Only information he would divugle was the ck acct was closed. that it didn't go through, the e check was returned and they were assessing fees. Excellent customer service, competitive rates, and a distribution check to all members annually.Again, wish I could give a higher review, but I can only contrast what we experienced at Sawnee with what we've experienced elsewhere.ĭoes anyone hold Sawnee EMC accountable? Paid by their online echeck system. Communications in this regard was spotty, at best.I didn't realize how annoying that was until I moved to central Florida, and became a member of The Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative. We never particular were made to feel as if we were members of a cooperative. When we first joined, we were told we would have to wait until we'd been members for 20 years, which they later raised. But unlike other cooperatives I've worked with, they raised the bar as to when we and other 'members' would be paid dividends. The customer service, for the most part, was very good on some occasions, excellent a few times, lousy many times, average most of the time.Because they're a co-operative, their rates are lower than Georgia Power. Wish I could give them a better review, but frankly, they were a disappointment. Perhaps the Virtual Solar program will enable them to serve more customers with more solar and we’ll see them move up in the rankings next year.My wife and I were 'members' of the Sawnee Electrical Membership Cooperative for 27 years, ending a few years ago. In SACE’s recently released Solar in the Southeast 2017 Annual Report, Sawnee EMC ranked below the region average for solar watts per customer. I’m more interested in helping my utility bring additional solar onto our electrical grid. I wasn’t actually expecting to save money with solar. The analysis would be different if I were transitioning to renewable energy for the first time. So essentially, my savings compare one low-carbon, renewable energy source to another. In my case, because I had been paying $9.00 per month for the Green Power (landfill gas) rider, that is now eliminated from my bill, as well. So the annualized cost per kWh would equate to 12.9 cents/kWh. And with the seasonal monthly fees I explained above, I would have paid $223.50 for them. The analysis shows that a block of 10 panels would have produced 1736 kWh of electricity last year. Obviously your results may vary (and mine may, too). And, somewhat to my surprise, I would have SAVED $61 last year with the Virtual Solar program. They compared my actual consumption and billing history for the prior year with what it would have been on the Virtual Solar program. But, rather than letting that crude math deter me, I commissioned the annualized impact analysis Sawnee offers. Unfortunately, that December value would compute to over 24 cents/kWh. The May result would be 10.7 cents/kWh (which represents a savings compared to the range of 11-14 cents/kWh I experienced last year). For one block of 10 panels, that projected output ranges from a low of 63 kWh in December to a high of 204 kWh in May. In the “off season” (October-March), when the panels produce less, the monthly fee is discounted to $15.50/month.Īs the website points out, “nergy output will vary for reasons such as cloud coverage, the sun’s angle and time of year.” But they provide historic output from last year to enable a financial evaluation. At present (April-September), that fee for each block is $21.75/month. Instead, I’m paying a monthly fee for each block of 10 solar panels that help to power my house. Participating in this program also means that I don’t have to worry about maintenance nor any third-party finance arrangements.Īnd unlike some community solar programs, I don’t have to purchase the panels up-front, either. Virtual Solar is promoted as an alternative for customers who aren’t able to purchase and install their own solar systems - for instance, those who rent homes, have trees shading our property, or for those of us whose neighborhood covenants (currently) prohibit solar. So I was eager to explore this new program announced earlier this year (March 2018). For several years, I’ve been enrolled in their Green Power program, which produces electricity from landfill gas. I’ve enrolled in the new Virtual Solar program offered by my utility in Georgia, Sawnee EMC.
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