Six more weeks?!

I just had a useful update conversation with the representative from Pepco, our utility here in suburban Maryland. The upshot is that it could be up to six weeks more before I can turn on the system.

Turns out, the solar installer only submitted the application to Pepco on March 23, several weeks after the installation. Pepco now has to review the details of my system and Pepco's readiness to handle it. That technical review, which she said is unlikely to uncover any hitches, can take up to three weeks.

After that, Pepco will have to schedule the net energy meter installation, which could take up to 30 days.

She assured me both processes are usually quicker than that, but at this point, all these wasted sunny days are getting me down. I'm starting to hope for rain! Okay, not really.

Approved but not live

The County folks were here to check all the wiring and conduits and gave their stamp of approval, in the form of an official-looking sticker on my electric panel and some signed forms.  But the system still ain't live.  The utility, Pepco, has to come and replace my meter with a net meter, so the electricity I produce will be recorded and deducted against my consumption.  It turns out the digital meter I have can only measure the total amount of power flowing through -- which means if I turned on the panels, the meter would tell Pepco to charge me for the energy I use, plus the energy I produce.  That's not how it works on my spreadsheet.  Not sure how many weeks I'll have to wait now...