirmed my belief that these folks are true solar proponents who - while understaffed, overworked and underpaid - are working hard every day to make solar in Pasadena a reality.
Here are some highlights from our conversation:
Pasadena Water & Power announced today, February 16, that it will be dramatically reducing its rebate payments for solar installations as of July 1, 2010. Here’s a summary of the rebate rate changes compared to the existing structure:
These substantial rebate reductions - announced without any prior public comment or discussion - are all the more curious given that PWP also reported today that it is less than 7% of the way to its stated goal of installing 14,000 kW by 2017. Two years into a 10 year program, by which time PWP should have reached the 20% mark to be on track but instead has seen less than half of that get installed, PWP drops its rebates dramatically. Hard to see how these reductions will help PWP meet its goal.
One thing is very clear - if you are a PWP customer considering adding solar, the time to act is NOW. Give us a call, we can help!