I don't have A/C, do have net metering and do have solar panels, so I intentionally picked the plan with the highest costs during the day in the summers and I pay 24c/kWh only in peak hours during the summer.
Author may be a high energy user and on a tiered monthly-usage plan rather than a TOU plan; if that is the case than the solar panels may be saving energy billed at the highest marginal rate which might be 25c/kWh. My previous house had in-ceiling electrical resistive heating only and I accidentally got a 4-figure electric bill the first January I lived there because one thermostat was broken. IIRC everything after the first NkWh (where N was a crazy high number) was billed at around 25c.
California rates (not sure the OP is in California, but still) are just high. Lowest Off-Peak rate is $0.22/kWh in my area, and On-Peak (4-9pm) can be as high as $0.62/kWh.
I don't have A/C, do have net metering and do have solar panels, so I intentionally picked the plan with the highest costs during the day in the summers and I pay 24c/kWh only in peak hours during the summer.
Author may be a high energy user and on a tiered monthly-usage plan rather than a TOU plan; if that is the case than the solar panels may be saving energy billed at the highest marginal rate which might be 25c/kWh. My previous house had in-ceiling electrical resistive heating only and I accidentally got a 4-figure electric bill the first January I lived there because one thermostat was broken. IIRC everything after the first NkWh (where N was a crazy high number) was billed at around 25c.