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Solar Panel Discussion...


Schu

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SOLAR PANEL:
So I just went thru the SOLAR schpeel here at the house because I was understandably curious.
 
it all sounded wonderful and so... 'responsible'.
 
It wasn't as expensive and I thought it was going to be, but I have some serious questions.
 
Our quote was only $21k all in @ 3.99% for 20 years... But when I priced the panels out myself and it only came to $4,000 (leaving $17k). Surely I am not going to do the job myself and according to the sales person, it's a four hour job and while there some other costs for wiring and an inverter (I will allot another 3$k) that leaves $14k... that's like $3500hr in labor.
 
So lets say, I am paying $100 a month for the system over 20 years, and my monthly payment for wired electricity is $100-$140 (summertime) a month over the same time period, it is basically a wash in terms of capital outlay, and it appears to me that I am paying $21,000 over 20 years for some over priced photovoltaic hardware to sit on my roof.
This current generation technology is getting older and older and is probably already outdated before its bolted to my roof.
 
At this point I don't think this is for me... I am not that 'energy conscience'.
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I went solar when I built my house because in the bigger picture the 15K after all the tax credits/rebates was a small chunk of the total home build budget. It has been nice not having an electric bill for 11+ years. And once a year I get a $200 check on average for excess generation.

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you can't base these purchase calculations on projections, specially projections that have no certainty. this isnt taxes or forward looking guidance where a historical trend in known.

 

in order to make an accurate decision, the decision needs to applicable and accretive in the moment.

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Probably works out since you're in NV.  Its a bit tougher to net out here in MN.

Are you sure you're getting enough watts?

What about night time?

Maybe think about disposal costs down the road?

What is the condition of your roof, how soon is it due for replacement?

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15 hours ago, Schu said:

I'm not getting it... it DOES NOT make sense to me.

 

It's really not that difficult to understand. Especially for someone whom, IMO, on the forum tries to project the persona of a financial brain trust, knower of markets, crypto expert, etc. I would also guess that your short, terse replies are more trolling than really not getting it. I'd wager you've got time on your hands and are looking for a fun back and forth argument or just trying to bait people. Which is cool, everyone likes to stir the pot from time to time... myself include. Let's just assume I'm wrong about all that.

 

I'd also bet you already had your mind made up about solar possibly, you didn't even listen to somebody's "spiel" (but I'll take you at your word on that). BTW, a guy on the internet like me or a person whose neighbor has panels and the owner explained it to your neighbor and your neighbor explained to you doesn't count. 

 

It's no more difficult to grasp than refinancing your house. In the simple house example it's going to cost you $3,000 to refinance and it's going to take you x-months of savings to recoup that $3,000. If I plan to stay in the house more than x months I really have no financial choice but to refinance. I might have other emotional reasons not to but, the numbers say refinance. Conversely if I plan on selling before I break even there's no reason to pay money just to have a smaller house payment because in the long run it will cost me more. I think even a middle school kid could grasp that.

 

There are never any absolutes but with a little homework I think you can make some reasonably safe assumptions to start the cocktail napkin calculations. First and foremost the cost of electricity is probably (not absolutely) going to stay the same or go up. I can't really think of many things we consume on a regular basis that don't go up. For the sake of argument let's take the best case it stays the same.

 

The system costs you roughly 20 grand. How much are you going to save every month/year? Will that annual or monthly savings be more than the time you plan to stay in the current house? If the answer to that last question is no there's no reason to worry about any other esoteric what if scenarios. You should not consider it.

 

If on the surface it looks like the time spent with the solar panels would save you money in the long run, it's time to dig a Little deeper. Can you pay for it all up front or do you have to finance it or do you have to sell your $100 KHorns for $11K horns to help pay for some of the 20K? If you're financing it, the time you spend in the house and or the monthly savings have to be greater. Could you take the 20K for panels and do something else with it that makes you more $$$ than your electricity over that same period costs? Could you do something with that 20K that makes you more happy like a world-class vacation and a lifetime of memories? Where are they going to be located on my house and if I find them ugly will I regret it every time I drive down my street? If utilizing the money in a different manner than solar panels makes you happier screw the panels and do what you want.

 

Things like roof replacement, panel disposal and future buyers turning up their nose are all red herrings. Those issues are already been addressed long ago and are baked into the price of a high quality system. In my experience, these arguments are typically thrown out by people who already have a bias towards solar panels or have spent zero time talking to a high quality solar installation company. You need to get actual references from installations they've done years prior and talk to the homeowners to find out both their experience with the company and the expected versus realized gains. The technology changes quickly and the panels only get more efficient so if you compare numbers today to somebody from 5 years ago you can only do better. 

 

So what's not to get?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I am looking into solar system, I have few acres around my house, and the panels won't be on my roof. I was quoted for 50 kw system, came to over 100k usd. will offset my current usage from electric company by 80%. My average bill will go down by about 1 k / month. 

I am still thinking about it.

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2 hours ago, rplace said:

 

It's really not that difficult to understand. Especially for someone whom, IMO, on the forum tries to project the persona of a financial brain trust, knower of markets, crypto expert, etc. I would also guess that your short, terse replies are more trolling than really not getting it. I'd wager you've got time on your hands and are looking for a fun back and forth argument or just trying to bait people. Which is cool, everyone likes to stir the pot from time to time... myself include. Let's just assume I'm wrong about all that.

 

I'd also bet you already had your mind made up about solar possibly, you didn't even listen to somebody's "spiel" (but I'll take you at your word on that). BTW, a guy on the internet like me or a person whose neighbor has panels and the owner explained it to your neighbor and your neighbor explained to you doesn't count. 

 

It's no more difficult to grasp than refinancing your house. In the simple house example it's going to cost you $3,000 to refinance and it's going to take you x-months of savings to recoup that $3,000. If I plan to stay in the house more than x months I really have no financial choice but to refinance. I might have other emotional reasons not to but, the numbers say refinance. Conversely if I plan on selling before I break even there's no reason to pay money just to have a smaller house payment because in the long run it will cost me more. I think even a middle school kid could grasp that.

 

There are never any absolutes but with a little homework I think you can make some reasonably safe assumptions to start the cocktail napkin calculations. First and foremost the cost of electricity is probably (not absolutely) going to stay the same or go up. I can't really think of many things we consume on a regular basis that don't go up. For the sake of argument let's take the best case it stays the same.

 

The system costs you roughly 20 grand. How much are you going to save every month/year? Will that annual or monthly savings be more than the time you plan to stay in the current house? If the answer to that last question is no there's no reason to worry about any other esoteric what if scenarios. You should not consider it.

 

If on the surface it looks like the time spent with the solar panels would save you money in the long run, it's time to dig a Little deeper. Can you pay for it all up front or do you have to finance it or do you have to sell your $100 KHorns for $11K horns to help pay for some of the 20K? If you're financing it, the time you spend in the house and or the monthly savings have to be greater. Could you take the 20K for panels and do something else with it that makes you more $$$ than your electricity over that same period costs? Could you do something with that 20K that makes you more happy like a world-class vacation and a lifetime of memories? Where are they going to be located on my house and if I find them ugly will I regret it every time I drive down my street? If utilizing the money in a different manner than solar panels makes you happier screw the panels and do what you want.

 

Things like roof replacement, panel disposal and future buyers turning up their nose are all red herrings. Those issues are already been addressed long ago and are baked into the price of a high quality system. In my experience, these arguments are typically thrown out by people who already have a bias towards solar panels or have spent zero time talking to a high quality solar installation company. You need to get actual references from installations they've done years prior and talk to the homeowners to find out both their experience with the company and the expected versus realized gains. The technology changes quickly and the panels only get more efficient so if you compare numbers today to somebody from 5 years ago you can only do better. 

 

So what's not to get?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't get it because I don't factor financing... no house payment, and now, no solar payment.

 

that's not to hard to comprehend is it?

 

The Fakakta math was spelled out in the OP... using their numbers, my cost is 100 month... using my average consumption, my current costs are from 100-150 month with winter months <100 and 3-4 summer Months 150 month... that's a wash over the macro view of 20 years.

 

so what I am getting... some obsolete technology bolted to my roof that has to be upgraded in order to maintain functionality or to even maintain output levels (because photovoltaic degrades drastically over time). I forgot to also factor in the new Holes in the roof of my zero mortgage property, the unsightly embellishment to my roof and any future complications that might arise during a home sale.

 

all this does NOT add up to a GOOD IDEA in my opinion... What part are you failing to comprehend?

 

Labeling people, and certain ideals that are not aligned with your personal views, if fairly sophomoric and illustrate not only a lack on compassion and intelligence, but one of hatred and rage... living in a manner of 'judgement' all the time will take a toll on you.

 

ESG is a fantasy within your lifetime...

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For the average solar panel setup by the time you might break even it will be time to replace the panels, batteries and inverters so it's a wash. I know this for fact because one of my good friends is in the electrical generation business but also works on pump stations and solar generation systems etc.... He has told me for the average homeowner it's a scam and that makes sense crunching the number here in New England.

 

Now if you can utilize enough area to generate enough power where you basically become a small power generation company then it would be worth it. But that's for someone with lots of land and even better in a location where you get lots of Sunny days year round. The average roof top setup in New England is a bust for the majority of people that paid out $20k for the setup. My friend gets called out because often the company that you paid to install the system won't help when you are still paying about the same for your electricity, maybe $50 less than what it was without the solar setup. Most people call the company after a few months asking if it's working properly because they aren't seeing the gains they were quoted. The company comes out and says all is well and there is nothing they can do about it. Then my friend gets called out to inspect or troubleshoot the system, after he sits down and explains it to them why they aren't yielding what they were told then the customer usually becomes very upset and looks to get him in the middle of a fight to which he obviously will not. I guess he leaves with the bill a professional assessment that they can use for their argument against the company but little recourse can be made once it's all installed and you have forked over the cash.

 

If you can DIY it's a no brainer since the markup is crazy with these companies. Do your own research on panels and get the best ones, often these companies install the cheapest ones possible that won't last a decade, the good ones will output for about 10 years then need to be replaced. Batteries same deal.

 

Most places will not even allow you to store your energy into batteries and require you to feed back into the grid what you aren't using and you only get a credit towards your bills. Setup costs for these systems are less expensive but also if you do not produce enough power it's a losing situation. With enough power it's worth it but that exception and not the general consensus by far.

 

 

I'm not for or against solar panels, I'm only saying it's situational which the companies selling the systems won't really tell you as they promise the holy grail answer to energy production. I advise contacting an engineer that is not in the business of selling the systems to crunch numbers for your specific situation. It could be an electrical engineer or master electrician that knows about the systems and can work through the numbers for your specific situation. Me personally would never put anything on my roof for multiple reasons but the majority of people with them on the roof don't gain much from the systems anyway unless your energy consumption is already extremely low. Having your average monthly energy statements ready is needed to work out how much power you will need to generate. That's a good place for the average person to start crunching numbers, convert that to how many square feet of panels that would require. Take into consideration you will most likely need to DOUBLE your solar power production in regard to usage due to no output at night. Basically during the day you need to produce double your daily usage in a 24 hour period because once the sun goes down you will want to be running off the excess you put into the grid during the day. For us at ~$.40 per kWh works out to around 700kWh monthly or 23kW per day. So we use about 1kW every hour on average. So for us we would require our panel array to produce roughly 40kW during a daily solar cycle to cover our usage. That's a lot of panels and a roof system will not come close to providing this. Families that use this much or more are in for a huge surprise when their rooftop system only generates 4kW per daily solar cycle yet they use 25kW per 24 hour cycle. We have a 20kW generator for backup to cover the entire house so if you have a household generator that does your entire home then you can most likely double your generator kW rating and that would be a good starting point for what type of power generation you require from your solar panel array.

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