Electric Bill Reduction With Solar Power in Costa Rica

Monthly Electricity Bill Reductions through Solar Grid-tie Systems in Costa Rica

The Problem: Costly Monthly Electricity Bills

Costa Rica has a progressive electricity billing system for commercial and residential clients of its electricity grid. This means that if your monthly consumption in kWh (kilowatt hours) surpasses a certain amount, the price per kWh of consumption increases to a higher rate. Simply put, the more you consume beyond a certain limit, the more you pay. This is why your monthly bills are so high if you are a homeowner who enjoys many of the creature comforts of modern life--air-conditioning, a clothes dryer, a microwave oven, a Jacuzzi, or a swimming pool. Below are present residential monthly billing rates per kWh of consumption:

Residential Monthly Bill Rates in Colones—(from ICE Tarifas Eléctricas 2010)

Rates in ¢ per kWh
Rate 1	First 200 kWh	63
Rate 2	From 201 to 300 kWh	117
Rate 3	Every additional kWh	133

If you consume less than 201 kWh/month, you pay Rate 1, ¢63/kWh. If your consumption is from 201 kWh to 300 kWh, then your rate is a mix between Rates 1 and 2. But if you consume 301 or more kWh, your rate is a mix of Rates 1, 2 and 3.

The Solution: A Grid-tie Photovoltaic System

A grid-tie system is a private solar installation that generates electricity for the public utility. The grid company (ICE) must by law compensate the grid-tie owner for the energy production. This is done by having your meter run backwards, resulting in the partial or complete reduction of your monthly electricity bill.

Return on Investment

You can recoup your grid-tie system investment quite quickly because ICE has averaged a 16.3% a year rate increase since 1989. By installing a grid-tie system you can avoid paying for future increases, which results in savings that accrue over the years. Discover your return on investment time by using our Bill Reduction Calculator tool.

The Payback Chart shows how long it would take to recover your system's cost and to double your money back. Thereafter, the grid-tie system will continue to add value to the investment for many years to come.

Also consider that solar panels are the most expensive component of a grid-tie system; they comprise nearly 90% of the total system cost, are guaranteed for 25 years and are designed to last for more than 40 years. Therefore, your investment is extremely safe.

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