As the saying goes, “freedom isn’t free,” and the freedom to use one’s own solar power instead of an electric company’s isn’t free, either. Reddit user Schaudhery claims their home uses solar power and generates more than enough each month. However, according to their r/mildlyinfuriating post, they are required to still pay a $10.32 bill to their power company, plus a fixed $2.30 convenience fee every time.
“I have to pay a 22% convenience fee to pay my electric bill,” Schaudhery groans, and it’s not hard to see why that would be frustrating from their point of view. Many Redditors felt as though OP shouldn’t need to pay anyhing at all, considering they generate their own power. “So you have to pay 13 dollars a month for nothing?! dumb,” wrote a commenter. “Basically I’m required to still have a connection to a power company so I pay them for using 0 power,” Schaudhery explained in a reply.
Some people wondered whether Schaudhery produced enough power to store and get them through the night; solar panels only work when the sun’s out, after all. Their response to this was, “I produce too much for batteries to store it all.” A few called OP’s situation straight-up robbery from the power company. “$151.44 down the drain for nothin’… are you allowed to disconnect it?” asked a user, to which Schaudhery said they legally can’t.
Redditors Clarify That OP Isn’t Paying an ‘Eletric Bill’, But a Fee to Be Connected to the Grid
However, this seemingly unnecessary fee isn’t about the electric company supplying OP; it’s about their access to the grid if they need it. In their post, they explained how the $10.32 is a “mandatory connection fee” with the power company. “You don’t only pay for the energy, but for the instant availability of such energy,” wrote a commenter. It’s like having a subscription to Netflix, but not watching anything, but still paying for access to the online library, even if nothing is being watched.
Crude examples aside, multiple people also criticized Schaudhery for not sending the power company a check to avoid paying the $2.30 convenience fee that lets them pay the bill online. As one user put it, “They’re not charging you a 22% fee. You just did the math to calculate the percent because you know the number will look big and mean when your bill is so low.”
In the end, OP has every right to be upset about paying to be connected to a power grid they claim they don’t need, but as many Redditors said, that “22% convenience fee” is completely avoidable, and having emergency access to a consistent and reliable power grid isn’t exactly bad either.
