Author Archives: Spencer Fields

About Spencer Fields

Spencer is the Technology & Product Alliance Strategic Lead at EnergySage, where he wears many hats. A 10-year industry veteran (and a solar owner himself!), Spencer spent five years at Synapse Energy Economics before joining EnergySage, providing environmental, economic, and policy analysis for public interest groups. These days, he leads market and consumer intel and research for EnergySage. Spencer has degrees in Environmental Studies and Hispanic Studies from Brown University.

energysage net metering 3 survey

What do California solar installers think about NEM 3? We asked them!

Since the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved the Net Billing Tariff, also known as Net Metering 3 (NEM 3), in mid-December, the industry has primarily focused on how the new policy will affect solar shoppers in California (and for good reason): it reduces solar savings by more than 60% over 20 years. But plainly absent from existing articles and thought pieces about the consequences of the NEM 3 decision is the perspective of the people whose livelihoods will be impacted day to day: solar installers in California. 

With that in mind, EnergySage surveyed three dozen solar installers in California to gauge their sentiments around NEM 3, how the policy has already affected the solar industry in California, their forecasts for how the industry will change moving forward, and how they plan to adapt to the new solar climate in California after the mid-April transition to NEM 3. 

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time of use rates

Understanding time-of-use (TOU) rates

Across the country, utilities are beginning to introduce innovative rate structures for residential energy consumers. These rate structures–from time-of-use rates to demand charges to real-time-pricing–all have a common goal: to incentivize customers to consume energy during times when the cost of generating electricity is cheap, and to disincentive energy consumption when the cost of generating electricity is high. As a result, understanding the ins and outs of a time-of-use rate can help you reduce your monthly cost of energy.

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electricity rates and solar cost trends

Is the price of residential electricity going up or down?

If you’re considering whether going solar is a worthwhile financial move for your home, there are essentially two factors that you should look at: 1) the costs associated with solar power, and 2) the rates you pay for electricity from your utility. Going solar makes economic sense when solar electricity costs less than grid electricity.

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EnergySage consumer survey

Why are people interested in clean energy products for their home – and in what order do they buy them?

As the home energy market continues to grow and evolve thanks to new product innovations, major support from the government, and homeowners looking for sustainable ways to save money, the types of people exploring things like solar, batteries, and heat pumps are also changing. At EnergySage, we believe that the best way to understand what’s driving interest in clean energy products is to simply ask! With that in mind, we recently completed our third nationwide survey, the 2022 EnergySage Consumer Survey, to gain insight into how the average person thinks about clean energy – here’s what we found:

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electric vehicle and solar panels on a home

How many panels do you need for your EV?

One of the primary benefits of purchasing an electric vehicle is that it allows you to transition from paying for gasoline to lower-cost electricity. But why not take that one step further and power your car with clean, solar power you produce on your own property? Here’s a  quick breakdown to help determine how many solar panels you need to power your electric vehicle (EV) with solar. 

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EV chargers overview

What you need to know about electric vehicle chargers

Electric vehicles are increasing in popularity. In fact, the odds are good that the next car you purchase will be partially or fully electric. (I know mine will be!) With that transition from an internal combustion engine vehicle to an electric vehicle (EV) comes one major difference: how you fill the “tank”. 

While driving to a gas station to refuel is second nature to anyone with a car, plugging into an electric vehicle charger is likely a new experience that comes with a series of questions. Here’s what you need to know about EV chargers. 

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lumin complete review

An overview of Lumin’s energy management system

When thinking about installing a solar or a solar-plus-storage system at your home or business, there’s one piece of information that is of the utmost importance: how much electricity do you use, and which of your home appliances use that electricity. That’s exactly where Lumin can help: the three-year-old, Charlottesville, Virginia-based company is joining the relatively nascent field of creating smart circuits, allowing you to dynamically choose or automate what to power with your solar and storage, which is especially useful in the event of an outage.

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Duracell energy storage system

The Duracell Home Ecosystem battery complete review

For as much as the solar and storage industries have grown over the last couple of decades (half a million homes installed solar in 2021 alone, and the residential storage market continues to grow quarter over quarter), there really aren’t that many household brand names involved in the industry. Certainly Tesla has become a recognizable brand name, Generac is a familiar company to anyone who has considered a backup generator for their home or business, and Panasonic provides many household appliances and also offers solar panels and batteries –  but, it’s not a stretch to suggest that the residential solar and storage industry is missing a true, major, household brand name.

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