Good article explaining the future pricing of electricity and natural gas pricing

[u/PV-1082]

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/electric-power-sector-issues-to-watch-prices-demand-reliability-renewables-nuclear-vpp-transmission/736492/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%20Weekly%20Roundup:%20Utility%20Dive:%20Daily%20Dive%2001-11-2025&utm_term=Utility%20Dive%20Weekender

This article has a lot of information about what is going to happen in the future with electricity and natural gas pricing. It explains how the various changes in demand for electricity in future years is going to raise prices. Seems like a good argument for installing solar.

[u/No_Plate_3164]

UK electric is $0.31 per kWh- almost triple the current U.S. prices. GDP per Capita and Wages are also half the U.S. before I even begin talking about taxes effectively being double on working people here vs the U.S.

This means we are spending about 6x on Energy in “hours work per kWh”. It’s also due to go up another 5% this year and possible further raises the years following. The government has and continue to completely mismanage our energy grid.

With the hilariously cheap and high quality solar panelsbatteries being spat out of China at the moment; Solar panels are an absolute no brainer. Mine go up in couple of months.

[u/azswcowboy → u/No_Plate_3164]

The US average price isn’t really representative - there’s such a wide variation. In many places people are paying more than you, and other places substantially less. Here in Arizona, during the winter (the low demand season bc summer AC dominates usage), we have as low as $0.05/kWh off peak ($0.15 on peak). That, and various trade tariffs mean that new solar can be difficult to justify in one of the best places on earth for solar. And yeah, bad policies driven by a bought off corporation commission - publicly elected utility regulator - have led us to this unfortunate state of affairs.

[u/No_Plate_3164 → u/azswcowboy]

I guess that’s my point. Here in the UK it’s a no brainer - we are getting slaughtered with high energy prices and Taxes.

In the U.S. it might be much harder to justify on a purely economic standpoint. As you mentioned, that is a great shame as geographically the U.S. has some great locations to generate Solar.

There are no easy answers - fuel poverty is very real here, with many choosing between warmth and food. Cheap energy keeps the poor warm but at the cost of the planet and our children.

[u/HH93 → u/No_Plate_3164]

Don't wait - I was exporting a 1KW/h today with clear blue skies despite the low and short duration sun.

Edit - skip that I'm in the UK

[u/No_Plate_3164 → u/HH93]

I was all ready to go. I then heard Fox are releasing a new Heated Battery Series with built in fire suppression. That heating will be a game changer in weather like this.

I guess it’s like Graphic Cards - there will always be better, cheaper Tech in the pipeline. For the sake of a couple months though on a £12k install - waiting for the heated batteries seems worthwhile.

[u/_DuranDuran_ → u/No_Plate_3164]

LFP batteries don’t need fire suppression, and do better in multiple temperature ranges.

[u/No_Plate_3164 → u/_DuranDuran_]

Yeah the fire suppression does seem little pointless. I am torn as they will be at more premium price point. I was debating just building an insulated box for the winter.

The Fox batteries will charge to 80% off the grid and become inoperable at <3*c to protect the battery.

The batteries and inverter will kick out some heat and realistically they just need to warm the box ~+5*c over outside temperature to remain operable all year. I’m sure there is some maths to be done to look an inverterbattery efficiency to calculate heat and then work out the heat loss from the insulated box - but it is beyond me!

[u/jimtowntim → u/No_Plate_3164]

California who like a word with the UK lol Our summer peak prices are $0.65 per kWh.

[u/_DuranDuran_ → u/No_Plate_3164]

UK people also use far less energy than Americans, so you need to work out based on cost for need.

Ie we’re not running AC over hot summer points like in the southern states, and our houses are better insulated for the most part. Americans are very wasteful with their energy use.

[u/No_Plate_3164 → u/_DuranDuran_]

The sad reality of price being the main driving force of behaviour. I just looked it up: - U.S. 14.6 tCO2 per capita - U.K. 4.6 tCO2 per capita

U.K. is driving up taxes, cost of living & poverty to reach net zero whilst the rest are world is; ”burn baby, burn”.

[u/lanclos]

Hard to tell what it has to say, because the article cuts off requiring a login.

There is no need to invoke future rate increases to motivate installing solar. It already makes financial sense with today's rate structure(s). Some places have more of a motivation for batteries than others, and that's fine too.

[u/modernhomeowner]

It's more of an argument for batteries. Of course, some fluctuations with where you live. Where I live in New England, and in many places around the US, wholesale electricity when the sun is shining is already worth very close to zero, sometimes even worth negative! If I can buy batteries and fill up for free when my neighbors are overproducing solar, then use them when the sun goes down and prices skyrocket, that's a bigger financial win than installing solar at 15¢/kWh amoratized, when the energy the panels produce is worthless.