Thinking about solar panels?

[Wampuscat]

With my electric bill about to nearly double, I’m debating buying solar panels to augment the higher kWh rates. My electric billing contract is nearly up and my 10.4¢ rate is about to go to 16.9¢ per kWh. I generally use 3000 to 3500kw per month and pay about $400 a month. With the rate increase looming in the near future, my bill will be near $700.

I don’t know how the contracts work or equipment charges are applied. I’ve seen videos on YouTube saying that solar panels are the best thing since peanut butter and sliced bread. But I’ve also heard that the advertised savings are false and some bills actually increase. What say you?

My house is situated where the rear of the house faces south and I have no shade. I’m about 15 miles as a crow flies from the Texas gulf so I get plenty of sunshine. I have a 22kw Generac whole home generator, so that comes into play too.

[flywise]

I have not seen any numbers yet that prove they even pay for themselves.
Probably going to be a 25-30k investment. So if they save you 100 a month or 150 a month takes a very long time to get that back

[toledo]

Design the system yourself. Pay a roofer to install if needed. The companies are sticking it to people.

[MadHatter]

Do it for the fact that you will have off grid power available, not to save money imo.
Or transition your life around solar, and at $700 a month it would pay for itself in short order.
There can be a happy medium, but it requires you to be fairly knowledgeable of the subject.

[txtimetravler]

Plant several trees
Get solar screens
Got window blinds?
Got window curtains?

[Pedernal]

4 posts in and TBHers have already provided a lot of good info… IMHO if you buy your system from one of the many out of state companies going around selling folks on solar not only will you not save money but you might waste a lot of money.

The “sale” is based on a few very risky assumptions:

1) the system they sell you is meant to be paid of in 25 years and the assumption is that it will work efficiently for those 25 years. I am not sure you would get the life that they claim plus I would not be so confident on the warranty.

2) the companies size systems so that the power created during sunlight ours will equal power you consume over the year. the assumption is that your power company will continue to give you credit for the “extra” power you create. From what I understand most power companies will basically run an open tab on how much power you use and how much you put into the grid. At the end of the month if you use more than you make you will pay them. If you produce more than you use you will have a credit. If the power company ever decided they don’t want to “buy” your extra power you would be stuck with a big system that produces a lot more power than you can use. Unless you got a battery bank to store the extra power you would be wasting money. A battery bank could more than double the price of the system. Plus you pay them for power plus use of the grid they only credit you for the power you produce. What if they decided to charge you for grid use on the extra power you are creating?

3) the third assumption is that they will do a good job on the install and warranty any issues they might creat on your roof. I would not trust a newish company to stay in business and warranty roof work.

4) the fourth assumption is really more of a lie than anything else. They claim to give you a really good price on the system. It’s a lie. Even with any tax break, they are at least doubling the price of the system.

Some TBHer said it best on another solar thread: you will not be able to produce power cheaper than a power company can produce power. So, if you are only looking at solar as a way to save money I would think it over and really do a lot of research.

If you want to save on power I would shade around the house as much as possible. Any exposed foundation needs to be shaded to the afternoon sun. Windows need the sun blocking screens and so on. Oleanders are great for creating shade around homes quickly and are easy to grow.

If you do decide to go with solar l would go the route of building a porch or carport that would both shade the house and support the solar panels. This is what I am considering myself. I am looking more at just having some power available for when the grid goes down rather than to save money. I figure I might come close to breaking even if I do the majority of the work and purchase the system whole sale.

This is about as much as I can stand to type on the iPad. Feel free to ask additional questions as there are a lot of knowledge folks on tbh. Additionally, search out previous discussion on the matter.

[91cavgt]

I love solar, but everyone above has already stated what needs to be said.

Keep in mind that a grid tied system(the kind that all of your neighbors have gotten) will do nothing for you when the power goes off. I hate grid tied systems, but love off grid setups!

[BLee15]

Solar isn’t worth it. Rates should go down at some point. Probably after Biden is out. You only paying $700 in the summer months? I’d assume winter is cheaper unless you’re on electric heat. Sucks either way. Extra money your out. That is a lot of kilowatts though. So you either have a huge house or have the AC cranked way down. Might have to turn the AC up some during the day if you want to save.

[cva34]

All I can say is by BIL in Calif sold Solar Packages..I asked him are they worth it...His simple answer was ( i do not have one)

[Man]

See them popping up on more and more on houses in low income neighborhoods. They are really targeting that market and sadly probably feeding them a bunch of b.s.

[brokeno]

$400 a month and going to $700. Make sure your neighbor is not connected to your meter.

[HotRod Hunter]

A neighbor of mine and his wife were all excited to be having some solar reps come to their house to talk to them. After they met with the different companies, they were like what a scam. they said it would be many many years before they would pay for themselves probably not while they were alive, he laughed. he was saying you pay for them , you then pay for the installation of the solar panels and batteries then they only have a certain life expectancy then you have to pay to replace and reinstall them and you have to pay to dispose of the old parts. Then if you need to reroof eventually you have to pay to have them removed and reinstalled. I wasn't in the meeting this is just what my neighbor had told me and they were quite positive that they would get them from what they had previously heard that was up until they got all the information.

[TeamAmerica]

Already a bunch of good threads on this topic. So many variables. I would spend money on making other energy efficient improvements to the home. The only way it really makes sense is if you have no other power options. Much cheaper energy out there and natural gas prices should come back down.

[bbqfan5909]

It’s simple math, from the kilowatt hr rate increase. Everyone is getting hit right now, my rates have jumped and in a co op.

$400 a month and going to $700. Make sure your neighbor is not connected to your meter.

[tpack]

I had a young man (25ish) knock on my door yesterday and wanted me to listen to his sales pitch on solar panels. I told him I wasn`t interested and he looked at me and said, "Really". I actually felt sorry for him. He looked so disappointed with my answer. These solar companies are promising these young people big money to try and push/sale these systems. My son had to do something similar when he was in college getting a marketing degree on his senior year. He lasted about a week and said F-it.