Are your utility bills still rising despite investing in green tech?

If your utility bills are still rising despite having residential photovoltaic (PV) panels, it’s time to reassess your solar investments by conducting home energy audits and reviewing your PV system’s generation. With these steps, you can determine if your bills are surging due to electric grid rate hikes, increased usage, poor panel performance, or an undersized system. 

Understanding these factors in reassessing solar energy investments can help you make more informed decisions in addressing your ever-rising bill problems. You should also consider doing this as soon as possible, as energy prices will continue to rise. 

As Utility Dive reports, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects residential customers to pay nearly 5% more than in 2025, or 18.2 cents/kWh on average in 2026, and another 2% more in 2027. 

Is Solar a Good Investment Now? 

From helping reduce utility bills to lowering carbon footprints, solar investments, if chosen and implemented properly, can be smart asset choices. Solar panel installations can bring potentially high green technology ROI if implemented correctly, helping boost property values. 

Power Bill Reduction

Solar panel investments help with power bill reduction by generating clean, sustainable energy on-site. It replaces the electricity you’d otherwise tap from the grid and buy from your utility provider.  

Solar net metering is another way PV systems can help lower utility bills, further adding to their investment appeal. Customers with this billing system receive utility credits for excess power their panels generate and send to the grid. 

Lower Carbon Footprints

Transitioning to solar allows users to lower their carbon footprints. It’s a big deal in the U.S., considering that the per capita (person) CO2 emission here is among the highest worldwide. Our World in Data says it reached 14.2 tonnes per person in 2024. 

The lower your carbon footprint, the better for the environment and everyone, as this means you contribute less to global warming and climate change. 

Property Value Increases

In some cases, solar panels may also increase property values. In a recent report, comparison marketplace EnergySage noted that solar panels can drive property value increases ranging from 5% to 10%. In California, this increase can translate to an average property value boost of $39,500 to $79,000.  

Why Are People Getting Rid of Their Solar Panels? 

Even with solar delivering many benefits, some homeowners are attempting to or are looking for ways to get rid of their solar panels due to bad deals and contracts.

They’re not just experiencing buyer’s regret. Some are victims of deceptive sales practices or unfair financial obligations, which is why they’re seeking solar cancellation help with SCRC and legal professionals.

Contract misrepresentation and numerous installation issues are other growing concerns causing significant frustration among solar panel owners.  

How Do You Reassess Your Solar Investments if Your Utility Bills Are Still Rising?  

Your utility bills could still rise even with solar panels for several reasons, and determining these includes reassessing the PV system you’ve invested in. While not every homeowner will experience this, many have, with some being a result of contractor negligence or mistakes. 

If you’re in the same boat, find out what’s behind your soaring energy bills despite having solar panels through the following steps. 

Conducting Home Energy Audits 

An energy audit involves a strategic and systematic “investigation” of your home’s energy use. Some of its primary functions include:

  • Pinpointing how much energy your home consumes (by checking your utility bills)
  • Identifying inefficiencies or points of waste (e.g., old and dated appliances, particularly heating, ventilation, and air conditioning or HVAC systems)
  • Providing insights to develop an action plan to reduce consumption

With a comprehensive home energy audit, you can have a better idea of not just your consumption but how much your utility company charges you per kWh. You can then see if either (or both) has risen considerably.

Reviewing PV System Generation 

If it’s only your energy consumption that has surged significantly, and the kWh price is relatively the same as previous months, it may indeed be an increase in your household’s usage. Conversely, it could trace back to your PV system. 

Your PV system could be the culprit if it’s not performing as claimed and promised by the solar installer. The issue could, for instance, be due to low-quality panels, improper installation, or even a defective system. 

Reviewing your PV system’s generation or output, therefore, should be the next step to assessing your solar investments. Check its monitoring software app (if it comes with one) or its generation meter. Then, compare the figures with the ones indicated in your solar contract or those your solar agent or installer promised.  

Frequently Asked Questions 

What Should You Do if Your Solar Investments Perform Well but Your Energy Usage Has Risen? 

Consider running your heaviest energy users during the day, when the sun is at its peak. You can, for example, turn on the dishwasher or washing machine during your area’s peak sun hours (PSH), which is when your solar panels also perform at their peak.

According to Consumer Affairs, most places in the U.S. enjoy four to six PSH, often occurring during midday. 

You should also consider replacing old appliances whose age results in more efficiency degradation as the days go by. They may have been using less energy when you first had your solar panels installed. Now that they’re older, though, they’ve sustained more wear and tear, making them less energy efficient. 

What if Your Solar Energy System Is Not Performing as Claimed? 

Do some troubleshooting first. The issue may only be due to dirty panels or overgrown trees casting shadows on the equipment. 

If that doesn’t work, reach out to your installer and tell them what’s going on. Prepare your contract and utility bills to highlight the gap. If they don’t want to help or don’t offer a favorable resolution, it may be time to consider seeking legal help and canceling your contract with them. 

Solar Investments Pay Off If Made With Sound Decisions 

Residential solar investments can be smart assets worth the money, so long as homeowners do their due diligence, conducting in-depth energy research and audits and partnering with a reputable contractor. Without these careful steps, there’s a high risk of getting involved in bad, costly solar deals. 

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