Electric bills in Washington State have been rising for years now. From 2024 to 2025 alone, the cost per kilowatt-hour of electricity increased nearly 12%. Many homeowners have considered installing solar panels to combat these costs, but how much of a difference does it really make?
At Cascadia Solar, we have direct data that shows just how effective our grid-tied solar installations are. Here, we’ll show you a recent example of how a local couple in Port Townsend experienced a 91% reduction in electric bills with solar panels from our team.
Electric Bill Before and After Solar Panels in Washington State
Before Solar Panels
In 2023, this couple was 100% dependent on power delivered by their local utility provider, Jefferson County PUD. Here are some snapshots of their usage from that time:
- Total 10-Month Electricity Cost: $788.57
- Average Monthly Electricity Cost: $78.86
- Most Expensive Monthly Bill: $166.06
Data was collected from January 26, 2022 to November 27, 2023. Includes per kWh usage costs only; does not include standard base fees or taxes.
After Solar Panels
These homeowners came to us in 2023 looking for a high-quality solar panel installation. They knew about the 50+ year reputation of our parent company, Frederickson Electric, and were interested in becoming more energy independent.
Since they lived in the Olympic Rain Shadow and had a significant amount of annual sunlight, they had an excellent opportunity to maximize their energy savings and reduce their reliance on the grid. We designed a system that accomplished this and also helped them qualify for various solar incentives.
We completed their solar installation in January of 2024. That first year, the couple saw a dramatic decrease in their electricity usage costs. Here was their new data:
- Total 10-Month Electricity Cost: $70.33
- Average Monthly Electricity Cost: $7.03
- Most Expensive Monthly Bill: $59.00
Data was collected from January 29, 2023 to November 27, 2024. Includes per kWh usage costs only; does not include standard base fees or taxes.
Banked Energy Balances Helped Them Save All Year
Most of the year, this couple produced much more energy from their solar panels than they consumed from the utility provider. During the winter, however, they used more energy from the grid than what their panels produced. What they were most surprised by was how the extra energy they created during the summer could be used to offset their utility bill in the winter. Jefferson County PUD calls this their “banked balance.”
Here’s an example from November 2024:
- They used 789 kWh of electricity from the grid.
- They only generated an extra 180 kWh from their panels.
- This resulted in a net consumption of 609 kWh. Normally, this would be charged to them at Jefferson County PUD’s standard rates.
- Without solar, it would have cost $64.57 for usage, plus $30.21 for the base meter charge and taxes. A total of $94.78.
However, their bill looked very different because of their solar panels. Here’s what actually happened:
- They had a large banked balance of 5,188 kWh, accumulated from their extra energy production in the summer.
- They used a small fraction of their banked balance to offset November’s net consumption of 609 kWh. This left them with 4,579 kWh to use for the rest of the winter.
- All they paid was the PUD meter charge and taxes. A total of $30.21.
Main Takeaways
Overall, this Washington State couple saw a 91% reduction in their average monthly electric bill with solar panels. Most months of the year, they had minimal electricity costs. In the summer, they produced far more power than they used and kept it as credit in their banked balance. Once winter came around, they were able to consistently keep their electricity usage charges low by using this credit.
The only reason this couple had any monthly net consumption in 2024 was that their solar panels were installed in the middle of winter. They hadn’t had enough time to build their banked balance for those first few months when solar production was limited. Moving forward, it’s likely their summer balance will offset 100% of their winter electricity consumption. As long as their consumption doesn’t significantly change, all they’ll have to pay moving forward is the PUD meter charge and taxes.
Cascadia Solar was happy to have served these local homeowners. We’re proud to be experienced electricians first, which allows us to handle complex solar installations and battery backup solutions that suit any home on the Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas. If you’re interested in lowering utility bills, reducing reliance on the grid, and becoming more environmentally-conscious, we can help.
