DH pushing for solar panels

[Anonymous]

well mine is pushing for a whole, entire house in another state because of climate change so consider yourself lucky. I'd happily pay 20K to get him off the other house idea. Good luck though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:you live in a 5000k sq ft house and you are suddenly concerned about the environment?

Solar panels are more than environmental impact (not even mentioned in the original post), like saving money or having electricity in a blackout.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:you live in a 5000k sq ft house and you are suddenly concerned about the environment?

Solar panels are more than environmental impact (not even mentioned in the original post), like saving money or having electricity in a blackout.

But OP won’t be saving any money.

Worrying about a blackout is nuts; get a gas generator and call it a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We get some money back on our solar panels for the summer month.

If you’re nervous about the cost, just do the leasing option which is basically free—you pay the same amount as always and the electrical savings go to the solar company.

The only reason is takes so long to “break even” is that we externalize the costs of energy in this country — pushing the cost onto society at large through climate change. One thing people don’t consider with the break even calculations is that energy costs will continue to increase and may well increase at a higher rate than inflation due to both shortages and policy changes—in which case you will “break even” sooner.

Sadly, so many people think of energy purely in terms of dollars and cents for themselves that we will really need to create policy and cost structures that incentivize people to change behavior.

The batteries are expensive and you don’t necessarily use them — but the Tesla batteries work as a generator so if you have power outages that comes in handy. We didn’t get them because I’d heard that battery tech is likely to improve significantly in upcoming years. The panel tech is less likely to change quickly at this point.

If you don’t want the Tesla battery, it may be worth considering other sources for the panels. We got ours through a MoCo buying cooperative that negotiated a lower rate for us.

Selling a home with leased panels is challenging - for several reasons.

Leased panels are awful. We would never buy a house with them. It’s like buying into a timeshare.

[Anonymous]

We did it (bought not leased) and it's been good for our energy bills. We don't have a battery because solar cannot cover 100% of our use most of the time, but in the shoulder seasons we sell back to the grid. We went with a MD company not Tesla; you should get several quotes.

[Anonymous]

I installed 56 solar panels on a farm building I built 3 years ago. I don’t have a power bill 9 months of the year. Runs out in February usually.

My concern is your pricing. My 56 panels were around $50k so $25ish with tax credit. But given I have a 3800 sf. house and 2 barns with heated tack rooms, and 10 heated livestock waterers (necessary in my climate, upper MW). They will pay for themselves in 5 years, maybe less with rising energy prices. Lifespan is 15-20 but they get less efficient with time. Another concern is your west-facing placement with trees….you lose a lot of efficiency as soon as you veer from direct south. Ours are just a few degrees off South and I was told the angle reduces efficiency by 5% from ideal. Based on the dirt work involved, it made more sense to do it on that angle anyway. A west-facing roof…I’d question whether it was worth it.

I do not have a battery. We don’t often lose power, but I have my house wired to where I can run the well pump, heat, and fridge easily on a portable generator. Much less expensive and more practical. At 10k for the battery, not worth it to me.

[Anonymous]

Skip the batteries. You can always add them later.

[Anonymous]

MD has SRECs too. It pays about $55 per MW generated and we are paid quarterly direct deposit. We installed our solar panels almost 2 years ago and do not regret it. We also have an electrical car.

[Anonymous]

Is their financing available for the up front costs?

[Anonymous]

I think your biggest issue is the "facing west and trees". Doesn't sound worth it. We have solar panels and taking out just one tree made a difference in our afternoon production.

[Anonymous]

Look into geothermal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:you live in a 5000k sq ft house and you are suddenly concerned about the environment?

NP. New large houses are more efficient than older smaller ones.

How many kids do you have? They will impact the environment more....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He says it is $49,000 upfront and a $28,000 tax credit, so $21,000. We spend $150 average on electricity right now, so they will break even in 11-12 years. This seems like a really long time….. What do you all think?

$49,000 invested in a money market at current rates would pay your current electricity costs.

$21,000, after the tax credit, would cover about 45% of your electricity needs, accounting for taxes.

Your break even is much longer than 11 years. I’m calculating 18 years when you account for what $21,000 worth of interest payments would offset.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:you live in a 5000k sq ft house and you are suddenly concerned about the environment?

NP. New large houses are more efficient than older smaller ones.

How many kids do you have? They will impact the environment more....

Who cares? This is the money forum not the environmental forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:you live in a 5000k sq ft house and you are suddenly concerned about the environment?

NP. New large houses are more efficient than older smaller ones.

How many kids do you have? They will impact the environment more....

What a gross thing to say. you have no couth or class. How do you account for your own personal impact on the environment - unless you're living naked in a forest, you're leaving a footprint.