Sticker shock is the new reality at the pump and from Hawaiian Electric. How long will this last?

“Expect higher than ‘normal’ energy costs for the next two years,” says Shasha Fesharaki, executive vice chairman and managing director, FGE USA, a Honolulu-based international energy consulting firm. “We expect crude prices to remain elevated in 2022 and begin to tail off a bit in 2023, as more capacity comes to the market.”

If you don’t already have solar, this may be the time to pull the trigger. And, if you have solar, you’ll want to make certain your system is operating at 100% capacity.

>> Who should consider rooftop solar? If your bill isn’t at least $150 per month, “a solar system is not going to save you that much,” advises Joe Saturnia, founder of Honolulu-based Island Pacific Energy. Generating your own electricity will not only slash your monthly bill, but battery storage (which comes with all new systems) will ensure that if the grid goes down, you’ll have power.

>> How much will it cost? Saturnia says an average installation is around $40,000, before tax credits. On a $40,000 system you’ll get a $10,000 credit from the state and $10,400 from the feds. “You should recover your costs in about five years,” he says.

>> What if you already have a net energy metering, or NEM, system? Can’t you just add a battery as an “insurance policy” if the grid goes down?

“You can but it won’t save you money,” says Saturnia. “If you want to save more on your electric bill, you’ll need a separate NEM Plus system with a separate set of panels, inverter and battery.”

>> How could a NEM Plus save you money? “If you add a new air-con system or buy a Tesla that will need charging, your existing NEM system may not generate enough electricity. So you’ll need a NEM Plus,” said Saturnia. Cost for a NEM Plus system is about $20,000 to $30,000 before tax rebates. He said a battery will also keep your fridge and lights going during a power outage.

>> Does HECO promote battery use? “Indeed they do,” says Rocky Mould, executive director of the Hawaii Solar Energy Association. HECO’s Battery Bonus program pays consumers for the privilege of extracting electricity from their batteries to contribute to the grid during prime usage hours. Essentially, you get paid for providing HECO battery capacity. Ideally, the payment will help offset the battery’s expense.

Mould explained that expanding the PV market in Hawaii is a win-win for the general public and HECO. “With more rooftop solar, HECO can leverage consumers’ energy storage and eliminate the need for fossil fuel plants,” says Mould.

>> Does the Battery Bonus program make business sense for the average homeowner? Depending on your circumstances, it could be a “value proposition,” according to Mould. He recommends that your installer crunch the numbers to see whether you’re a candidate.

>> Is there a downside? “There could a situation where your battery has been emptied by HECO and the grid goes down. If this happens in the evening, when the sun is not shining, you might be without power for a while. Fortunately, this is a relatively rare scenario, and you can design your system to manage this risk,” says Mould.

>> Will the high price of energy also mean bigger bills for existing NEM customers? “It very well could,” says Fred Brooks, owner of Honolulu-based Pacific Panel Cleaners, which specializes in servicing PV systems. NEM owners might see increases in their HECO bills. “However,” he says, “the cause may not just be pricey energy. Older PV systems lose generating capacity.”

Brooks says he usually sees a loss of up to 10% or more of generating capacity on PV systems that have not been maintained. “Systems installed more than seven years ago, when NEM came online, have lost efficiency,” he says. The reasons: faulty wiring, corrosion caused by salt in the air, micro-cracks, bird poop, hot spots on the panels, among others. “PV systems need to be cleaned and checked once a year. Even a few nonfunctioning panels can reduce energy production and jack up your bills,” says Brooks.

>> Can a homeowner diagnose their PV system? If your bills seem to be increasing and your use is about the same, Brooks suggests monitoring your system with software provided by the solar inverter manufacturer. The first thing, he suggests, is to check whether all your panels are working. “If a panel or two is out, you need to fix it ASAP.” Once repaired, he says, your bills should go back to normal.

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Rob Kay, a Honolulu-based writer, covers technology and sustainability for Tech View and is the creator of fijiguide.com. Email him at Robertfredkay@gmail.com.