Guides

How electricity pricing actually works, explained against real tariff data.

• How to read a time-of-use tariff

  TOU rates can cut your bill or raise it, and the deciding factor is not the price — it is the shape of your usage.

• Most US electricity rate data is out of date

  The national tariff database re-verifies about 150 utilities a year. Everything else keeps whatever it was last filed with — and old filings run about 17% below what utilities actually charge.

• Solar in 2026, without the federal tax credit

  Section 25D ended on December 31, 2025. A home solar system bought in 2026 gets no federal credit at all — not a reduced one — and most payback advice still online predates that.

• Your electricity rate is not what you think it is

  The advertised per-kWh price leaves out fixed charges, adjustments and tier structure — and the gap can be 40% of your bill.

• Why a smaller solar system pays back faster

  Doubling your panel count does not double your savings. On a real Georgia Power tariff, a 3 kW system pays back in 13 years and a 12 kW system takes 21 to 41 — and past a certain size, extra panels cannot save you anything at all.