solar power your home (Richardson: HOA, mortgage, neighborhood)

[grumpy31700]

I am new to dallas and another friend at my job and we were wondering about solar power in dallas. You seem to get a lot of sun and was wondering why you do not see it much? Has anyone you know taken advantage of it or other energy saving methods.

[Philip T]

Originally Posted by grumpy31700

I am new to dallas and another friend at my job and we were wondering about solar power in dallas. You seem to get a lot of sun and was wondering why you do not see it much? Has anyone you know taken advantage of it or other energy saving methods.

Kind of strange that Got Money areas tend to ban them via HOA restrictions, and the poor folks areas can not afford the high initial costs.

But yeah, we have put some in, but it is more an oddity in this area.

Recently Oncor/TXU has been doing their typical gaming/scams -- they offered rebates for folks to install them and then awarded most of the rebates to folks that would sign on to "leasing" the PV panels -- from a TXU/Oncor related company.

JR Ewing lives on.

[BigDGeek]

There is no HOA in my neighborhood and as far as I know no city code in Richardson prohibiting them. I would love to put them in but the startup costs are too high.

[jeffari-al-texani]

Can the solar panels handle the hail we get here???

[Philip T]

Originally Posted by jeffari-al-texani

Can the solar panels handle the hail we get here???

Tougher than the typical roof shingle.

[loves2read]

supposedly some of the panels are supposed to work effectively even if they are cracked by hail--
and they are supposed to be toughter than say an asphalt shingle
don't know what kind of warrenty they give
currently--at elec rates now available (and they have dropped from year or so ago)--it is probably not cost effective for avg consumer to put them up--one reason being most people move rather than pay out a mortgage entirely--

[Pete53FR]

If you take the rebate from Oncor its pretty restrictive and still costs more than you save.Oncor requires you to not sell excess electricity to them. I just don't see paying 30,000 to save 2500 a year. Besides I would have to do something with my trees.

In California the State, Federal and local incentives make it worth while. I understand that also in California if you just partially use solar it locks in the rate you pay for 25 years.

What makes more sense and would work better here is a Wind generator.

[Philip T]

Originally Posted by Pete53FR

What makes more sense and would work better here is a Wind generator.

Which are also severely restricted in many local areas.