Solar Panels

[DrMongoose]

Anyone have them? Thoughts? Is it legit or a bad idea? is the long term payoff worth it?

[acater]

Anyone have them? Thoughts? Is it legit or a bad idea? is the long term payoff worth it?

Last time I researched them it wasn't worth it. The state didn't have a deduction for them and the payoff time was like ten years.

[TexZilla]

Its a fairly simple set of calculations, and the value is very much derived from your particular situation. 

You need to understand your energy usage completely from a historical perspective, what activities in your life drive usage, how long you plan to live on the property, historical electricity rates in your area, creeping time for use issues in your area, and what future technology needs might be.  Scale is important.  A small house may never pay off, a 6000 square foot house with a huge pool might be worth it with a five year payoff.  In most cases it wont pay for itself in the time one lives in the home. 

If your interest in this is generated by an excessive high bill right now due to our monstrous heat wave, then you should maybe look different ways.  I think the most economical way to improve is AC efficiency and performance.  More insulation can never hurt, modern windows, replacing doors, fixing leaks.  A lot of houses have a hollow core door to the garage; in my house that was a huge leak that I didn't think about; I wanted it replaced for security but it wasn't much better than having the door just open.

[wvhawgfan]

The biggest issue in "payback" is the actual rate you are paying for power. Arkansas, historically, has extremely low rates making it hard to justify from a purely economical standpoint. The increase in technology and reduction in price is helping that calculation.

I was part of a feasibility study a couple of years ago and we found that around 300kW was the breaking point for a 20 year payback with no rebates.

The other issues are demand rates (usually for commercial) and storage. If all you are looking for is to lower your bill during peak time then storage isn't an issue; if you are looking for it to provide power in an outage situation then it's a big expenditure and can take up a lot of space.

Having said all of that, if I were building a new house, I would definitely look into some of the roofing options that incorporate PV into the system.

[Tanny Bogus]

Also if you are looking to be able to power your house in case of outages, generators are the way to go. 

[wvhawgfan]

Also if you are looking to be able to power your house in case of outages, generators are the way to go.

Agree, and if natural gas is available that's more than likely the fuel of choice.

[goporkyourself]

kicking this idea around. you can finance these installations with no money down and theoretically save a lot more per month on utility bills than the payment.

[Swahili Steve]

I have a buddy in Little Rock with a large two story home in hillcrest who did this and he’s going on 4 months in a row with a $10 electric bill. He said he’s saved tons. I can’t remember if he went with seal solar or sun city but you call them, have them come out to see if you’re a good candidate for solar and if you get enough sun and then do it.

[goporkyourself]

I have a buddy in Little Rock with a large two story home in hillcrest who did this and he’s going on 4 months in a row with a $10 electric bill. He said he’s saved tons. I can’t remember if he went with seal solar or sun city but you call them, have them come out to see if you’re a good candidate for solar and if you get enough sun and then do it.

i have a large south facing roof with lots of exposure. it seems like a really good deal. i'll see when the numbers actually come in. my electric bill last month was 220ish so i can probably save a lot.

[Swahili Steve]

i have a large south facing roof with lots of exposure. it seems like a really good deal. i'll see when the numbers actually come in. my electric bill last month was 220ish so i can probably save a lot.

my friend has posted a lot about it and encouraged folks to get multiple quotes but they will come out to establish if you’re a good candidate first off

[acater]

kicking this idea around. you can finance these installations with no money down and theoretically save a lot more per month on utility bills than the payment.

i have a large south facing roof with lots of exposure. it seems like a really good deal. i'll see when the numbers actually come in. my electric bill last month was 220ish so i can probably save a lot.

These numbers dont make sense to me. If a system was $30,000 and they financed it 30 years (which I am sure they would not) at 6% that comes to a $179 a month charge, not including any sales tax on the unit. You arent cutting your electric bill 80%.

Also what scares me is that you buy one then Elon Musk comes out with one three times better for a tenth of the cost next year and now you have a dinosaur mounted to your roof that you owe $28,000 more dollars on.

[1st_down_streak]

https://www.google.com/get/sunroof

This is what it spit out for our place in DFW

Estimated savings Over 20 years after solar purchase = $17,000
Up-front cost After incentives = $18,000

Average estimated monthly savings Assuming a 2019 monthly electricity bill of $125 and utility prices rising at a rate of 2.2% per year.
$156 Monthly bill without solar - $11 Monthly bill with solar = $145 Savings per month

Solar savings are calculated using roof size and shape, shaded roof areas, local weather, local electricity prices, solar costs, and estimated incentives over time.

If it cost 18k and you plan on 20 years in the house it might work.

[goporkyourself]

yeah, may not be worth it but i need to see the numbers.

should boost resale though right?

actually i'll just ask my realtor buddy rather than listen to you lot.

[Swahili Steve]

$18k for solar panels? Can’t you get some less expensive panels for less that seems mighty high.

[acater]

$18k for solar panels? Can’t you get some less expensive panels for less that seems mighty high.

I thought it sounded low.

https://www.google.com/get/sunroof

This is what it spit out for our place in DFW

Estimated savings Over 20 years after solar purchase = $17,000
Up-front cost After incentives = $18,000

Average estimated monthly savings Assuming a 2019 monthly electricity bill of $125 and utility prices rising at a rate of 2.2% per year.
$156 Monthly bill without solar - $11 Monthly bill with solar = $145 Savings per month

Solar savings are calculated using roof size and shape, shaded roof areas, local weather, local electricity prices, solar costs, and estimated incentives over time.

If it cost 18k and you plan on 20 years in the house it might work.

Not sure how to have an $11 bill when my customer charge is $13 a month.

[Swahili Steve]

If you guys are wanting to save money I highly recommend going with a heat pump water heater. My new place was built with it and my energy bill for the last four months has been under $30 total a month. I keep it cool and around 70 and it’s sometimes even too cool.

[goporkyourself]

If you guys are wanting to save money I highly recommend going with a heat pump water heater. My new place was built with it and my energy bill for the last four months has been under $30 total a month. I keep it cool and around 70 and it’s sometimes even too cool.

Wait till winter when you can’t get your house above 65 degrees

[Swahili Steve]

Wait till winter when you can’t get your house above 65 degrees

I moved in right when a snow storm hit and have no issues with it staying warm. Whatever system they put in seems pretty energy efficient and heats/cools properly. I don’t even let the air go below 70 on this thermostat or I’d freeze

[bleedinred]

How would that work in a high humidity environment?

[Swahili Steve]

How would that work in a high humidity environment?

🤷‍♀️ No idea I’m just passing on my own experience. I’m loving the energy bills are nothing

[wvhawgfan]

Not sure how to have an $11 bill when my customer charge is $13 a month.

Most of the on-line calculators for that type of thing only use the energy cost. So, if it were your house, your bill would be $24.

[pigtacular]

Wait till winter when you can’t get your house above 65 degrees

This.   Our bills during the hot seasons rarely break $200.

We had one this past winter or the winter before that was close to $400.

[Pigs on Parade]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/14/energy/solar-energy-perovskites-spc-intl/index.html

[BASS]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/14/energy/solar-energy-perovskites-spc-intl/index.html

it is shocking we haven't made more headway in solar technology in the last 50 years.  is it really that hard to mimic how plants do it?

[Boared Cynic]

it is shocking we haven't made more headway in solar technology in the last 50 years.  is it really that hard to mimic how plants do it?

IANAS but battery technology sucks and is limiting a lot of innovation.