Solar Panels

[Anonymous]

Anyone made the switch to solar panels? My understanding is that they are much more affordable than in the past.

Any experiences pro or con (plus price info) would be most welcome, thanks!

[Anonymous]

There was a really interesting podcast I listened to on this recently: http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/04/10/398811199/episode-616-how-solar-got-cheap

In the story, the payments were structured over 20 years. I think if he'd paid out of pocket, it would have been around $25k, I want to say. It can't remember how much it was supposed to reduce his bill - maybe $70 a month? If you listen, you'll hear it.

I had a lot of questions about what you do with the contract if you sell the house, who is responsible if a panel gets broken, etc.

Would you be buying them outright or looking to do a contract like that?

[Anonymous]

We are about to make the plunge.

My DH is an engineer and works with a lot of similar minded people who have researched the heck out of it.


Avoid Solar City and other places that lease the panels. Quality is not good and they degrade at a much faster rate.
It is more economical to purchase them than to lease them (but obviously the initial outlay is higher) including tax credits
There are low cost/low rate HUD Financing opportunities that are available

I forgot the kind of panels that were suggested- but avoiding the ones made in China sticks out in my head (again it is a degradation issue- which will shorten the longevity of the panels).

[Anonymous]

MD make it more affordable due to its tax breaks.

VA not at all.

[Anonymous]

My brother in San Francisco got a long-term lease thru SunRun with no money down. It seems too good to be true.

www.sunrun.com

It looks like certain states (including MD) have the best incentives.

Another issue to consider: you shouldn't put them on an older roof. Would be interested in hearing any other cautionary tales.

[Anonymous]

Look into Solar City - they lease your roof, pay for the panels and all maintenance, and become your new energy provider at a lower rate than Comcast. After 5 years, you have the option to purchase the panels outright.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are about to make the plunge.

My DH is an engineer and works with a lot of similar minded people who have researched the heck out of it.


Avoid Solar City and other places that lease the panels. Quality is not good and they degrade at a much faster rate.
It is more economical to purchase them than to lease them (but obviously the initial outlay is higher) including tax credits
There are low cost/low rate HUD Financing opportunities that are available

I forgot the kind of panels that were suggested- but avoiding the ones made in China sticks out in my head (again it is a degradation issue- which will shorten the longevity of the panels).

Disagree that the quality isn't as good - it's in Solar City's financial interest to make sure the qualities are good quality and won't degrade because Solar City owns the panels and is responsible for all maintenance. It is true you don't get to take advantage of the tax incentives though, Solar City takes those since they own the panels. Pros and cons to both but its similar to leasing vs buying a car.. you aren't getting a crappier car because you lease.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are about to make the plunge.

My DH is an engineer and works with a lot of similar minded people who have researched the heck out of it.


Avoid Solar City and other places that lease the panels. Quality is not good and they degrade at a much faster rate.
It is more economical to purchase them than to lease them (but obviously the initial outlay is higher) including tax credits
There are low cost/low rate HUD Financing opportunities that are available

I forgot the kind of panels that were suggested- but avoiding the ones made in China sticks out in my head (again it is a degradation issue- which will shorten the longevity of the panels).

Disagree that the quality isn't as good - it's in Solar City's financial interest to make sure the qualities are good quality and won't degrade because Solar City owns the panels and is responsible for all maintenance. It is true you don't get to take advantage of the tax incentives though, Solar City takes those since they own the panels. Pros and cons to both but its similar to leasing vs buying a car.. you aren't getting a crappier car because you lease.

The information about Solar City was given to my husband by an engineer who heavily researched it (he went into details about which ones degrade by how much over what period of time). Bottom line, the ones that were made cheaper (including Solar City) were not as good as others out there.

Your logic is flawed in applying the lease analogy. You can lease a Ford or you can lease a Lexus - the quality is different based on the manufacturer that builds it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look into Solar City - they lease your roof, pay for the panels and all maintenance, and become your new energy provider at a lower rate than Comcast. After 5 years, you have the option to purchase the panels outright.

Part of this is not true. Solar City does NOT become your energy provider. You still have Pepco or whatever and the energy generated by the panels you lease from Solar City reduces your electric bill by feeding energy back to the grid -- it's like your odometer rolling backwards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are about to make the plunge.

My DH is an engineer and works with a lot of similar minded people who have researched the heck out of it.


Avoid Solar City and other places that lease the panels. Quality is not good and they degrade at a much faster rate.
It is more economical to purchase them than to lease them (but obviously the initial outlay is higher) including tax credits
There are low cost/low rate HUD Financing opportunities that are available

I forgot the kind of panels that were suggested- but avoiding the ones made in China sticks out in my head (again it is a degradation issue- which will shorten the longevity of the panels).

Disagree that the quality isn't as good - it's in Solar City's financial interest to make sure the qualities are good quality and won't degrade because Solar City owns the panels and is responsible for all maintenance. It is true you don't get to take advantage of the tax incentives though, Solar City takes those since they own the panels. Pros and cons to both but its similar to leasing vs buying a car.. you aren't getting a crappier car because you lease.

The information about Solar City was given to my husband by an engineer who heavily researched it (he went into details about which ones degrade by how much over what period of time). Bottom line, the ones that were made cheaper (including Solar City) were not as good as others out there.

Your logic is flawed in applying the lease analogy. You can lease a Ford or you can lease a Lexus - the quality is different based on the manufacturer that builds it.

I think you misunderstood PP. I think meaning was you can buy or lease a Ford; you get the same Ford. You can buy or lease a Lexus: you get the same Lexus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are about to make the plunge.

My DH is an engineer and works with a lot of similar minded people who have researched the heck out of it.


Avoid Solar City and other places that lease the panels. Quality is not good and they degrade at a much faster rate.
It is more economical to purchase them than to lease them (but obviously the initial outlay is higher) including tax credits
There are low cost/low rate HUD Financing opportunities that are available

I forgot the kind of panels that were suggested- but avoiding the ones made in China sticks out in my head (again it is a degradation issue- which will shorten the longevity of the panels).

Disagree that the quality isn't as good - it's in Solar City's financial interest to make sure the qualities are good quality and won't degrade because Solar City owns the panels and is responsible for all maintenance. It is true you don't get to take advantage of the tax incentives though, Solar City takes those since they own the panels. Pros and cons to both but its similar to leasing vs buying a car.. you aren't getting a crappier car because you lease.

The information about Solar City was given to my husband by an engineer who heavily researched it (he went into details about which ones degrade by how much over what period of time). Bottom line, the ones that were made cheaper (including Solar City) were not as good as others out there.

Your logic is flawed in applying the lease analogy. You can lease a Ford or you can lease a Lexus - the quality is different based on the manufacturer that builds it.

I think you misunderstood PP. I think meaning was you can buy or lease a Ford; you get the same Ford. You can buy or lease a Lexus: you get the same Lexus.

I understand that. But he was implying that because Solar City owns it, they are going to buy the best out there. That is not necessarily true. They are going to do what makes economical sense for them. You may get a Ford, a Lexus or heack, you may even get a Yugo. It is best to research WHICH panels are going in - not all panels are created equal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are about to make the plunge.

My DH is an engineer and works with a lot of similar minded people who have researched the heck out of it.


Avoid Solar City and other places that lease the panels. Quality is not good and they degrade at a much faster rate.
It is more economical to purchase them than to lease them (but obviously the initial outlay is higher) including tax credits
There are low cost/low rate HUD Financing opportunities that are available

I forgot the kind of panels that were suggested- but avoiding the ones made in China sticks out in my head (again it is a degradation issue- which will shorten the longevity of the panels).

Disagree that the quality isn't as good - it's in Solar City's financial interest to make sure the qualities are good quality and won't degrade because Solar City owns the panels and is responsible for all maintenance. It is true you don't get to take advantage of the tax incentives though, Solar City takes those since they own the panels. Pros and cons to both but its similar to leasing vs buying a car.. you aren't getting a crappier car because you lease.

The information about Solar City was given to my husband by an engineer who heavily researched it (he went into details about which ones degrade by how much over what period of time). Bottom line, the ones that were made cheaper (including Solar City) were not as good as others out there.

Your logic is flawed in applying the lease analogy. You can lease a Ford or you can lease a Lexus - the quality is different based on the manufacturer that builds it.

I think you misunderstood PP. I think meaning was you can buy or lease a Ford; you get the same Ford. You can buy or lease a Lexus: you get the same Lexus.

I understand that. But he was implying that because Solar City owns it, they are going to buy the best out there. That is not necessarily true. They are going to do what makes economical sense for them. You may get a Ford, a Lexus or heack, you may even get a Yugo. It is best to research WHICH panels are going in - not all panels are created equal.

New Poster: Yeah but caveat emptor! Using your example: a Lexus is just an expensive Toyota!

It's better to shop around and have multiple choices. I am glad to hear different views of Solar City because it so aggressively markets in my neighborhood and it seems to good to be true. Thanks everybody!

[Anonymous]

Don't lease.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are about to make the plunge.

My DH is an engineer and works with a lot of similar minded people who have researched the heck out of it.


Avoid Solar City and other places that lease the panels. Quality is not good and they degrade at a much faster rate.
It is more economical to purchase them than to lease them (but obviously the initial outlay is higher) including tax credits
There are low cost/low rate HUD Financing opportunities that are available

I forgot the kind of panels that were suggested- but avoiding the ones made in China sticks out in my head (again it is a degradation issue- which will shorten the longevity of the panels).

Disagree that the quality isn't as good - it's in Solar City's financial interest to make sure the qualities are good quality and won't degrade because Solar City owns the panels and is responsible for all maintenance. It is true you don't get to take advantage of the tax incentives though, Solar City takes those since they own the panels. Pros and cons to both but its similar to leasing vs buying a car.. you aren't getting a crappier car because you lease.

The information about Solar City was given to my husband by an engineer who heavily researched it (he went into details about which ones degrade by how much over what period of time). Bottom line, the ones that were made cheaper (including Solar City) were not as good as others out there.

Your logic is flawed in applying the lease analogy. You can lease a Ford or you can lease a Lexus - the quality is different based on the manufacturer that builds it.

I think you misunderstood PP. I think meaning was you can buy or lease a Ford; you get the same Ford. You can buy or lease a Lexus: you get the same Lexus.

I understand that. But he was implying that because Solar City owns it, they are going to buy the best out there. That is not necessarily true. They are going to do what makes economical sense for them. You may get a Ford, a Lexus or heack, you may even get a Yugo. It is best to research WHICH panels are going in - not all panels are created equal.

New Poster: Yeah but caveat emptor! Using your example: a Lexus is just an expensive Toyota!

It's better to shop around and have multiple choices. I am glad to hear different views of Solar City because it so aggressively markets in my neighborhood and it seems to good to be true. Thanks everybody!

LOL! It is better to shop around!

With regard to Solar City - the basic 'issues' were that they use Chinese panels that are about 200W each - so for the particular scenario (keep in mind these guys are engineers) the roof would only fit an 8kW system (barely saving $20 a month with the lease). Solargaines sells the system outright and you get to pick the panel - they have one that is 275kW - essentially allowing the same roof to carry an 11.8 kW system PLUS the Maryland Solar Credits (SRECs) and the tax credits.

Bottom line, with the Solar City system, the net savings was about $20/month. With Solargaines, net savings is substantially higher (I think it was closer to $200). Plus there is the whole degradation issue. AS I mentioned earlier, we are just starting to look into this ourselves - and we are still researching it. We just happen to have some technical friends who did a substantial amount of research already- so we are using that as our jumping off point.

I am also hearing that it is taking PEPCO almost 6 months to approve some of the requests for Solar Panels and that they trying to increase the grid fee (currently at $8) to $32 (essentially wiping out the savings for leased panels).

I wonder if Consumer Reports rates Solar Panels yet - I would love to see an unbiased reporting of good versus bad.

[Anonymous]

Someone from Vivint Solar came by our neighborhood in Rockville trying to get us to lease our roof in exchange a cheaper rate for our power. Anyone worked with them before? I believe they are similar to SolarCity. They get all the MD tax credit. Our only benefit is a maybe 30% savings in electricity. Our monthly Pepco bill is about $80 bucks so we are only looking at about ~$20 savings.