Is Solar Worth it? Anyone in Austin Area get it installed? (Houston: 2014, appliances)

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by riaelise

Like I asked the OP, can you choose your electricity provider?

I live in Round Rock, but it is deregulated so we can choose. We frequently change providers (at no cost to us) and save plenty that way.

The builder grade ACs are the worst and their heat pumps stink. That was the scenario at our previous home that was all electric. The moment the units were replaced, the bills decreased. Builders literally install the most basic, most energy inefficient equipment despite touting high SEER ratings.

I will say the natural gas during heating months isn't much less, at least for us.

Interesting. Our utility costs in the winter drop quite a bit lower than the summer. Electric use is low (~%$50/mo in Dec-Feb), water is low (<4,000 gal/mo), and gas is generally cheaper than electric to keep house comfortable (~$90 for a month or two, well below $50 for most of the year). Gas comes out to about $600/year which covers heating, water heating, and cooking and about $220 of that $600 is the 'customer service fee' just for being hooked up.

Electricity was ~930 kW/month for an average cost of $83/month

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

I have wondered how 'energy efficient' my unit is.. ..and I guess this answers that question. This home was built in 2017 so the stuff is still 'relatively' new... ...I have been wondering if it would be worth it to switch to more energy efficient hardware as that sounds I will be buying a whole new HVAC system, can I receive credits for the old one?

I haven't looked into the potential of changing energy providers, from what it seems, PEC is the only one that serves my area.. ..but I will double check.

It's worth checking. My mom is in PEC's service area so she has to deal with them but for some reason there is no monopoly that services Round Rock. You are allowed to pick your own provider. Pflugerville is the same as well. I'm wondering if you can replace the heat pump (which costs less) vs. the entire unit. I think that you can.

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Interesting. Our utility costs in the winter drop quite a bit lower than the summer. Electric use is low (~%$50/mo in Dec-Feb), water is low (<4,000 gal/mo), and gas is generally cheaper than electric to keep house comfortable (~$90 for a month or two, well below $50 for most of the year). Gas comes out to about $600/year which covers heating, water heating, and cooking and about $220 of that $600 is the 'customer service fee' just for being hooked up.

Electricity was ~930 kW/month for an average cost of $83/month

I don't recall how many kw we use in the winter for electric, but I'm pretty certain it is in the high 1000s considering we have a larger house and a pool. We pay no more than maybe $175 for the winter, which isn't bad given the amount of usage (which directly correlates with size/pool).

Water isn't much of an issue either (can be as low as $70 and that includes wastewater) during the winter, but this year due to the warm weather we had to use the sprinklers a few times so it was $140. We also had to refill the pool amazingly.

Gas is higher because a) we don't have municipal service, though Atmos is a state sanctioned monopoly and their rates have gone up; b) we have the heat set to 73 (which is comfortable for me at least) during the day; and c) with us being home more often there is also increased usage. Being with AE is probably better in that regard. House size and original 30 year old windows I'm sure plays a bit of a role as well but others have similar gas bills during the winter in my area.

[Trainwreck20]

AE goes not provide nat. gas, it is Texas Gas Service, so similar to Atmos I suspect. I don't believe we have any choice in companies, either.

When elec was deregulated, all the existing co-ops and munis were exempted. If you were not in a muni/coop, you could select your provider.

Co-ops/munis are a much better deal for small users, whereas deregulated is much better for big users.

If you are in a co-op/muni, they will often subsidize improving your efficiency, depending on how much of an improvement you are proposing. AE has the best rebates, but PEC may have some. I would be surprised if a 2017 unit was not at least decently efficient. I think the federal minimum for Texas is a 14 SEER, but every builder I have ever talked to said that a 16 SEER will easily pay for the higher up-front cost for most homes, especially larger users. I think the energy savings is ~15% going from a 14 to a 16?

Bah! This is from the PEC web site:

Residential Rebate Program

PEC is not offering the Residential Rebate Program in 2022. We continue to provide energy conservation information to our members with our energy-saving tips.

In Austin, the rebates (below) are only available for units and homes that are 10+ years old. Not a huge amount, but it is something for those that would qualify. We put in a new AC some years ago and the rebate was $500 at the time.

It looks like the solar rebate for CoA is currently $2,500 for qualifying systems.

[ipott]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

~ 14kw to offset my year-round usage. my bill is cheap in the summer but expensive in the winter.

Wow, that's massive! Mine is 6kW... I remember the total quote was for about ~$22k and after federal/Austin subsidies, I ended up paying ~$10k. EDIT: I'm now thinking of adding more panels since our usage overshoots production by quite a bit during summer months. I should've gone for more panels when the subsidies were more generous!

[ipott]

And one more thing for people in HOA's who are considering it. My HOA tried to tell me I can't use the high efficiency panels my contractor proposed and wanted me to use specific color panels etc. It turns out there's state law that bans HOA's from enforcing such rules on solar panels (unless it affects a neighbor etc.). I sued them in small claims and they settled.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by ipott

And one more thing for people in HOA's who are considering it. My HOA tried to tell me I can't use the high efficiency panels my contractor proposed and wanted me to use specific color panels etc. It turns out there's state law that bans HOA's from enforcing such rules on solar panels (unless it affects a neighbor etc.). I sued them in small claims and they settled.

Yeah, many states prohibit HOA's from preventing home owners from installing Solar Panels. It was the same way in Georgia too.. ..but some states do not prohibit HOA's from determining how and where panels can legally be installed.

[Jimmyp25]

Originally Posted by riaelise

Subsequent comments here pretty much proved my point about solar panels being off putting to some buyers if they aren’t isn’t paid off. Not everyone has the money to sink into buying solar panels outright. Even short term financing (60 Months) can be the equivalent of a car payment.

The person who benefits in my opinion is the person who buys a home with paid off panels, not the person installing them.

As for a pool, IMO it’s always better to buy a home that already has one installed. Its value is area specific. In my neighborhood many homes have them and it’s kind of expected.

There are very few homes in my neighborhood that have solar panels, not due to lack of resources but lack of interest.

Op, can you choose your electricity supplier? We can and there’s quite a bit of savings. Our winter bill for a 3700 sq ft house is 166 +/-.

I cannot choose provider here. I am north of Liberty Hill in Hill country... Hamilton Electric

My house is all electric and water. No gas... I am going to see what the bill in summer is and if its pushing 800 or some crazy amount . I might consider solar option.. well see

[Need4Camaro]

I have wondered if there is a reason that many new homes seem to be all electric. I personally wanted all electric but I came from a state where Natural Gas prices were MUCH higher than they are here so here it seems like Natural Gas is the better option.

[Roadking2003]

Originally Posted by Austin97

roi is about 10-15 years to break even. Not necessarily a great investment vs the market.

Every time I do the math I get similar numbers. Most people don't do the math. They just read the sales pitch.

[Roadking2003]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

I have wondered if there is a reason that many new homes seem to be all electric. I personally wanted all electric but I came from a state where Natural Gas prices were MUCH higher than they are here so here it seems like Natural Gas is the better option.

I have never and will never live in an all-electric house. I will never have an electric cooktop.