With electricity rates constantly on the rise, going solar is an excellent first step to lowering your utility bill. However, to truly reap the benefits of solar energy, you need to know how to optimize your energy usage. The key to maximizing your savings is simple: shift as much of your electricity usage (especially large appliance usage) as possible to times when the sun is up. In this blog post, we'll explore why using Live Solar availability times is essential to getting the biggest savings and how you can take advantage of it.
The 3 Types of Energy Usage with Solar
Live Solar
Live Solar is the real-time energy produced by your solar panels, available for immediate use. The highest availability of Live Solar is generally 10 am to 3 pm, but it can vary by season and by day depending on the weather. If the sun is out and high in the sky, your panels are likely producing Live Solar.
Solar Credits
Let’s say your solar panels produce 5 kWh from 10 to 11 am, but you only use 2 kWh in that hour. You will have a surplus of 3 kWh that is exported to the grid. Your utility company provides a Solar Credit for that energy. This is the second most valuable type of solar energy, after Live Solar. While these Solar Credits do provide you with savings on your monthly bill, they are not as valuable as Live Solar.
Grid Energy
The electricity pulled from the grid is anything not covered by your Live Solar or Solar Credits. This is the most expensive type of usage, as it is subject to full utility rates. For example, if you’re on a time-of-use plan and pull energy from the grid during peak hours, you’re going to pay the peak rate.
The Value of Live Solar
Solar energy has the highest value when you use it right away. This is because it prevents you from pulling more expensive energy from the grid. Also, depending on your Virtual Net Energy Metering (VNEM) tariff, utility credits for excess solar energy exported to the grid are often at a lower rate than retail. So, even though exported energy earns you a credit, it is not quite as valuable as Live Solar. Therefore, the more you can take advantage of Live Solar availability times, the greater your savings can be.
How Ivy Helps Residents Maximize Their Solar Savings
Multi-unit buildings and multifamily communities with solar and Ivy’s Virtual Grid get to tap into resident energy usage data. Using utility-grade monitoring, Ivy collects individual meter data and generates a breakdown of the three types of energy usage for each resident every month. Then, residents can use those insights and friendly tips to shift energy usage to maximize their solar savings. For example, here is a comparison of two residents who use the exact same amount of electricity per month, but their savings and bills are different.
Resident B: 463 kWh, $114 Bill, and $8 of Solar Savings
- 20% Live Solar
- 55% Solar Credits
- 25% Grid Energy
With Ivy’s monthly solar bill, this resident would receive an illustration and simple explanation of this usage data. Their bill would come with tips to help them understand what Live Solar is, when the prime time is to take advantage of Live Solar, and how that would help them further lower their electricity bill.
Resident A: 463 kWh, $101 Bill, and $15 of Solar Savings
- 82% Live Solar
- 15% Solar Credits
- 3% Grid Energy
This resident leveraged the energy usage data and tips in their monthly solar bill to maximize their savings. They shifted high electricity activities to Live Solar times whenever possible, including things like doing laundry, running the dishwasher, baking in an electric oven, and vacuuming.
The great thing about leveraging Live Solar to reduce your bill is that it’s not about using less electricity. It’s simply about shifting your usage time.
Ivy’s Energy Usage Data Drives Equitable Solar Benefits
Not only does Ivy guarantee that residents will never pay more for electricity with solar than what they would pay to the utility company without solar, but Ivy also provides helpful data to optimize solar power usage and savings. Furthermore, this resident energy usage data is what enables Ivy to equitably distribute solar benefits in multi-unit and multifamily properties. Anyone who has lived in an apartment where they divide the water bill among residents without basing it on individual meter usage knows how important it is to have a fair utility bill. With Ivy, you get that and more. If your community doesn’t have solar, click here to request solar for your community with our help.
Pioneering the Future of Multi-Tenant Solar Energy Management
2024 was a trailblazing year for Ivy Energy, where we shattered barriers, redefined possibilities, and delivered innovative solutions to address the multi-tenant solar split incentive challenge. By driving product advancements, forging impactful partnerships, and scaling operational processes, we empowered multi-tenant properties to embrace clean energy with confidence.
A Year of Growth and Market Expansion
Ivy has grown its active project pipeline 450% compared to 2023, with a line of sight to clear +600% in active projects by the end of the year. Our tech-enabled solutions empower more communities than ever. With $18M in Series A funding (Read more) and the strategic acquisition of Glow Energy (Read more), we are poised for unprecedented growth and impact. This investment enables us to enhance our technology, streamline operations, and expand our reach into new markets nationwide.
Entering new markets with increased resources allows us to address diverse energy challenges and deliver tailored solutions to property owners and tenants. Additionally, the launch of our consulting arm provides expert guidance for our clients and partners to save money and enhance ROI while navigating intricate solar investments.
Meaningful Operational Updates
At Ivy, innovation isn’t just about technology—it’s about creating digital tools that empower our clients and their tenants:
- PropTech Integrations: Partnered with RealPage, Entrata, and Yardi to automate rent roll syncing, move-in/move-out updates, and direct charge posting to resident ledgers. These integrations reduce monthly processing time by up to 2 hours per property while enhancing data accuracy and operational efficiency.
- NEM Credit Delay Optimization: The Utility Coordination team adopted the CPUC informal complaint process to reduce delays in NEM activation after PV solar system commissioning. This improvement cut the average resolution time for delayed NEM credits from 123 days in 2023 to 49 days in 2024, allowing property owners to see Net Operating Income over two months sooner on average.
Platform Advancements that Lead the Industry
Our engineering team broke new ground, ensuring our platform stays ahead of the curve:
- Migrated to a new infrastructure processing system for faster processing and further automation improvements across operational features.
- Introduced IvyDual in response to regulatory requirements in California, which allows us to enter new markets where consolidated billing is not viable.
- Achieved SOC 2 Compliance, reaffirming our commitment to data security. (Read more)
- Built initial public API for Conservice integration and new utility data access pathways, strengthening our platform’s versatility and reliability.
Empowering Positive Experiences with CX
At Ivy Energy, our customers rely on us as true partners in their clean energy journey, helping them achieve long-term NOI growth while providing exceptional support for property owners and tenants. We consistently deliver this experience by simplifying complex utility processes and offering our white-glove service that ensures our clients feel supported, informed, and empowered to succeed. This year, Ivy’s Customer Experience Team launched two significant platforms:
- Ivy Implementation Portal: A step-by-step, transparent portal that simplifies solar implementation for our clients and partners across multiple organizations. (Watch a walkthrough of the new portal here.)
- Resident Help Center: Educate tenants about the solar program with helpful resources and offer direct support online or by phone. (Explore the Help Center)
Shaping the Future Through Thought Leadership
In 2024, Ivy Energy reinforced its position as an industry leader; our Virtual Grid 3.0 impressed the judges and earned first place in Solar Power World’s “Best in Show” award for large-scale solar innovation. (Read more)
Leadership team members Alex Dogan, Tanya Kuhn, and Sean Nam were celebrated in San Diego Business Journal’s Leaders of Influence in Technology 2024 for their contributions to advancing sustainable energy. (Read more) Ivy was also featured in Alt Energy Magazine (Read more), San Diego Business Journal (Read more), and on Solar Academy. (Read more)
Logan Carter showcased Ivy’s groundbreaking innovations in a main stage speech at Cretech NY (Watch here), an engaging appearance on the IMN Podcast (Listen here), and a deep-dive interview with Chris Moreno, also known as “Mr. PropTech.” (Watch here) Ivy’s policy team further expanded its influence by authoring a Model VNEM Whitepaper, a critical guide to enabling multi-tenant solar models nationwide. (Read the Whitepaper).
Measurable Environmental Impact
This year, Ivy Energy amplified its environmental contributions, with contracted units in implementation set to offset an astounding 109 million pounds of CO2. Meanwhile, active units have already offset 9 million pounds of CO2, demonstrating our ongoing dedication to reducing carbon emissions.
Looking Ahead to 2025
As we celebrate 2024’s successes, we are always looking to the future. In 2025, we’ll continue to push boundaries, deliver innovations that empower our clients, improve tenant experiences, and lead the multi-tenant housing sector toward a sustainable future.
A Message from Dover Janis, CEO of Ivy Energy
“2024 was a year of progress and adaptation. While utility-caused delays challenged our growing pipeline, our focus on agile problem-solving reduced their impact and kept the market moving forward. This is a testament not only to the dedication and focus of our team but also to the strong macro-level foundation that the onsite energy business model provides for real estate owners, even in the face of monopoly-driven resistance. With a large and expanding customer base and hundreds of projects, we have continued to validate the transformative potential of clean energy solutions for shared communities. I’m incredibly proud of our team—now among the most mature, knowledgeable, and experienced in the industry—as we trail blaze the path forward. The market is primed to grow and drive transformative change in local communities. I’m deeply grateful to our partners and customers, whom we have the privilege of serving every day as we continue to lead the way.”
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