Same house, same comfort.
About a third off the electric bill.
From switching to Belmont Light's time-of-use rate and adding a home battery that charges when power is cheap.
What changes for us day to day?
Almost nothing. The thermostat stays where we like it and hot water stays hot. Most of it happens automatically.
How it works
- Cheap hours: Belmont Light charges about 15¢ per unit of power most of the day and night.
- Expensive hours: From 4–8 PM (2–7 PM in summer) it's 37–59¢.
- The battery fills up during the cheap hours and runs the house during the expensive ones.
- Today we pay a flat 25¢ no matter when we use power, so we get no benefit from using it at cheap times.
Our bill, month by month
Based on our actual meter readings from the last 12 months.
The yearly picture
| Plan | Per year |
|---|---|
| Today | $9,150 |
| Time-of-use rate only (costs nothing) | $7,620 |
| + Car charging at night | $7,470 |
| + Home battery | $6,100 |
That's about $250 less per month on average. Winter bills fall from about $1,550 to about $1,050.
Why it's a good deal for us
- Installation is free. Justin and his dad, a licensed electrician, do the work, with a permit and an inspection.
- It pays for itself in about 10 years or less, and keeps saving after that.
- Backup power during storms: the fridge, internet and lights keep running.
- Step one costs nothing: the time-of-use rate alone saves about $1,500 a year.
When does the battery pay for itself?
The battery saves about $1,370 a year on top of the time-of-use rate. Move the slider to match the real price quote.
Installation is $0 (we're doing it ourselves). These numbers leave out backup-power value and assume 15 years of battery life.
The plan
- Switch to Belmont Light's time-of-use rate (this month).
- Schedule car charging for the night (already easy).
- Install an 18 kWh battery across our two panels.
Estimates use Belmont Light's posted rates and our actual meter data from Nov 2025 to Oct 2026. They leave out the monthly power cost adjustment, which is on every bill either way. On the coldest winter evenings the battery may run low, and the house uses some grid power during expensive hours. That's already counted in these numbers.