Thinking about going Solar.

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

I have given a lot of thought lately about going solar on my house, I haven’t looked into it much but have heard of programs that will help so it’s not as much money out of pocket.

Have any of you guys taken advantage of this? What’s the pros and cons of solar?

I just feel like I want to invest into renewable energy when it makes sense to do so.

Ohio has done a very poor job of renewable energy, we are one of the highest non renewable consumer states in the country and have some of the poorest air quality and most polluted waterways in the country as well.

 

[3Ts]

Renewable energy in the form of Solar, Wind, Hydro?, Biomass (wood or other combustible material), Geothermal would all be potential candidates. I don't know about any state or federal assistance programs, but I suspect some are out there. The key is what you are interested in accomplishing. From your post it sounds like the primary interest is in reducing your monthly energy cost. But, how much are you willing to pay up front to reduce your energy bill and how much will maintenance on your facility cost you?

- wind generator - a neighbor put up a wind turbine and tied it into the electric grid. It took long enough to get permits that he was very frustrated. (I'd been easier if he had not tied into the power company grid, but then he'd need additional equipment including batteries) He spent about $20k on the generator and associated equipment. It requires 20 mph wind to generate electricity to feed into the grid, and sometimes there is not enough wind and he pulls from the grid. Assuming an electric bill of $100/month, the $20K could have paid for 200 months of power and not have any maintenance concerns. So, what about the excess energy he fed into the grid? The terms to connect into it was that he gets credit for the month but not for any more than he uses. Meaning, his monthly bill can be as low as $0.00, but will never have a credit. And the months that he uses more than he generates, he gets billed for the difference. It does not carry over from one month to the next.

- solar - another neighbor took a different approach and is completely off-grid. He has a solar array and batteries and all the controllers, etc. He's not shared the costs with me, but he did say that if he makes it to 7 years without any problems, he'll break even and be all profit after that. However, just recently he shared that he forgot to check the water levels on some of his batteries and may have shortened their lifespan.

My point is this - be aware of all costs, especially the on-going maintenance costs and determine what you are really trying to accomplish. I'm all for environmental concerns, but I also look at the complete picture. I.e. what did it take to make those solar panels and to get them to me? Sometimes the answer to going off-grid or renewable energy to improve the environment is not what you'd expect.

 

[EddieWalker]

Of the dozen or so people that I've known in my life that lived off the grid, and where 100% depended on solar energy to power their homes, not one of them liked it. Most have sold their homes and bought places where they could be on the grid. The technology isn't there yet for it to be a practical replacement to city power, and if you remove the government incentives, very few people would have it. Sadly, the government got into the business of selling a product at the tax payers expense that allowed companies to make an inferior product that wasn't ready to be used to power homes, and as soon as the government quit giving out money to keep them in business, they quit selling that product. Latest that I've heard is that China is also backing away from solar now that the US taxpayer isn't subsidizing it like they used to.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

I have no plans to go off the grid and go solely on solar, I just wanted to stay on the grid and lower the electric bill by generating my own power.

 

[bunyip]

Went solar a few years ago and it knocked a lot of our power bill, we had off peak hot water and replaced that witha heat pump that runs during the day, that has cut us back even more, our power bills were about $900-1100 a quarter now around $150-200.
Managing use is critical, we run the dishwasher mid morning when the sun is high and never run the washing machine and dishwasher at the same time.
Of course our 'caring for the environment' power companies charge more for power when you have solar, we have a 4.5kw system but when we move will go for a 7.5kw, the prices have dropped dramatically over the past few years, we paid AU$6k for the 4.5kw but now they are about AU$4k, 7-8 years ago they were about $22k, we get a rebate on installation which makes it affordable, same with the hot water which cost us $250, the government picked up the remaining $1k+.
I believe wind power has more than its fair share of problems with bearing failures (I have heard) and you don't see a lot except for the many commercial wind farms.

 

[ChiefBodie]

Beware of solar leasing. The sales people make it sound great, but you are paying retail to high-retail for all of the components. If you can outright purchase, even with outside financing, that is better. The other disadvantage of a solar lease is the solar company requires them to approve of the buyer if you sell your property. Not something I would want.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Of the dozen or so people that I've known in my life that lived off the grid, and where 100% depended on solar energy to power their homes, not one of them liked it. Most have sold their homes and bought places where they could be on the grid. The technology isn't there yet for it to be a practical replacement to city power, and if you remove the government incentives, very few people would have it. Sadly, the government got into the business of selling a product at the tax payers expense that allowed companies to make an inferior product that wasn't ready to be used to power homes, and as soon as the government quit giving out money to keep them in business, they quit selling that product. Latest that I've heard is that China is also backing away from solar now that the US taxpayer isn't subsidizing it like they used to.

Truth: Most folks who go off-grid fail and are more than happy to move back to civilization. I have toured many of these failed "homesteads" and marvel that people managed to live there as long as they did. Yurts, quonset huts, shacks cobbled together with pallet wood and junkyard windows in the vain hope that "solar gain" will offset heat loss due to the single pane windows plus a general lack of insulation..... I have yurt-dwelling friends that can't sleep more than 2 hours at a time in winter due to the need to add more wood to the stove. I also have homesteading friends who have lived without any comforts whatsoever for over 25 years while waiting for the end times to come.

We are used to "flip a switch" and the lights go on. So most folks will be more comfortable with solar/wind as an adjunct to more conventional power. And you need a good, solid house to start with IMO.

Some of your comments about government incentives, etc., may be a little out of date. China is going whole hog on renewables. The technology is moving forward quickly now, and prices are going down.

I'm a big believer in having more than one source of energy; it just makes sense.

 

[ChiefBodie]

We are used to "flip a switch" and the lights go on.

Having to flip a switch seems like a great deal of effort. Do you do that for every room you enter? Occupancy sensors, computer controlled "scenes" that adjust lighting for you are the rage. Just ask me-- my neighbor has it all. But I do like his outside lights that automatically dim to half brightness at 10pm.

Me? I have none of it. I'm with you-- a switch flipper.

 

[bunyip]

Off the grid is viable but if we are less than 5km from power I wouldn't bother, batteries are still expensive and a back up generator is a must, I have seem off grid living but there seem to be a lot of compromises, depends on whether you want to live or exist.

 

[Budweiser John]

This is a timely thread as my wife and I just signed a contract for a 20KW solar system to be on line sometime in November of this year. We are not going off grid but having done a great deal or research in the last five months, the numbers stack up favorably reducing our total utility cost from around $350.00 per month to something around $25.00. In as much as we have geothermal heating and cooling and electric hot water the +/-$25.00 covers 100% all utilities but for a small amount of propane used for the kitchen range and great room fireplace.
Buyer beware. We invited four company’s to bid on the project and the price spread between the four bidders exceeded 30K. We then eliminated the highest and lowest bidder and concentrated our focus on the two remaining bids checking references, financial stability, sight inspections of completed projects, and final delivered price.
What really makes solar viable is the 30% federal tax credit available until December 31,2018 and the allowable execellerated depreciation. Our break even point is projected at 9 years and with an estimated increase in electricity cost at 4% per year compounded the estimated utility savings over 25 years approach $100K.
To be continued as the project unfolds

B. John