[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.