From $4,000 a Year to Almost Nothing: My Real Numbers on Solar, Storage, and Two Electric Vehicles
- gmschotz
- Feb 26
- 8 min read
Updated: Feb 27
By Jerry Schotz | MidwestEVOutdoors.com | March 2026
I want to tell you something that still makes me smile when I think about it. For most of 2023, all of 2024, and most of 2025, I paid nothing for electricity. Not a reduced bill. Not a small bill. Nothing — beyond the unavoidable utility connection fees that every grid-tied home pays regardless of solar.
During that same period, my wife and I were driving two electric vehicles and running a normal Illinois household through Midwest winters and summers.
I'm not writing this to brag. I'm writing it because I spent years as a mechanic, a technologist, and an efficiency obsessive who tracked almost every gallon of gas in the majority of the pre-electric vehicles I've owned. I arrived at solar and electric vehicles the same way I arrived at every technical decision in my life: I followed the data. And the data, when laid out honestly, is more compelling than most people realize.
So here are my actual numbers. Not industry averages. Not a sales pitch. My numbers, from my bills, from my SolarEdge monitoring system, from my utility statements going back to 2019.
Before solar and EVs: ~$4,000/year on home electricity and gasoline. Today: ~$200/year in unavoidable connection fees.
Where I Started
Before we went electric, our household energy picture was completely ordinary. Two gas-powered vehicles — a 2012 Toyota RAV4 and a 2017 Nissan Altima — and a normal residential electricity account with Ameren Illinois.
I tracked my RAV4 fuel costs obsessively (old mechanic habit), so I know exactly what it cost to run. At roughly 11,000 miles per year and an average of 25 MPG, the RAV4 consumed about 440 gallons annually. At prevailing gas prices, that ran $1,300–$1,500 per year. The Altima was comparable. Combined, we were spending roughly $2,600–$3,000 per year just on gasoline.
Our home electricity bills from 2019–2020 averaged around $100–$130 per month — call it $1,200–$1,500 per year for a normal household load.
Total annual energy spend before going electric: approximately $3,800–$4,500.
What Happened When We Added the EVs First
In June 2021 we took delivery of our first Chevy Bolt. In November 2021 we added a second Bolt. We hadn't installed solar yet — just two electric cars charging at home on our existing utility account.
The electricity bills told the story immediately. By December 2021 our monthly bill had spiked to over $200. Through 2022, with no solar and two EVs, we were regularly seeing $200–$260 monthly bills. On an annual basis we were probably spending $2,000 or more on electricity alone.
This is the part of the story EV skeptics point to — and they're not wrong that electrifying your transportation increases your home electricity consumption significantly. What they're missing is the other half of the equation: we had also essentially eliminated our gasoline spending. The net energy cost was actually similar to before, just shifted from gas stations to the utility bill.
But without solar, we were still writing a substantial check every month. That changed in November 2022.
The Solar Investment: Real Costs and Real Incentives
In November 2022 we had a rooftop solar system installed. Here is exactly what it cost and what we received in return:
Solar System (2022) | Amount |
|---|---|
Gross system cost | $39,000 |
Federal 30% tax credit | - $11,700 |
Illinois Shines SREC payment | - $10,944 |
Net out-of-pocket cost | $16,356 |
The Illinois Shines Solar Renewable Energy Credit program was a significant factor in our payback timeline. It's worth noting that this program no longer operates in the same form, and Ameren Illinois ended their favorable net metering arrangement for new customers in January 2025. Incentive programs change — this is one of several reasons that acting sooner rather than later tends to work in your favor.
In May 2025 we added a 10 kWh SolarEdge battery storage system:
Storage System (2025) | Amount |
|---|---|
Gross system cost | $17,129 |
Federal 30% tax credit | - $5,139 |
Net out-of-pocket cost | $11,990 |
Combined net investment after all incentives: $28,346
What the Bills Actually Show
Solar was installed in November 2022 — not ideal timing for a Midwest system, going into the shortest, cloudiest months of the year. But even through that first winter the impact was visible. By early 2023, the transformation was complete.
Since early 2023, I have received an actual electricity consumption bill in only two months: February and March 2025 — the two months of a Midwest winter, following those when solar production is at its annual low and heating demand is at its peak. Every other month, my bill has consisted entirely of fixed utility connection fees.
Those fixed fees — customer charge, meter charge, delivery adjustments — currently run about $15–20 per month. They exist regardless of solar. They're the cost of staying connected to the grid, which I consider worthwhile for the backup reliability it provides.
Annual Energy Cost Comparison | Approximate Cost |
|---|---|
Pre-EV home electricity (2019-2020) | $1,200 - $1,500/yr |
Gasoline for two vehicles (pre-EV) | $2,600 - $3,000/yr |
Total pre-solar, pre-EV energy spend | ~$4,000 - $4,500/yr |
Current annual utility connection fees | ~$200/yr |
Current gasoline spend | $0 |
Total current annual energy spend | ~$200/yr |
Annual savings | ~$3,800 - $4,300/yr |
Net investment of $28,346 ÷ annual savings of ~$4,000 = approximately 7-year payback — after which home energy and transportation are essentially free.
What About Road Trips?
I want to be honest about one cost I initially left out: public charging on road trips. Omitting it would have made our numbers look better than they are, and that's not the kind of article I'm trying to write.
The Tesla Model Y does most of our longer travel, and the Tesla app tracks charging costs in detail. Over the past 12 months (March 2025 through February 2026), we charged 4,068 kWh total and spent $830 across all sources. Tesla estimates we saved $1,170 compared to the gasoline equivalent of $2,000. Charging broke down as: 53% at home, 41% at Tesla Superchargers, and 6% at other public chargers.
The cost difference between home and public charging tells the real story. Our solar-powered home charging works out to roughly $0.09 per kWh. Tesla Supercharger rates average around $0.36 per kWh — four times higher. That gap explains why the 41% of charging done at Superchargers generates a disproportionate share of our total annual charging cost.
My honest assessment: road tripping via public fast charging is roughly cost-equivalent to a fuel-efficient gas sedan at $3 per gallon. Supercharging is not designed to be a dramatic money-saver compared to gasoline travel — it's designed to be fast and convenient. The real financial case for EVs lives in daily driving, where home charging — especially solar-powered home charging — is transformatively cheaper.
The Chevy Bolt handles almost all of our local driving and charges at home 99% of the time, costing essentially nothing to operate day-to-day. Adding supercharging costs to the full annual picture, a realistic total energy spend for our household in a typical travel year is approximately $750–850 — still a fraction of the $4,000+ we spent before going electric.
Daily driving is nearly free. Road trips cost roughly what a gas car would. The annual total is still dramatically less than two gas vehicles.
Understanding Net Metering — and Why Your Situation May Differ
A significant factor in our results is Ameren Illinois's net metering arrangement, which allowed us to push excess solar generation to the grid and receive it back at full value — essentially using the grid as a free battery. Our credits accumulated through summer and carried us through winter.
This arrangement reset every April 1st, meaning any unused credits expired. We sized our system to avoid over-generating, but it required attention.
Critically: Ameren Illinois ended this arrangement for new customers in January 2025. Other utilities handle net metering differently — some pay fractional credit rates, some offer account credits rather than kWh banking, some have capacity limits. Before sizing a solar system, understanding your specific utility's net metering policy is essential. It directly affects your payback calculation.
This is one area where working with a knowledgeable local installer — not just an online calculator — genuinely matters.
The Spectrum of Engagement: Set It, Watch It, or Optimize It
One misconception I want to address directly: solar is not one-size-fits-all in how you interact with it.
There are essentially three modes of solar ownership:
Set it and forget it. The panels produce, the meter runs backward, you get a smaller bill. Many homeowners operate this way and are perfectly satisfied. It works.
Monitor and learn. Tools like the SolarEdge app let you watch production in real time, understand seasonal patterns, and see exactly how your consumption aligns with generation. The data nerd in me finds this genuinely interesting.
Active optimization with storage. Adding battery storage changes the equation meaningfully. You can store midday solar production and discharge it during peak-rate hours, reducing what you pull from the grid at the most expensive times. This requires more engagement but produces better financial results and adds resilience during outages.
We started at level one and gradually moved toward level three as our confidence and understanding grew. You don't have to start with storage — but knowing it's an upgrade path worth considering is valuable.
What This Doesn't Tell You
I want to be honest about the limitations of my story as a guide for your decision.
My incentives may not be available to you. The Illinois Shines SREC program and Ameren's original net metering arrangement were significant contributors to our payback. Research what's currently available in your state and from your specific utility.
Roof condition and orientation matter. Our south-facing roof in central Illinois is reasonably well-suited to solar. Your results will vary based on shading, pitch, orientation, and local solar hours.
System sizing is personal. We sized for our specific consumption — two EVs, a normal household load, and a particular net metering arrangement. Your optimal system size may be different.
The federal 30% tax credit requires sufficient tax liability. If you don't owe enough federal taxes to absorb the credit in one year, you can carry it forward — but consult a tax professional on your specific situation.
Grid connection fees are unavoidable. Going solar does not eliminate your utility relationship or its fixed charges. Budget for $15–25 per month in connection fees regardless of how much you generate.
The Bottom Line
I came to solar the same way I came to electric vehicles — not through ideology, but through logic. I spent decades tuning internal combustion engines for maximum efficiency. When electric drivetrains became practical, the efficiency argument was overwhelming. When solar financing and incentives made the numbers work, the decision followed naturally.
The numbers in this article are real. The savings are real. The two months per year where we still get a small bill are real too. This is not a perfect system — it's a very good one that has fundamentally changed what we spend on energy.
If you're considering this path, my honest advice is this:
Get multiple installer quotes and ask specifically about your utility's current net metering policy.
Run your own numbers — your consumption, your roof, your incentives — rather than relying on industry averages.
Don't wait for the perfect moment. Incentive programs have already changed significantly since we installed. The next change may not be in your favor.
Consider the full picture: home electricity plus transportation fuel. That's where the real financial case lives.
I'm happy to answer questions, share more of my data, or point you toward resources that helped us make this decision. Feel free to reach out through the contact page or find me on LinkedIn.
About the author: Jerry Schotz is a USAF veteran, lifelong technologist, and rural Midwest advocate. He and his wife live in Illinois where they operate a rooftop solar and storage system and drive two electric vehicles. He writes about clean energy, EV infrastructure, and rural economic opportunity at MidwestEVOutdoors.com. He is not affiliated with any solar installer, utility, or EV manufacturer.
Note: All figures in this article reflect the author's personal experience and are provided for illustrative purposes. Costs, incentives, and utility policies vary significantly by location and change over time. Consult qualified professionals before making investment decisions.
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