Cogon is a coastal barangay in Ozamiz City, sitting under MOELCI II territory with the same brownout pattern that drives much of our Misamis Occidental work: short and frequent outages, longer events during the rainy season, and an unreliable grid that makes a hybrid system the right default rather than the exception. This case study walks through one of our actual installs there: a 5 kW hybrid array with a lithium battery, sized for a family that runs two aircons and works from home part of the week.
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The homeowner and the brief
The Cogon homeowners are a family of five with a 3-bedroom house. Their MOELCI II bill averaged PHP 5,800 per month, driven by two 1 HP aircons, a refrigerator, a chest freezer for fish, and a work-from-home setup used two to three days a week. Brownouts were running 3 to 5 times per week, mostly short but with multi-hour events monthly.
The brief was straightforward: cut the bill dramatically and keep the essentials running during outages. They did not want to run the aircons during brownouts but did want lights, fans, fridge, freezer, router, and one TV operational. The hybrid system fit this brief exactly, and we sized the array and battery around the actual loads rather than around generic rules of thumb. The family had originally considered a generator as their backup solution but rejected it because of the noise, the fuel cost, and the recurring maintenance. They also considered a Tesla Powerwall but found the import path to Misamis Occidental impractical. The hybrid solar system with a locally available lithium battery turned out to be the most cost-effective option for their specific situation, and the SRNE inverter was already on the MOELCI II approved list.
The system we designed
Based on the bill profile and the backup requirements, we specified:
- Panels: 10 x 550W tier-1 panels, total 5.5 kW array
- Inverter: SRNE hybrid inverter, 5 kW rating
- Battery: 5 kWh lithium battery bank, expandable to 10 kWh later
- Backed-up sub-panel: 10 circuits pre-wired to the battery side — lights, fans, all bedroom outlets, fridge, freezer, router, TV
- Net-metering: Bidirectional meter application filed with MOELCI II Ozamiz office
Total installed cost: PHP 345,000 including the net-metering filing fees and the PEE-stamped documentation. The family financed the system in two tranches: an initial deposit to start the application, and the balance on commissioning day. We also coordinated with their homeowners association to get the roof work approved, which took an extra week but is a routine step in Ozamiz City subdivisions.
Ready to get started? Request a free Ozamiz site survey →
Ready to get started? Request a free ozamiz site survey →
Installation timeline
The Cogon install ran just over six weeks from signed proposal to commissioned system. Week 1 was the site survey, system design, and contract signing. Weeks 2 to 3 covered the MOELCI II net-metering application filing with complete PEE documentation. Weeks 3 to 4 were equipment delivery and roof mounting. Week 5 was DC and AC wiring, inverter and battery installation, and backed-up sub-panel wiring. Week 6 was commissioning, MOELCI II inspection, and bidirectional meter swap.
The MOELCI II inspection itself was thorough: the inspector checked the inverter mounting, the AC and DC disconnects, the grounding system, the labeling on the backed-up sub-panel, and the bidirectional meter base. The entire visit took about 45 minutes. The meter swap happened two days later, with a brief 30-minute outage while the co-op technician installed the bidirectional meter and verified its registration with the central billing system.
Actual production after 6 months
Six months of operation, January to June, produced the following results. Total production: 4,650 kWh (averaging 775 kWh per month). Total consumption: 3,200 kWh (averaging 533 kWh per month). Exported to MOELCI II: 1,450 kWh credited at above PHP 11/kWh. Average monthly bill after solar: PHP 280 (down from PHP 5,800). Brownouts experienced: 22 events, all covered silently by the battery.
The family reports not having to think about brownouts anymore. The lights stay on, the router stays up, the freezer keeps the catch cold. During a 4-hour evening outage last April, the system carried the house from 6 PM until 2 AM before the battery dropped to 20 percent (the inverter's preset low-cutoff). They went to bed with the grid still down, slept through it, and woke up to a fully restored house with the battery already back at 100 percent.
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What worked and what we would change
Honest assessment after half a year of operation. What worked: the 5 kWh battery was correctly sized for the family's brief, the SRNE hybrid inverter handled the Ozamiz grid cleanly with no fault events, and the 10-circuit backed-up sub-panel covered everything they asked for.
What we would change: we would offer them the option to expand to 10 kWh battery now rather than later. The marginal cost is small, and they have asked twice about adding capacity for one of the aircons during outages.
What MOELCI II did right: the cooperative's inspection team was professional and the meter swap happened faster than we expected. This Cogon install is now a reference project for similar households in Ozamiz, Tangub, and the MOELCI II coastal municipalities. We bring prospective customers to see the system running when they want to see what a hybrid install looks like in real conditions.
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Frequently asked questions
How long does a Cogon Ozamiz solar install take from start to finish?
Typically 4 to 8 weeks depending on MOELCI II net-metering approval timeline and equipment delivery. Our Cogon install ran just over 6 weeks including the meter swap.
Is a 5kW system enough for an Ozamiz family home?
For most 3-bedroom family homes with two aircons and standard appliances, 5 to 6 kW is the right size. Households with three or more aircons or a work-from-home setup running daily should consider 6 to 8 kW.
Does MOELCI II install the bidirectional meter quickly?
In our Cogon experience the meter swap happened within 8 working days of the inspection request. Timeline varies with co-op workload but is generally responsive for complete applications.
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