Home Solar Installation

[qwikz28]

The wife and I are taking possession of a single family home sometime late winter and we will be doing some work on the house before moving in. She thinks solar panels are ugly, but I'd like to see some panels put on the roof before we move in. Our energy bills during the summer were astronomical and I can only imagine how high they will rise in a house with single zone A/C and triple the square footage of our current apartment. What makes this house ideal for solar panels is the rear of the house faces the South, so its almost continuously exposed on a sunny day.

I've seen advertisements for solar panel financing which allows you to put little to no money down, and let the savings in the energy bill pay the payments. It almost seems like a no-brainer since we will likely stay in the home for at least 5 or 6 years. Has anyone done it? Anything I am missing or should consider?

[Mike]

The financing is really only worth it if you are going to stay in the house long enough that YOU see the savings not the solar company.

[qwikz28]

I believe it would be an asset to the home. If at the end of my stay in the home it had paid for itself, I would imagine it would only add to the value of the home. Nonetheless, I imagine with my wife's hatred with turning off electronics, it would likely pay for itself before we leave the home.

The tax benefits don't hurt either.

[Paul Huryk]

Keep in mind that with panels mounted on the roof, any sort of future roof work becomes extremely difficult.

[//<86TA>\\]

From my experience, the payoffs can be up to 20 years so its not likely you will pay them off in energy savings in 5 years, the efficiencys of the panels are no where near where they need to be. I believe the best efficiency rating of the common panels is something like 23-24%.

Also, there are situations where having solar panels on your house will increase homeowners insurance because of potential damage and added cost of roof repairs as well as problems that could arise of there is ever a house fire. Solar panels cannot be turned off, they continue to produce power so long as they are exposed to light, so fire companies will be unable to put water on the house due to the electrocution hazard. I know some companies are told to let the house burn in some instances because of this hazard.

I don't install these but as an electrician I have dealt wire a lot of homes with solar panels on roofs or with arrays in the yard. My honest opinion, solar power is a wonderful thing but the technology just isn't there to make it practice yet. I see all these fields filling up with solar farms and I would not be surprised to see them all abandoned in10-15 years

[elle]

I don't install these but as an electrician I have dealt wire a lot of homes with solar panels on roofs or with arrays in the yard. My honest opinion, solar power is a wonderful thing but the technology just isn't there to make it practice yet. I see all these fields filling up with solar farms and I would not be surprised to see them all abandoned in10-15 years
Exactly!

Anyone that I have asked and is honest about, says it's not going to pay for itself before you need new panels. A few yrs ago with huge rebates and oil sky high it was a much better deal.

Don't waste your money

[qwikz28]

From my experience, the payoffs can be up to 20 years so its not likely you will pay them off in energy savings in 5 years, the efficiencys of the panels are no where near where they need to be. I believe the best efficiency rating of the common panels is something like 23-24%.

Also, there are situations where having solar panels on your house will increase homeowners insurance because of potential damage and added cost of roof repairs as well as problems that could arise of there is ever a house fire. Solar panels cannot be turned off, they continue to produce power so long as they are exposed to light, so fire companies will be unable to put water on the house due to the electrocution hazard. I know some companies are told to let the house burn in some instances because of this hazard.

I don't install these but as an electrician I have dealt wire a lot of homes with solar panels on roofs or with arrays in the yard. My honest opinion, solar power is a wonderful thing but the technology just isn't there to make it practice yet. I see all these fields filling up with solar farms and I would not be surprised to see them all abandoned in10-15 years

Whoa, alright I'm glad I asked. That's actually terrifying. The fire hazard part is unacceptable to me.

[maroman88]

for another firefighting perspective, they add weight to the roof system that the house was not designed to carry, add snow and ice in the winter, now throw in a fire that weakens the structure of the house as it burns, how much sooner will the roof collapse?
weve had some training with solar panels, cant apply water to them if on fire, cant disconnect or turn them off, local power company cant help/not their problem, so youre pretty much beat. we were told to contact the installer in an emergency, lol yea ok.

[sweetbmxrider]

Had them on a house I rented. Had two groupings of panels, I'd guess about 8 cells per panel. It would generate about 300 killawatts per month on a mostly sunny month. It would just about break even on the electric bill. There was a shut off on the side of the house to the meter which then went to the pole.

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

Keep in mind that with panels mounted on the roof, any sort of future roof work becomes extremely difficult.

Solar are panels are great for creating more business for me :nod:. Solar contractors routinely cause problems, yet the building owner is responsible for fixing them at a cost that's now at least twice as much!

Having someone besides a roofer work on your roof is like having your plumber work on your car.:lol:

[LTb1ow]

Holy ****, its nick.

[Mike]

Solar are panels are great for creating more business for me :nod:. Solar contractors routinely cause problems, yet the building owner is responsible for fixing them at a cost that's now at least twice as much!

Having someone besides a roofer work on your roof is like having your plumber work on your car.:lol:

Who else would plumb your turbo piping?

[Blackbirdws6]

I will toss my $0.02 into this from the energy side. I'm sure all of the roof concerns are valid. I see solar as icing on the cake when it comes to energy efficiency. You will traditionally see other energy efficient measures being more beneficial to the home value, comfort and lower monthly bills versus solar. The caveat is the non-solar measures comes with an out of pocket cost. That is unless you hook up with a financing program or state incentive program to cover part of the cost while allowing the rest to be financed.

There is a lot more that goes into energy usage in a living space. I am paying maybe $10-$20 more on average for my 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom ranch than I was for my 800 sq. ft apartment. It comes down to how everything is built, efficiency of the equipment etc. I would ask for representative bills for the new home before getting too scared. It may be better than you think. If you are not going to home during the day, I would suggest a good 7 day programmable thermostat. One with Wifi is nice since if you plan on being away from the home longer than expected, you can maintain the temperature setback by just using an app on your phone.

Solar folks have a slick sales game which usually means you do not actually own the panels but in turn finance them through your monthly energy savings or other lease agreement. If you do a lease, the tax benefits go to the installing company. It's been a while since I looked into any potential loop holes of sorts but this is my understanding.

[WildBillyT]

Jake, what's the insulation look like? Windows?

[qwikz28]

Jake, what's the insulation look like? Windows?

Top notch. House is relatively new (built in early 90s) and very well built. The windows are all double pane Andersons.

Still, I'm under the impression that even if the house has low energy costs, the utility companies will give you credits back for any amount you put into the grid. Since the rear of the house faces the south, my plan was to put panels only on the rear anyway so it would be out of view from the front of the house. But it doesn't matter what the savings are, I won't add a fire hazard to the house. No way.

[Blackbirdws6]

If you generate more than you are using, they will pay you for the kWh but the rate is pretty terrible. It doesn't pay to oversize.

[sweetbmxrider]

When we didn't use as much as we made, it rolled into credits applied to a future month's usage.

[//<86TA>\\]

If you generate more than you are using, they will pay you for the kWh but the rate is pretty terrible. It doesn't pay to oversize.

You receive energy credits, you will never receive a check.

[Blackbirdws6]

You receive energy credits, you will never receive a check.

I'm aware you do not get a check but a credit on your bill. The return rate is still terrible.

[sweetbmxrider]

I'm aware you do not get a check but a credit on your bill. The return rate is still terrible.

Mine was credited in energy generated. Straight trade kw to kw.

[Blackbirdws6]

Mine was credited in energy generated. Straight trade kw to kw.

Only up to 100% of your usage within a 12 month period. Anything in excess is paid back at a the wholesale electric rate. This goes back to my comment regarding over sizing of the system.

Net Metering in New Jersey

Net metering helps customers maximize their renewable energy investments. It enables customers to obtain full retail credits on their utility bill for each kWh of electricity their system produces up to 100% of their electricity usage over the course of a year.

When a renewable energy system produces more electricity than the customer actually uses, the customer will be compensated with credits at the full retail value of the electricity for the production over and above what they use. For example, on a typical sunny day at moderate temperatures, a customer with a solar system may use less electricity than the system actually generates. When electricity production exceeds usage, the utility meter will spin backwards and provide the customer with credits for the excess energy produced. These credits can be used by customers as needed.

With net metering, your electric meter spins forward when electricity flows from the utility into the home, and backwards when power flows from the home to the utility. Your stored kWhs are "netted," or paid back, on an annual basis.

Please be advised that when a net metered customer with a renewable energy system switches their electric supplier or elects to change their anniversary date, any excess generation that exists at the time of the change is credited at the wholesale electric rate known as Locational Marginal Pricing (LMP) rather than as a full retail credit. The solar electric generation balance is zeroed out and a new 12 month cycle begins on the effective date of switching to the new electric supplier or of establishing a new anniversary date. It is recommended that you consult with your existing supplier to understand the status of your net metering account prior to switching electric suppliers. The full text of the applicable rule may be found at N.J.A.C. 14:8-4.3 j (1) and (2).

Together, New Jersey's interconnection rules along with the net metering rules ensure that customers with renewable energy systems or generators are compensated for the clean, renewable energy they produce.

[sweetbmxrider]

Neat! Never got to that level.....

[Blackbirdws6]

Neat! Never got to that level.....

Too much gaming!