The increases of electricity and natural gas rates They are forcing Argentines to sharpen their ingenuity in search of different savings options that allow them to cut a substantial part of those increases. One of the most beneficial alternatives, both for its immediate effects and for its contributions to improving the quality of life, is the incorporation of solar energy as a replacement for traditional generation.
“Solar energy can significantly help reduce daily expenses on electricity and natural gas“Pablo De Benedctis, founder of GoodEnergy, a solar equipment supplier located in the Buenos Aires town of Los Hornos, told iProfesional.
In this regard, the simplest option to incorporate into a home is the solar hot water tank, replacing conventional water heaters and hot water tanks, with which “a family can save up to 70% in the part of the bill corresponding to water heating”.
The exact savings will depend on usage and weather conditions, but in general, installing solar systems significantly reduces utility bills.
What does saving electricity and gas depend on?
Bringing that savings percentage into hard cash is not easy, since it depends so much on the consumption levels of each home as well as changes in the proportion of fixed and variable charges on invoices. Likewise, it will depend “on responsible use and climatic conditions,” said De Benedictis.
“With rates moving, this is going to change strongly in June,” said Marcelo Álvarez, director of Coral Energía and coordinator of Photovoltaic Solar Energy of the Argentine Chamber of Renewable Energy (CADER), who added that “the increase in the fixed charge today “It distorts the economic closure process in the AMBA, but it will be very different in June, when all the increases are in place.”
Solar energy can significantly help reduce daily expenses on electrical energy
Anyway, Taking as an example an invoice with fixed and variable charges in equal parts, a 300% rate increase would be reduced five times, to 60%, with a solar hot water tank..
The benefits are immediate and permanent, but require initial investment which is influenced by the capacity required for the hot water tank depending on the number of people living in the home. “With installation by certified personnel or a trusted plumber, they currently start at $740,000,” De Benedictis said.
Consequently, the amortization period would vary depending on the level of consumption: if it implies a monthly savings of $30,000it would be two years, a period that could be reduced the higher that economy is.
Solar panels, another option to save electricity and gas
As for the solar panelsthe situation had an abrupt change in recent years, starting with the mass production of equipment by Chinese companies that led to costs falling tenfold in a decade and ceasing to be only an ecological option: today the generation Solar is cheaper than fossil fuels and the gap continues to widen.
But in addition to the implications for the energy balance of countries and the economic results of companies, Álvarez highlights the democratizing nature of solar energy, as it allows access as producers for families and groups of neighbors.
This is how De Benedictis explains it: “A family home can install solar panels to generate its own electricity, they are customized projects, according to their needs, according to their electrical consumption.. A photovoltaic system directly reduces the amount of energy they need from the grid. “It is the only alternative to the electrical grid that is sustainable and adapts to the needs of the home.”
While savings will depend on usage and weather conditions, installing solar systems significantly reduces bills.
“Solar panels are suitable for individual houses where they can be installed on the roofs,” stressed De Benedictis, who also pointed out that “in the case of buildings, PHs and countries, installations can be carried out in common spaces, prior agreement with the consortium. or administration”.
But there is also the possibility of “carrying out installations in buildings, placing the panels on the balconies of the apartments,” or in “common areas or solar hot water tanks to supply hot water to an entire building,” he pointed out.
As in the case of hot water tanks, The installation of the solar kits must be carried out by specialized technicians, who will evaluate the need for each home for the number of panels, the highest and best incidence of the sun so that the efficiency is the maximum possible and the inclusion of batteries in case of want to store the surpluses generated.
The prices are higher than those of a hot water tank and require a initial investment of $3.6 million.
“Although the cost may be considerable, new rate schedules and increases in conventional energy costs make the payback of these investments faster, typically between 5 to 10 years, depending on the consumption and applicable rates“remarked De Benedictis, who warned that “they are currently investments that are being evaluated, since the trend indicates that rates will continue to increase until they reach the kWh values that they manage in neighboring countries.”
Álvarez agreed by pointing out that “there is no average value, but in Córdoba – where associativity for community generation is already regulated – it is amortized between 5 and 7 years, depending on the price of the cooperative, the size of the system and the available radiation in the place, which is not exactly the same throughout the province”.
“The same thing happens in the province of Buenos Aires, in the north it is amortized faster than in the south, but a amortization can be estimated between 5 and 8 years, depending on how the final tariff scheme is,” he concluded.
