Residential Solar

I have said this before but here goes, the array cost 26,000$ at the time of install. In the summer we make slightly more than we use. In winter we have a power bill so in my case we don’t even break even as far as use/ production never mind ever recouping the install cost. The array was there when we purchased.

 

The least expensive quote I got was over 36K. That was just for a daytime use....no batteries but sell back any overproduction at 100% rate in the form of credit from power company.

If I went with a ground mounted system that tracked the sun every day, it would be way over 60K

With a ground mounted system (non tracking) that is able to tilt and battery backup, 50K.

 

This big pine is a major detractor from production. It’s on my neighbors property, the other day he stopped by and while we were chatting he said that tree must block a lot of light? You should cut it down. So it looks like some pine burning is in my future.

 

I’ve posted this before too, but here goes again. Also, I designed this house from the ground up to maximize the solar capacity, the roof 5/12 and is 180* South, and we get partial shading only for about a month during the lowest sun angle times of the year.

Grid tied PV solar
Our initial PV array was a 6.8kw system, we added 10 more panels (3.15kw) later bringing the total system up to 9.95kw.
6.8kw system installed was $17,076
3.15kw addition installed was $7,880
Both systems qualified for a 26% Fed tax credit which is $6488 total. So our total cost was $18,468, we paid cash. This does not include the Tesla Powerwall, that is a luxury strictly for grid power outages, the system works the same without the Powerwall.





-The subsidies are tax credits, so you don't get the money until you file your taxes. The good thing about this tax credit is that you can roll it over from year to year, so if your Fed tax bill for the year is lower than your credit you can just carry the credit over to the next year.
-The Tesla Powerwall backup system we installed is not necessary for the grid tied system to work, we installed it as a luxury it was $15K with a 26% tax credit.
-Our house is wired for resistive electric heat, but we don't use it, we heat 100% with wood. All appliances are electric.
-We do not have to monitor our electricity usage and we have not changed our electricity use habits i.e. "given up any niceties". I sized the array appropriately so that it would meet our needs
-After 10-15-20 years? Not sure what you are asking here but, All of the equipment has at least a 20 year warranty. The array will loose production as it ages maybe as much as 10%. A quick google of how to dispose of PV solar gave some options.
-The system will reliably produce ~13,000kwh/year and has a 20 year lifespan (these are conservative numbers), so including for reduced production as the system ages it will produce ~234,000 kwh. Residential electricity rate is currently $.215/kwh so if the rates never go up (fat chance) the system will produce $50K worth of electricity.
-Both of our EVs will average for the year ~3.3 to 3.5 mi/kwh
15,000 miles/3.3=4,500kwh yearly electricity consumption.
-Our house electricity use per year before the EVs was consistently ~4000kwh
so 4500+4500+4000= 13,000kwh. We don’t buy gasoline.

Maine has net metering for PV solar. The array will produce way more than we use in a month in the high production months. Net metering will give us credits for the unused kwh and we will use them during the low production months, so over a year it evens out. The credits expire, so what you don't want to do is have your array produce more than you use in a year because you ultimately will not receive any benefit from the extra production and you would have paid more for the array.

 

I’m guessing you also paid install labor for your system too?

 

The prices I listed include install.

 

4.5 year payback for a (uncomplicated) ) 7kw grid-tie roof mount system here. Cash, no loans, no lease. When you add batteries it jumps to 10 years. Probably a bit less now with the more recent rate increases.
Although detractors will claim otherwise, a system supposedly raises property value similarly to some home improvements, around 7%, iirc.
Every state can be quite different for costs, paybacks and ROI though, so YMMV certainly applies.

 

Yeah, me too and it looks like that will be the continuing theme thru the week with clouds and snow on a regular basis.

A ground mounted system would be fairly easy to keep cleaned off. Plus, I believe it would be more steeply pitched than my roof, so that would help it shed snow. Two other roof-mounted arrays I pass in the center of town have cleared themselves off as of yesterday morning. One is a steep roof and another that is somewhat steeper pitched than my fairly shallow roof.

My standing seam roof has a 30 year minimum life span. I had it installed in 2014 so should get me to 2044 - at which time I'll be in my 80's. But yeah, people need to think about that issue too - don't want to install solar then 5-7 years later have to replace the roof.

I've noticed a lot of ads for replacing both the roof and installing solar at the same time lately. Guess there is also a tax credit for new roof installations and they've raised the amount. When I did my windows and roof it was a $500 lifetime credit - which my ex and I had already used on my old house, so I was ineligible. Looks like it is now $1,200 per year. There may be income limits too - I didn't look that closely.

 

That’s what I’m finding…

labor can about double the cost of anything from a car repair to a home construction to a solar system….

sweat equity can really change a cost.

 

Indeed, skilled labor isn’t cheap, but I don’t have the time, desire, skill, or tools, so I don’t mind paying for good skilled tradesmen.

 

Me too.

 

Got my electric bill for February 2023. Considering the last 7 days of the billing cycle my panels were snow covered, I came out pretty good. First off, my production report for the exact time frame that my electric bill is for. The solar company and electric company are off just a little from each other. But let's just assume that the 330 shown in the circle below was my total consumption.



Power company says I pulled 244 kwh while solar company says I pulled 248 kwh. Electric company says I pushed 180 kwh while solar company says I pushed 176 kwh. All in all, close enough for me.

The power company shows my net usage as 64 kwh and total charges were $35.65





So in February, a low production month (but with the sun angle better than Dec. & Jan.), nearly 64% of the bill ($22.71) was the basic costumer charge and other charges that were not the actual cost of energy consumed.

Solar company shows, total usage was 330 kwh (just so you don't have to go back to look). Last Sept, prior to the array install, I used 338 kwh and my bill was $119.62.



I didn't pay the electric company $80, in a low production month (the math comes out to $84, but I subtracted some for the 8 kwh difference).

 

In short we went solar in 2015. It was a financially sound decision on our part and made sense for our circumstances.
I think that’s all I could really advocate. If it makes sense to do it, go for it. If not, there might not be much of a point to it.

 

Been really enjoying this guys channel lately. Saves from having to do the testing phases myself.

 

Good videos to watch

In the second video, about 9:35 it shows snow sliding off the roof-top array. Although that may be typical, I can assure you, mine do not do that. That roof looks about the same pitch as mine, so I'm unsure why it. I know that it is now very safe to walk under my roof eave - except the north side that doesn't have any panels on it - that one still comes down like a freight train.

 

I would assume if they do that, the panels would not withstand as much wind. I live in a place where the wind can easily get up there as it is funneled down two different streets that converge at my place. I've gone thru several storm doors (not the cheap ones either) at the front entry because the wind is so volatile - even with the bolt locks thrown at all times and the huge rhodies out front helping to protect from the west wind.

 

Got my February bill from my utility, an example of how net metering works and why if you have it in your state you don't need batteries, we pay $6.84 a month for the privilege of being connected to the grid. Started with 605 kWh credits that we generated last summer, used all of them but produced enough to make up the difference for the monthly usage and ended the month with 253 new credits. My array is sized just right.

 

NICE! Looks like Maine has a pretty good net metering program. We pay twice that to be connected ($13.81).

I believe it depends on the state you reside in on how good the net metering rules are. NH is rated as one of the top places with the ability to roll over credits forever (or take a payout). Early adopters of solar didn't have to pay the full "draw" from the grid for stranded recovery costs and systems benefits charges - they just paid for net draw (as the other charges are). But that got changed a couple of years ago - although those in that program are grandfathered in.

Although it would be nice to have a battery for power outages, if your state has a good plan and the system is sized appropriately, then you shouldn't "need" a battery just to avoid paying a bill in winter.

 

Yeah no "roll over" option or ability to sell back excess credits in Maine, it is my understanding that credits are date stamped and expire at one year. And the rules have changed over time here as well depending on the political affiliation of the Governor and majority legislature, but grandfathering is also in effect. There is a current push to de-privatize the electric utility in Maine, I have not looked into how that would affect the net metering rules if it goes through.