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    Home solar salesmen?

    Geez... Anyone been approached by these guys? I assume the ones that was around trying to set up free quick consults get paid per meeting they set up?

    Right up front I was rude and said NOT interested AT ALL.. He started blabbing asking how I could not be interested at all.. I flat said "Because it's a scam and rip-off and doesn't work"

    Then he wanted to discuss I told him to leave. Of course he had to get in more words like..to see how much money you will save..blah blah..

    Is solar, for Texans anywhere close to being viable? Is there any chance at all one could save money over the long term?

    #2
    The Same sales people sell Solar and Extended Vehicle warranties!

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      #3
      I'm no expert on it. I've not looked into it in great detail, because I stopped at the first glance at the numbers. Best case numbers I've seen show it takes about 20 years to recoup your initial costs. Not really cost effective. But if your goal is to be self-sufficient and capable of being off the grid and all of that, then maybe it's worth the cost for you. You need to be connected to the grid to sell your excess power back to the power company to get to break-even though. Maybe it'll get cheaper and more efficient eventually. Right now it doesn't look like something I'd spend a bunch of money on though.

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        #4
        Originally posted by RiverRat1 View Post
        Geez... Anyone been approached by these guys? I assume the ones that was around trying to set up free quick consults get paid per meeting they set up?

        Right up front I was rude and said NOT interested AT ALL.. He started blabbing asking how I could not be interested at all.. I flat said "Because it's a scam and rip-off and doesn't work"

        Then he wanted to discuss I told him to leave. Of course he had to get in more words like..to see how much money you will save..blah blah..

        Is solar, for Texans anywhere close to being viable? Is there any chance at all one could save money over the long term?
        This is probably when he decided to stick around and waste your time.

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          #5
          If the solar panels didn't loose so much efficiency as they age they could be, but the ROI is LLLOOOOONNNGGG even in the best case. If you have a halfway decent financial guy you are better off putting your money in the market and buying a propane/LG generator.

          You also have to consider doing it yourself vs. paying someone else to do it. It's not rocket surgery. Doing it yourself will shorten your ROI time. If you can read and watch a Youtube video you don't need a "professional" installer. Same thing goes with standby generators. It makes me sick to see what people pay to have them installed. My uncle just paid $12k to have a 20kw installed. I bought mine for $5100 with ATS, spent about $700 on wire and a used propane tank, and spent half a Saturday and a Sunday hooking it up.

          As with anything.....research, research, research. When we built our last house my wife wanted to put in the super duper triple pane low E magic windows because they were more energy efficient. They were, but at the current kW-hr cost it would have taken 18yrs to recoup the investment based on the home's heat load. The windows would have needed to be replaced in 18yrs.

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            #6
            Originally posted by Shane View Post
            I'm no expert on it. I've not looked into it in great detail, because I stopped at the first glance at the numbers. Best case numbers I've seen show it takes about 20 years to recoup your initial costs. Not really cost effective. But if your goal is to be self-sufficient and capable of being off the grid and all of that, then maybe it's worth the cost for you. You need to be connected to the grid to sell your excess power back to the power company to get to break-even though. Maybe it'll get cheaper and more efficient eventually. Right now it doesn't look like something I'd spend a bunch of money on though.
            I did this years ago also. Thought the same things. Only you can bet their numbers are skewed to make them look as good as possible. So you know you don't break even in 20 years. Then if anything breaks that would be extended to what 25-30 years?

            And I wasn't as rude as some will think. He asked me and I told him what I thought. Nothing got heated or anything. Just amazing to me how they actually may believe in what they're selling.

            But I do want to be on the safe side and make sure nothings changed in the last 5-10 years that makes solar actually worth it.

            Comment


              #7
              There’s lots of these door to door guys running around the last couple of years. Many of them sell a loan, not a solar install. They replace the cost of your monthly electric bill with a note for the loan to cover the solar install. They oversize the array so it over generates and, provided you’re on the right electricity plan, you build credits so you no longer have an electric bill. This is absolutely the most expensive way to have solar on your home.

              IF you have a utility like Oncor that offers incentives for a solar installation AND you use a reputable solar installer that can take advantage of that for you AND you are able to utilize the federal tax incentives AND you pay cash, then the payback for residential solar is typically between 6 and 9 years.

              Back when we still did residential solar, we did not oversize the system. We tried to offset about 90% of a low usage month like April. With the shape of the output of solar and the shape of usage from residential homes in Texas, this typically resulted in offsetting 60-75% of a home’s total annual load. You didn’t over generate so you weren’t paying for additional panels and you weren’t beholden to one of the few electricity plans that offer solar buyback. Instead, you could still competitively shop for cheap electric plans and get your solar benefits.

              Lots of people learned the hard way in February that if the grid goes down, your solar is useless. The only way for that to not be the case is to go completely off grid and install a battery storage system. Which at this time is cost prohibitive.

              IF it’s your forever home AND you’ve got cash, solar is a good option. Our electricity prices in Texas are so low, it doesn’t make financial sense otherwise. Now for commercial, I’m a huge fan of solar. It can DRAMATICALLY reduce your delivery charges from the utility if the right system is installed and can have a much much swifter payback period. I’ve seen paybacks as early as 3 years in commercial situations.


              Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                #8
                Ask them if they will hold up to our hail storms lol

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                  #9
                  I love it when they come by. I know more about solar than what they do. Always tell them the same thing. When the price of battery backups come down AND you don’t have to have the battery connected to the network then I’ll do it.


                  If they insist then I show them the panels stacked up in the garage along with my DIY battery bank in the making and tell them I’m not interested and to have a good day.

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                    #10
                    I can drive down the street and see the houses that have them on the roof and know instantly that I don't want those ugly things on my roof.

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                      #11
                      We've priced it out for a bunch of our clients. From what we can tell, its probably about a breakeven cost at this point.

                      Significant costs up front that are offset in your electric bill for the next 25 or so years to save that money back. But from what we have been explained, the panel's efficiency degrades a small % yearly so you have to replace them after 25ish years so you start the cycle over again. The luxury homes we build value their architecture more than offsetting their energy costs so our clients don't typically elect to stick solar panels which look like crap on the top of the roof of their architecturally significant home.

                      I think Tesla is on to something with the solar roof but the lead time is so ridiculous that you can't work it into a schedule for new construction. I think they are catering more to re-roof applications at this point.

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                        #12
                        I get hit up by those guys at Home Depot every other trip. Lots of good talking points but in the end it just doesn't pay for itself at the current time. When it gets better I will start looking into it. I have been hoping those roof shingle style panels get better. Lots nicer look. But I know these saleman are successful because a lot of houses in my neighborhood have panels popping up on them.

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                          #13
                          I love solar for DIY. Especially for things that can be ran during the day, directly with no batteries. It really doesnt cost that much.

                          Add in install cost and/ or batteries and that kills it.

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by 7sdad View Post
                            I can drive down the street and see the houses that have them on the roof and know instantly that I don't want those ugly things on my roof.
                            This right here. Ugly as sin.

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                              #15
                              My neighbor started selling them. Once I asked if he had them, he said "No". Told him not that great of a deal if you don't have them lol. Never been asked by them again.

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