Going solar quesitons!

[Person2020]

Hi,


Wanted to see if anybody here done Solar installation recently. Have a few questions.


Is solar worth installing? Personally, i feel like we are prepaying our electricity bills for the next fifteen years. correct me if i am wrong.

We are in the process of replacing roof and wondering is it worth putting solar? What kind of savings do you get in doing both at the same time?

How much does it cost? After installation, will the electricity bill be truly zero? if not what percent needs to be paid?


Who are good installers to talk to?

[DannyHobkins]

You might want to hear from roofers and real estate agents. In some instances solar is considered a liability and it decreases your home value in many cases.

[ocnjgirl]

Originally Posted by DannyHobkins

You might want to hear from roofers and real estate agents. In some instances solar is considered a liability and it decreases your home value in many cases.

That’s mainly if they’re leased panels, because the buyer has to agree to take over the contract, and for many that’s a dealbreaker. If OP goes to the Real Estate forum she’ll find many over there say they’d not buy a house with leased panels.

[Mike_J]

Don’t do it.
I’d love to see an ROI on a typical 2,200 sq/ft home.
I know that the panels don’t last as long as they say they do and buyers have a difficult time collecting on the warranty.

[GiantRutgersfan]

I have looked into it but haven’t pulled the trigger yet. My roof is old, but doesn’t quite need replacing yet.

I got a quote for around $25k. Payback time would be 7-8 years for us. Depends on your electric use, how big of a system you get, and the size of your house (along with the orientation of your roof).

You get credits for energy produced, so not only will you have the low/$0 bill, you will get a check every so often (look up NJ SREC for the details).

power consumption is likely to shift upwards in the future, so that’s another consideration. Especially if you are gonna get an electric vehicle or a heat pump.

[peoj]

Anyone looking into solar backup batteries? We've been putting off getting a gas generator installed. Ideally, if I were to go solar, I would also like to have battery backup instead.

[HudsonCoNJ]

Originally Posted by GiantRutgersfan

I have looked into it but haven’t pulled the trigger yet. My roof is old, but doesn’t quite need replacing yet.

I got a quote for around $25k. Payback time would be 7-8 years for us. Depends on your electric use, how big of a system you get, and the size of your house (along with the orientation of your roof).

You get credits for energy produced, so not only will you have the low/$0 bill, you will get a check every so often (look up NJ SREC for the details).

power consumption is likely to shift upwards in the future, so that’s another consideration. Especially if you are gonna get an electric vehicle or a heat pump.

Where does one get accurate data for this? Relying on the people that are trying to sell you solar doesn’t seem wise, but with all these factors to consider it’s hard to know where to look.

[DefiantNJ]

I am afraid that this industry is very lightly regulated or not at all. So as is typical in the US, there are tons of scams, cheating and fraud. I do not trust anyone who calls me claiming they have a great, free solar solution just for me. I usually hang up and block their number...

This situation is a a shame since of course solar panels can help the environment and save $$ in some cases. Can someone recommend a reputable Solar installation company that does not cold call and does not engage in fraud.

[GiantRutgersfan]

Originally Posted by HudsonCoNJ

Where does one get accurate data for this? Relying on the people that are trying to sell you solar doesn’t seem wise, but with all these factors to consider it’s hard to know where to look.

https://sunroof.withgoogle.com/

https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/

https://www.energysage.com/solar/sre...lar-incentive/

https://www.energysage.com/

First two sites will help you determine if you are a good candidate, 3rd site explains TRECs, and you can also use that to get quotes on solar from actual installers

When I looked a few years back, Tesla was very fairly priced. You could just go to Tesla.com and find the solar section and get an idea of the cost and how big a system you need pretty easily. You do not need any power walls/battery back up IMO.


I spent probably 20 hours overall researching. Unfortunately there’s not one good spot to look and anyone in the solar industry has an agenda of some sort

[HudsonCoNJ]

Originally Posted by GiantRutgersfan

https://sunroof.withgoogle.com/

https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/

https://www.energysage.com/solar/sre...lar-incentive/

https://www.energysage.com/

First two sites will help you determine if you are a good candidate, 3rd site explains TRECs, and you can also use that to get quotes on solar from actual installers

When I looked a few years back, Tesla was very fairly priced. You could just go to Tesla.com and find the solar section and get an idea of the cost and how big a system you need pretty easily. You do not need any power walls/battery back up IMO.


I spent probably 20 hours overall researching. Unfortunately there’s not one good spot to look and anyone in the solar industry has an agenda of some sort

Thanks for the links. I had a large tree cut from the front of my house recently so we get plenty of sunlight now. Solar may be an option for me but I know basically nothing about solar at this point so I’ll have to start my research and see if it’s worthwhile.