Solar power for residential

Any one using solar power for their home.


What are you thoughts on it.

Better question is why and to what degree of independence are you looking at

Who’s responsible for the maintenance of the solar panels, life span, cost of insurance, etc? My wife’s cousin did it to her house about a year ago, I haven’t had a chance to chat her up about it.

Just Looking at options. would like to be as independent as I can be with out breaking the bank so I think a battery storage is out of the question.

Where I am building I do not have a choice on power companies and just thinking long term if the solar would be a better way to go

personally no but one of my previous deer lease owners built his retirement home on the ranch and put in full solar and rainwater collection/purification system. He said during the day his electric meter ran backwards from the solar panels and he got credit from the power company, his bill was virtually zero. Likewise, he only had to revert back to his well during the drought back in 2011-2013ish. Shooting from memory, the solar system was pretty pricey but he said it would pay for itself within a few years on electricity savings and credit back.

You can off set costs with solar but to live off grid it’s a whole other ball game.

Biggest key is just building a very efficient home, and let unused energy sales be your pay off.

A neighbor has it. I'm too old to ever recoup the cost.

A lot depends on your lifestyle and how primitive you want or willing to live.

Last time I looked at it, though the math may have changed by now, the payout was about 15 years. That doesn’t work for me.

My neighbor who has it lives just everyone else in the neighborhood. He's hooked up to the electric grid just like you and me. He accumulates points aka dollars.

He also has some type alternate heating and cooling system. They drilled several deep holes in his yard. Seems like it took six months to complete.

My sister just had it installed. Here is what the claim is... Her current electric bill is upwards of $350 per month, and the solar panels are supposed to cover all her electric needs on a monthly basis. When she has extra electricity that goes to the grid, she will "bank" that electricity with the electric company so that she can use it on months that the solar does not cover her needs. They will not pay her for extra electricity that she does not use. Her payment for the solar is only about $170 per month. Now that is all in theory. They just completed the install last week, so it remains to be seen if it works out that way.

Cost? That's one thing in ever got from my neighbor.

170 for how many months?

One thing that comes to mind with the "banking" the extra electricity with the electric provider would they have to pay delivery fee's for it? Since you send it to them to credit your account then you have to pay to get that credit back to you, I wouldn't be shocked if that's the case.

Never heard of a delivery fee for electricity. Im sure you are still responsible for the minimum, I know my electric/water both have minimums if you don't use any you still pay x a month as long as you have the service hooked up.

Here center point charges a delivery fee, it may be hidden somewhere on your bill.

I don't know anybody that has one. But I wouldn't want it on the roof just because of hail storms. I don't know how tough they are against hail. I could just imagine a scenario where hail doesn't damage it, but does the rest of the roof. But you need to remove it to replace the whole roof. And I guess you could replace roofing right up to it, but not under it. Lots of scenarios.

Electric rates will never go down. When energy prices go down they just tack on more "fees". Neighbors have solar. They love it.

Solar is the future for homes. Like it or not.

I concur. I'd go solar if I built a new house but would not add it to my existing house.

If you install solar, is there an impact on homeowners insurance coverge? Extra coverage for system? Change fire ratings? Weather liabilty?

I think improvements will be made. I can see solar panels as part of the roofing.

You cannot put electricity into the grid. That's one reason whole house generators diconnect your house from the grid when they run. Safety

I have a coworker that went solor on a house that was built in 2016, The house is about 2500 sq.ft.

He said the install was $30,000. He said that the elect company paid him $170 last month.

He also stated he was supposed to get $16,000 check from the us Government at the end of the year.

I asked him if that was a credit and he said no that,s a rebate. I Don't know but that is what he has told me.

I looked it up. I'll paraphrase.

They use an inverter. Solar power is generated via the solar panels as the sunlight hits your solar panels. The energy obtained is then converted into DC electricity, which is sent to your inverter. ... When your solar power system is producing more electricity than is required, it feeds the excess power back into the grid.

My buddy bought a house with solar panels but they weren't being used. He got hit with hail and insurance paid for them! Did very well in that storm...