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03/20/2012 08:39:18 AM · #1 |
my brother owns a solar company he needs a model home in my neighborhood.
i volunteered and am getting solar panels. i wont be completely off the grid since my roof inst big enough, but we are building a roof over the deck to add panels to. so i get solar panels and a back porch.
i will be about 80% solar when its all done.
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03/20/2012 08:44:39 AM · #2 |
Nice. I would love to go solar and not have to pay these power company so much money each month.
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03/20/2012 08:47:56 AM · #3 |
Originally posted by SDW:
Nice. I would love to go solar and not have to pay these power company so much money each month. |
im actually not saving that much money to start, about $250 the first year (i have to buy the panels, installation is free). but as energy costs increase, i keep paying the same price, so in a few years its going to be well worth it. |
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03/20/2012 10:39:57 AM · #4 |
I looked at that for our home and after crunching out the numbers I found the costs too high.
When we consider the initial costs, the life span of some of the components, the 20 year fixed price the utility company offered, and the fact that revenues generated are taxable income, I would be better off buying a nice sailboat and sailing the world.
You are way ahead of the game if you can get the solar panels (I will assume at cost) and get them installed for free... so go for it.
Ray |
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03/20/2012 10:41:01 AM · #5 |
Originally posted by RayEthier:
You are way ahead of the game if you can get the solar panels (I will assume at cost) and get them installed for free... so go for it.
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that's the only reason i am doing it. |
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03/20/2012 11:05:41 AM · #6 |
Mike,
You are doing the right thing. These initiatives are not about saving money, but the strategic positioning of your dwelling for the days of rolling blackouts that will come. I salute you for the contribution you make to cut down on pollution. We all will one day realize that we had a role to play. |
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03/20/2012 12:05:26 PM · #7 |
| actually i was joking that everyone would be partying at my house during Armageddon, unless, of course there were a nuclear winter... |
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03/20/2012 01:21:17 PM · #8 |
Good luck of the solar cells. My parents looke into it for their house and even with the tax rebates...etc. It was still too expensive. Eventually the price will come down so that the normal people can afford them.
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03/20/2012 01:29:27 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by cowboy221977:
Good luck of the solar cells. My parents looke into it for their house and even with the tax rebates...etc. It was still too expensive. Eventually the price will come down so that the normal people can afford them. |
There are some companies trying a different model, where you lease the system rather than buying it. As I understand it, the company pays for the installation, and you make monthly payments to them rather than to the regular power company. Somehow, you are supposed to pay less overall ... |
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03/20/2012 01:45:59 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Originally posted by cowboy221977:
Good luck of the solar cells. My parents looke into it for their house and even with the tax rebates...etc. It was still too expensive. Eventually the price will come down so that the normal people can afford them. |
There are some companies trying a different model, where you lease the system rather than buying it. As I understand it, the company pays for the installation, and you make monthly payments to them rather than to the regular power company. Somehow, you are supposed to pay less overall ... |
that how this is working, my brother has a leasing company he works with, they front the money for the panels and i make the payments to them, i can put money down if i choose, and there are options where they keep the green credits or i get them.
my price is very cheap since i am paying at cost materials only as opposed to the markup and installation he would normally charge. |
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03/20/2012 01:52:40 PM · #11 |
Be sure to let us know how it goes!  |
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03/20/2012 02:28:01 PM · #12 |
will do. its going to take about 6 weeks until they get installed.
i'll post photos. |
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03/20/2012 02:31:40 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by docpjv:
Mike,
You are doing the right thing. These initiatives are not about saving money, but the strategic positioning of your dwelling for the days of rolling blackouts that will come. I salute you for the contribution you make to cut down on pollution. We all will one day realize that we had a role to play. |
Can't say that I agree with this statement.
When one considers the enormous amount waste of energy by all, then perhaps consideration might be given to reducing the overall intake by all parties concerned.
I can't speak for anyone else, but in our household we have very few lights on at any given time, do our laundry during off-peak hours, and use natural gas to heat, cook and warm our water. My biggest complaint is that the costs of delivery exceeds the cost of consumption.
Oh... and about blackouts, I am not too too concerned about that, I have a generator to tend to our basic needs. As for pollution, I don't recall hydro electricity being a major player in that realm.
Finally, you are absolutely right that initiatives such as this are "Not about saving money"... not even close. Rather, they are a mechanism to get Joe Schmuck to subsidize the excesses others.
ETA: Mind you, if I could get something like this installed at cost, I would give it serious consideration.
Just my two cents.
Ray
Message edited by author 2012-03-20 14:39:28. |
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03/20/2012 02:50:19 PM · #14 |
| I have a few friends with panels and one of my understandings is one of the first pieces to go is the inverter. The lifespan on that may be only a number of years, three to five, and isn't insignificant to replace. |
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03/20/2012 02:51:13 PM · #15 |
Have not looked seriously at it - too far north, too much snow, have shaded roof from trees that I will not remove, wrong type of roor position (I don't want to look at em like some people obviously like) e.t.c. but....
every time I look at things that have gov rebates/tax credit or whatever the prices just rise to cover that rebate. Now obviously getting stuff at cost changes the equation :-) |
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03/20/2012 04:08:07 PM · #16 |
While retrofitting solar power into a house the works off AC is not a great deal at the moment compared to current municipal utility prices, I don't see the price of fuel dropping in the coming years. If you build from the ground up with solar power in mind, using DC low wattage lighting ect, solar is already cheaper in many circumstances. Given the spike in oil prices the embargo of Iran has already caused and an increasing demand of a dwindling supply of oil, solar is looking better every day.
A friend built an off the grid 2500 sf post and beam center hall colonial outside Stoddard New Hampshire and most of the components are still ticking along 30 years later. Unless you go into the basement and see the rack of car batteries used for storage, you would never know that it was solar powered.
Message edited by author 2012-03-20 16:12:42. |
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03/20/2012 04:26:17 PM · #17 |
Originally posted by DrAchoo:
I have a few friends with panels and one of my understandings is one of the first pieces to go is the inverter. The lifespan on that may be only a number of years, three to five, and isn't insignificant to replace. |
part of the lease agreement is maintenance and warranty for the entire term. |
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03/20/2012 04:32:59 PM · #18 |
Originally posted by DrAchoo:
I have a few friends with panels and one of my understandings is one of the first pieces to go is the inverter. The lifespan on that may be only a number of years, three to five, and isn't insignificant to replace. |
"For inverters, the industry standard (warranties) is 5 years on parts and labour. It is well known that the typical life span of an inverter is around 15-20 years; so the possibility that you will have to change the inverter during the 20 year timeframe (e.g. span of FIT contracts in Ontario) is not unlikely. For this reason, you may consider buying extended warranty or inverters with warranty above the industry standards (clearly these will cost more). " from //www.appropedia.org/Lifespan_and_Reliability_of_Solar_Photovoltaics_-_Literature_Review
If they are expecting 3-5 years they must be buying pretty cheap inverters, or they have a surge problem. An inverter should last longer than a refrigerator, but not as long as a roof. |
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03/20/2012 04:35:04 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by BrennanOB:
Originally posted by DrAchoo:
I have a few friends with panels and one of my understandings is one of the first pieces to go is the inverter. The lifespan on that may be only a number of years, three to five, and isn't insignificant to replace. |
"For inverters, the industry standard (warranties) is 5 years on parts and labour. It is well known that the typical life span of an inverter is around 15-20 years; so the possibility that you will have to change the inverter during the 20 year timeframe (e.g. span of FIT contracts in Ontario) is not unlikely. For this reason, you may consider buying extended warranty or inverters with warranty above the industry standards (clearly these will cost more). " from //www.appropedia.org/Lifespan_and_Reliability_of_Solar_Photovoltaics_-_Literature_Review
If they are expecting 3-5 years they must be buying pretty cheap inverters, or they have a surge problem. An inverter should last longer than a refrigerator, but not as long as a roof. |
Well, take what I say with a grain of salt. It's secondhand info, but from a guy I know to be intelligent and also very much into stuff like this. He works for EWEB, our local electric board, and just got panels himself last year. |
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03/20/2012 05:33:51 PM · #20 |
I attended not one, but two of the seminars offered in my area dealing with the issue of solar panels, took all of the information home and spoke personally to people in the know (other than those making the sales pitch) and in this part of the world, this is not a good financial venture, unless of course you can write it off.
I am all in favor of going green, but will not put myself in the poor house to do it.
Now if I owned a farm, I could write all of this off as part of my operating costs and convert income generated into payments on my initial investments.
Ray |
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03/20/2012 08:52:42 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by RayEthier:
I attended not one, but two of the seminars offered in my area dealing with the issue of solar panels, took all of the information home and spoke personally to people in the know (other than those making the sales pitch) and in this part of the world, this is not a good financial venture, unless of course you can write it off.
I am all in favor of going green, but will not put myself in the poor house to do it.
Now if I owned a farm, I could write all of this off as part of my operating costs and convert income generated into payments on my initial investments.
Ray |
i was going to do this years ago, but the great state of NJ killed the rebates. now through this lease i actually save a few bucks a year, and those savings go up as energy costs increase.
if my brother had nor offered to do this at cost, i wouldn't be doing it. this is actually his first venture into residential, most of what he does is commercial and large properties where they set up solar farms to get the green energy credits. |
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03/20/2012 09:05:40 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by mike_311:
Originally posted by RayEthier:
I attended not one, but two of the seminars offered in my area dealing with the issue of solar panels, took all of the information home and spoke personally to people in the know (other than those making the sales pitch) and in this part of the world, this is not a good financial venture, unless of course you can write it off.
I am all in favor of going green, but will not put myself in the poor house to do it.
Now if I owned a farm, I could write all of this off as part of my operating costs and convert income generated into payments on my initial investments.
Ray |
i was going to do this years ago, but the great state of NJ killed the rebates. now through this lease i actually save a few bucks a year, and those savings go up as energy costs increase.
if my brother had nor offered to do this at cost, i wouldn't be doing it. this is actually his first venture into residential, most of what he does is commercial and large properties where they set up solar farms to get the green energy credits. |
Could always try a wind farm...
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03/20/2012 09:14:11 PM · #23 |
and what about when this happens?
youtube |
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03/20/2012 10:28:09 PM · #24 |
Originally posted by BrennanOB:
...If you build from the ground up with solar power in mind, using DC low wattage lighting ect, solar is already cheaper in many circumstances. Given the spike in oil prices the embargo of Iran has already caused and an increasing demand of a dwindling supply of oil, solar is looking better every day.
A friend built an off the grid 2500 sf post and beam center hall colonial outside Stoddard New Hampshire and most of the components are still ticking along 30 years later. Unless you go into the basement and see the rack of car batteries used for storage, you would never know that it was solar powered. |
I am in no means close to a Greenie. I drive a Ford F150, ride motorcycles through the forest, etc., but when I find the land I want (in the middle of nowhere) and build my house, I plan to be off the grid. Solar power (LEDs these days are great for lighting with little power), straw bale construction on a post and beam, solar heated (as much as possible) and water collected to a cistern. I am sure I will have the backups and maybe sell power back to "the grid." Not so much to be green, but to be self sufficient.
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03/21/2012 06:14:29 AM · #25 |
Originally posted by dacrazyrn:
Originally posted by BrennanOB:
...If you build from the ground up with solar power in mind, using DC low wattage lighting ect, solar is already cheaper in many circumstances. Given the spike in oil prices the embargo of Iran has already caused and an increasing demand of a dwindling supply of oil, solar is looking better every day.
A friend built an off the grid 2500 sf post and beam center hall colonial outside Stoddard New Hampshire and most of the components are still ticking along 30 years later. Unless you go into the basement and see the rack of car batteries used for storage, you would never know that it was solar powered. |
I am in no means close to a Greenie. I drive a Ford F150, ride motorcycles through the forest, etc., but when I find the land I want (in the middle of nowhere) and build my house, I plan to be off the grid. Solar power (LEDs these days are great for lighting with little power), straw bale construction on a post and beam, solar heated (as much as possible) and water collected to a cistern. I am sure I will have the backups and maybe sell power back to "the grid." Not so much to be green, but to be self sufficient. |
first i dont think you can sell power back to he grid, yes your meter spins backwards when you are generating more than you use and you get credit for what you provide, but the power company doesn't cut you a check for helping them out.
your aren't allowed to be a utility.
LEDs have the same problem as solar and the same as most "green" technologies. they have a huge initial investment, they break even point on led lighting is something like 7 years. if there are instant savings consumers will but into it, but when you fork over a few hundred or thousand dollars to save pennies and hundreds respectively, its hard for most to justify the investment.
electric cars are the same, the premium you pay is the cost of what you would spend in fuel over a couple of years, so do you want to front the money now or pay more later, most choose the later.
its needs to be heavily subsidized to take hold or we have to wait and hope that the initial costs come down.
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