Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the program for?

Ashland Electric customers who want to support locally-produced solar energy and do not plan to move for the next 16 months (until April 1, 2026).

How much will my subscription cost?

This depends on how much power you want. We’ll help you figure that out by looking at your last bill, which has a graph showing last year’s usage.   

The average Oregon home uses 11,712 kWh/year, but let’s consider an example of 10,000 kWh/year. We charge 10.4 cents/kWh, so the cost for one calendar year is  10,000 x $0.104 = $1040.

What is the minimum amount I can subscribe to?

3,000 kWh/year or an average of 250 kWh/month is the minimum amount for City billing purposes.

Will I pay less for my electric bill?

It’s likely that you’ll pay less, but, just like when you have solar panels on your roof, it depends on your electric usage and how much of your usage you decide to cover. You should save money because your billed usage goes down dramatically and you usually avoid paying for the more expensive tier II power (which is over 500 kWh in any month).

Will I get a set amount of power per year?

No, but you will get a set percentage of the system. Our Model (Helioscope, which is the industry standard) predicts the system will produce 231,500 kWh/year. If you wanted to subscribe for 100% in the example above, your fraction would be 10,000 kWh/year divided by 231,500 kWh/year = 4.3% (We go to the nearest tenth of a percent). For each month, you would get 4.3% of whatever power our 257 solar panel system produces.

What happens if I produce more power than I use?

Throughout the year, credit for your extra power rolls over to your next month’s bill, so that summer months will help to cover your winter bills. In April, the City will pay you the wholesale rate for any extra power you produced throughout the year but did not use. If you produced 10% more than you used (for our 10,000 kWh example) the city would credit your electric bill 5 cents/kWh x 1,000 kWh = $50.

Can I change my subscription?

You will be placed on an automatic renewal for 9 years, but will be given the option to change your renewal or cancel once a year.