Going solar - yea or nay?

[smartass_kid]

we had some people stop by and give us a consultation for added solar onto our house. I have a good friend who works for RMP that i"m going to talk to about it also but wanted to hear from this merry bunch as well.
it will be 12 panels, 3.42 kW system on my west side roof, estimated 93% from solar panels and currently 1:1 net metering with RMP. i can use the full tax credit this year and it then it will taper out per state gov rules.

 

[jeeper]

My neighbor makes more than $200,000 a year selling solar panels. He does not have them on his own house. That says enough for me.

But if you are going to buy panels, his business is based around getting you the best price of all the companies. He'd be worth talking to.

 

[AaronPaige]

The way I see it, it costs a lot of money and resources up front for a marginal gain in the future, if you don't have to repair or replace anything before you see a return, power is cheep it works the way it is and as long as I have a job in the coal industry I'll keep paying for the power I use... Germany went to solar years ago and now they are leading the world in new COAL power!

 

[Spork]

I think you need to look at the numbers, I got quoted 18 panels and before any rebates was over $20k, I go between a low around $40 to high around $180, wild guess about $110 average, I'm at about 180 months (15 years) if I didn't have a power bill to break even. There is still a connection fee to be connected to the grid not factored in, I'm not sure about things like roof replacement, most inverters I've read are good for about 10 years, some may be more some less, but it is something to factor in. I couldn't make the numbers work so I don't have panels.

 

[Caleb]

I'm just about to pull the trigger on a complete solar setup for my cabin, but it's 100% off-grid and so I either run the generators or use the tiny (35W) solar panel that's there now. I've looked at it a ton for my house, I even went as far as getting a $45K check made out to the solar company and then decided not to. They can spin it any way they want (and they do) solar isn't (and won't be for quite a while) cheaper than being on grid power. So don't do it if you're thinking you'll save money. If you have other reasons, sweet, go for it if you're comfortable with the quote you got. However, when I priced out my house, I had quotes from $20K all the way up over $60K. These were all derived from the same power bills (all within a week or so of each other). Point being, get lots of quotes and go with the one you're most comfortable with (may not be the cheapest).

 

[smartass_kid]

My neighbor makes more than $200,000 a year selling solar panels. He does not have them on his own house. That says enough for me.

But if you are going to buy panels, his business is based around getting you the best price of all the companies. He'd be worth talking to.

A Ferrari salesman doesn't drive a Ferrari either btw

 

[glockman]

I have looked into this extensively and have had the same experience as Caleb. I got wildly different bids and they all told me why they were better than the other bids. When I stopped their sales pitch with facts, they really didn't have any info to justify their claims. The biggest difference in the systems I was quoted was that some companies (vivint, who was really good to work with) use a lot of panels but they are less efficient and cheaper. Vivint's system was %30 larger (number of panels) than the next closest for the same output.

My closest friend has had panels on his house in Lehi for 3 or 4 years now. His power bill is $7 per month down from over $100 before. His payment on the solar system is $80. So he isn't saving a lot. His system was oversized and he change all his appliances from CNG to electric to use his excess, so he is saving money there. Most panels (including his) are guaranteed for 25 years. If they last that long, his system will be paid off in 15 years and he will save $100 a month for 10 years. Those are unquantified variables though since most companies have not been around >5 years to prove their products will last or that the company will be in business if something goes wrong.

I have not pulled the trigger because I have an open building permit the city has forgotten about (ten year garage build). I don't want to remind them and deal with their incompetence so I am waiting for them to bother me about it, then I'll go solar.

One thing to note, almost all grid tied systems will not power your house if the grid power goes down. You can add that capability in but it cost a fair amount more, I'm not talking battery banks to run all night, just the ability to run your fridge or A/C during the day. The panels put out a different frequency than RMP so you have to run them through a filter to get usable power.

 

[jeeper]

A Ferrari salesman doesn't drive a Ferrari either btw

Yeah.. but I've never had a Ferrari salesman knock on my door and tell me I can get a free one either.

 

[frieed]

The panels put out a different frequency than RMP so you have to run them through a filter to get usable power.

Actually, the panels put out DC and you need an inverter to make AC. With a grid connected system, the inverter syncs to the power line frequency and the excess current is pumped to the grid. With an off-grid system, you need local storage in the form of deep cycle batteries. If you have large power needs at night then you need a big array and lots of batteries.

One fact to consider,
If you decide to sell the house, the unpaid balance remaining on array has to be paid in full at the time of the sale. I don't know for sure but I would assume that means it is an equivalent of a second mortgage.

 

[Caleb]

One fact to consider,
If you decide to sell the house, the unpaid balance remaining on array has to be paid in full at the time of the sale. I don't know for sure but I would assume that means it is an equivalent of a second mortgage.

That depends on if you finance the system, how you finance it. Vivint systems are usually leased (haven't seen one that's not) and that's true. That also means you never actually own that equipment. If you do a second to finance it, then of course, it's a second. If you do a signature loan, there are no ties to your home or the solar equipment so you could technically sell your home and not payoff the loan. Not sure why you would be there's no requirement there. Some companies also offer credit cards to charge the systems to, same thing would apply to it, no ties to home or equipment.

I wouldn't be financing my system but that's the biggest reason I've held off. I can't see putting $45K in to my house when I don't think I'll be here for more than another couple years tops.

 

[xjtony]

We just installed a system. It's financed, but the cost of the system basically offsets what we would be paying RMP. The system is designed to provide 90% of my usage. During winter it'll cost a bit more than what my power bill would have been, but during the summer it'll be much less

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[frieed]

Thanks for the update, my only experience was talking with someone at a home show and that was how they worked it.

 

[spaggyroe]

I like the idea of having solar, but I can't make the financials work. There are other "non monetary" reasons for going solar, but for me it doesn't currently make sense to invest the money.

I'm curious to see how things are going to progress with Tesla's solar shingles and power wall.

 

[kts532]

I live at Starvation and run my place with solar. Because of the County requirements we cannot connect to power. It is expensive and would be cheaper to be on Grid for us. I am not saying that it does not work because it does a great job. We have over $9000 in the system to run our place but it is small and there are only two people living here. We have spent thousands more on efficient lighting and heat with propane. We use swamp coolers and things are fine. Now the hidden costs for us. In the winter the days are not long enough to run everything for over 7 hours a day and that is if we get any at all. We have two generators to keep us going. One to run and a backup that are $1500 a piece. Weekly oil changes and $260 a month in gas has been normal. Summer cuts that in half most of the time. Battery up keep is every week in winter and monthly in summer and they last 5 to 7 years. I keep extra charge controllers and Inverters here as I have already lost one of each. So far the generators have held up with the exception of one that did not last a week and returned it for a refund and got another brand. Over the long run I will never pay for it but it is just the cost of living in Duchesne County.

 

[Houndoc]

We just installed a system. It's financed, but the cost of the system basically offsets what we would be paying RMP. The system is designed to provide 90% of my usage. During winter it'll cost a bit more than what my power bill would have been, but during the summer it'll be much less

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Who did you use?

Would also like to do a drive by and see how yours looks- curb appeal certainly varies by company. Would you mind PMing your address to me?

 

[xjtony]

We used Evelar solar. I'll shoot you my address. Feel free to swing by. We have 2 banks, one on the south side, and one on the west (side and rear of the house)

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[Houndoc]

We used Evelar solar. I'll shoot you my address. Feel free to swing by. We have 2 banks, one on the south side, and one on the west (side and rear of the house)

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Tried responding to your PM, your box is full.

May swing by tomorrow morning if I get a chance.

- - - Updated - - -

First question is, what's the condition and age of your roof/shingles?

4 year old house, so not a worry at all.

 

[xjtony]

I just cleared it. I should be around tomorrow.

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[Houndoc]

We used Evelar solar. I'll shoot you my address. Feel free to swing by. We have 2 banks, one on the south side, and one on the west (side and rear of the house)

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Not coming today. Had to run into SLC.

 

[spencurai]

An interesting read on the future of solar implementation called "Selfish Solar" where the system is not "gird-tied" but rather "Grid supplemented". You use the solar to charge your massive battery array and have a charger hooked to the grid for those consecutive overcast days to top off the pack.

http://evtv.me/2017/07/selfishly-solar/

Basically the power companies hate change...they hate people becoming independent of the grid and are working to hedge their massive infrastructure investment. If we are forced to have power to our homes, then we should be free to choose what happens between that power hookup and our lives. Grid tied solar is NOT the answer to energy independence...selfish solar IS.