ORLANDO, Fla.,None — A Progress Energy customer told WFTV on Wednesday that he was able to bring his power bill down from $350 to $100 per month. Ken Celmer said he did it with a new solar electric system.
The house on Winfield Scott Boulevard is one of a growing number of homes in Florida with an electricity input and output. The output comes from the solar panels on the roof, and on Wednesday, the Florida Public Service Commissioner went to see Celmer's home.
If the system generates more power than the home needs, that electricity is cycled back into Progress Energy's power grid, WFTV learned. That means Progress Energy is buying back power that appears as a credit on the homeowner's electricity bill.
WFTV reporter Steve Barrett talked to Celmer about the 2-month-old system, which he said has already made a huge difference on his bill.
"Well, we initially save during the first couple months $250. We were using a lot of energy. Now we can see a 45 to 50 percent energy reduction, " Celmer said.
The program is called Net Metering, and another great feature is that homeowners can monitor all their appliances, such as their air-conditioning unit, pool pumps and all major electric draws in the house to see where the most power is going.
Many power companies offer the plan. Customers can call their power company to ask whether it offers such a program.
WFTV
