So yesterday, I'm out watering my plants and chatting with my neighbor, Dave. He's all excited, waving me over to show me something. Turns out, he just got solar panels installed on his roof. And he's standing there grinning like a kid, pointing at his electric meter. I lean in closer, and the thing is literally spinning backwards. Like, seriously, backwards.
Dave starts going on about how he's basically selling electricity back to the grid now, and how it's gonna save him a bunch on his bills. Got me thinking—imagine if everyone in town started doing this. Would the power company start owing us money? Could we all end up getting paid instead of paying them?
I dunno, seems kinda wild but also kinda genius. Maybe there's a catch or something I'm missing here. Curious if anyone else has seen this happen or knows more about how it works...
That's actually pretty common with solar setups—it's called net metering. Basically, when your panels produce more electricity than you're using, the excess flows back into the grid, causing your meter to spin backwards. The utility company usually credits you for this surplus energy, offsetting your future bills. It's unlikely they'd end up owing you money outright, though; most utilities cap credits at your total usage. Still, it's a solid investment if you're considering it for yourself...
