Wound up putting solar on the roof to not be controlled by the monopoly power company. The panels were installed 3 years ago and the offset cost is now working in our favor. However the power company now charges $30/month to be connected to the grid. The extra advantage comes from the panels blocking out the heat from the sun. Our usage went way down during cooling time in the summer. They can raise the price per KW. But that does not affect us, since we over-produce power.