Tired of Gastonia Electric bills? Here are your solar and backup options
Gastonia runs its own electric utility and uses a buy-all, sell-all approach for rooftop solar. Here is how the process works and what it means for batteries and backup.
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Who runs Gastonia's electric system
The City of Gastonia's Electric Division serves homes and businesses inside the city's electric territory. Gastonia is a public power city, so the City Council sets rates. Some homes in and around Gastonia are served by other utilities, so check your bill.
Behind the scenes, Gastonia is one of 19 members of North Carolina Municipal Power Agency Number 1. The agency owns most of Unit 2 at the Catawba Nuclear Station and supplies member towns with wholesale power. ElectriCities manages the agency and gives member towns shared help with rates, line work training, safety and mutual aid after storms.
How Gastonia handles rooftop solar
Gastonia uses what it calls a Buy All, Sell All approach. The city says the goal is to let solar connect safely while spreading costs fairly among all ratepayers. In practice you buy what you use at your normal rate and sell your solar output to the city on a separate meter, so ask the Electric Division for the current sell rate.
The posted steps are an interconnection application to the Electric Division, a signed interconnection agreement once the city accepts the application, local permits from the City's Permitting Department, and generator registration with your installer. When the job is done, the city issues a Certificate of Completion and Acceptance. The agreement must be signed before construction, and the owner pays for a second meter and any required studies or upgrades.
Outages and backup
ElectriCities reports that public power customers in North Carolina average fewer outages per year and fewer minutes without power than co-op and investor-owned customers. That is a statewide average, though. A tree on a line, a car into a pole or a problem on the transmission side can still leave your street dark, and an average does not keep a freezer cold.
If backup power is the goal, plan for a battery or a standby generator. Grid-tied solar stops producing during an outage unless it is paired with equipment built to island safely. Ask the contractor to size backup around the loads you cannot do without, such as heat, the fridge, a sump or well pump, and to confirm the layout with Gastonia Electric before anything is installed.
Start with a $349 home energy evaluation
Getting a solar contractor out to Gastonia can take a while. Booking a paid evaluation on HomeBackupPros changes that. For $349 a contractor does an electric audit, reviews your energy use and writes up a quote for a system that fits Gastonia Electric's rules. If you buy from that same contractor, the $349 is credited toward the system.
Have your kWh by month handy from your Gastonia Electric bills, and note what runs on electric versus gas or propane. Every contractor on HomeBackupPros is reviewed and approved by our team, and we check their NC electrical contractor license. Contractors are independent businesses and HomeBackupPros does not install anything. Some contractors also offer a free site visit or an estimate, and the choice is yours.
Where Gastonia Electric serves in our area
- Gastonia
- Gaston County
Questions
Does Gastonia offer net metering?
Gastonia's solar page describes a Buy All, Sell All approach rather than net metering. Ask the Electric Division for the current buyback rate before you compare quotes.
Who issues solar permits in Gastonia?
The city's Permitting Department handles local permits. The Electric Division handles the interconnection application and agreement. Your contractor usually pulls the permits, but you should see copies of both before work starts.
Can I start installing before the agreement is signed?
No. Gastonia says interconnection agreements must be executed before construction begins. A contractor who wants to start before that paperwork is signed is a contractor to question.
Is a battery worth it for a Gastonia home?
Under buy-all, sell-all, a battery is mostly about backup power, not bill savings. If outages are your concern, a $349 evaluation will size one to your must-run loads.