buying a home with solar panels (recyclable, gas, furnace, tax credit)

[guidoLaMoto]

Originally Posted by sickofIL

This is just like all green energy ideas. They try to sell you by bending the truth.

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Thank you.

[shpitz]

Thanks for the info guidoLaMoto!

Yeah, I saw the garden hose trick on a google maps satellite view and went wtf lol

Then I visited a house on the market that one of the rooms was facing the neighbor's house where he had the hose all spooled up on the roof, then it all came to me... Pretty neat idea.

I guess an 8kW system would be more realistic.

Thanks!

[DCforever]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

One of my 80 year old neighbors were approached by the solar company to install solar equipment on the roof. Not only was she trying to convince herself to do that but she was also trying to sell me on having the salesman visit my place when he was finished with her. She is one of those types that think that everyone should switch to solar as it is the "right thing to do."


I told her that we would NOT be interested until we could see that there was a payback in less than five years and a positive return on investment. Generally, when you mention that phrase to a lot of the solar sales people, they immediately want to change the subject back to a diatribe against TEP and the electrical utilities or to it is "the right thing to do."


My electric bill is only about $600 for the past 12 months.

The payback including green credits is about 3 years here. BTW asking for a five year payback just shows a lack of understanding of fiance. You have no alternate uses for your money that generate that level of return.

[Ellwood]

There are quite a few homes in our area with solar panels on the roof and I would like to know if you are leasing these panels for 20 years (which seems the norm here) what happens if the company goes out of business, or you sell the house?

IMO we are at the beginning of these systems and in another 5-10 years they will probably design panels smaller and more efficient, so I'm waiting.

[GregW]

IMHO - Most roofs are designed and built to keep the rain out of the house and not to support solar panels or anything else.


The only solar collectors that make sense are a couple of hundred feet of black plastic pipe laid out in the sun with a timed circulating pump. The rest are designed to collect customers instead of energy.

[DCforever]

Originally Posted by GregW

IMHO - Most roofs are designed and built to keep the rain out of the house and not to support solar panels or anything else.


The only solar collectors that make sense are a couple of hundred feet of black plastic pipe laid out in the sun with a timed circulating pump. The rest are designed to collect customers instead of energy.

You are making a poor investment decision in many places. IN DC the payoff is very fast.

[sickofIL]

IN DC the payoff is very fast.

Of course it is fast there, this is where the hype all started.

[DCforever]

Originally Posted by sickofIL

Of course it is fast there, this is where the hype all started.

I don't know about hype, I'm talking dollars and cents. The simple payback around here if you sell the green credits is about 3-5 years. If that's hype, throw more of it my way.

[jiminnm]

Originally Posted by DCforever

The payback including green credits is about 3 years here. BTW asking for a five year payback just shows a lack of understanding of fiance. You have no alternate uses for your money that generate that level of return.

The OP was looking at a house where the current owner had leased the solar panels and the lessor placed a lien on the house requiring any future owner to assume the lease payments. Any tax credits due to the solar panels have long since been used by the lessor of the panels, and not available to the OP.

The OP needs to ask the realtor what the monthly payments are and for what length of time and compare that to any energy costs savings. I expect he'll find that the monthly payments are near or higher than the cost savings.

[ColoGuy]

Many variables to consider such as:
1) What is the cost of energy in your area?
2) Does your area offer good solar incentives? For installation? For the energy that is created?
3) Does your area have plentiful sun?
4) Does your roof have a good area to collect solar energy?
5) Are there trees, roofs, or other obstructions to collecting energy?
6) Is your area "friendly" to solar energy? They can make it tough, they can make it easier.
7) Are you sure the solar company is ethical and competent?
8) If you plan to sell the house, you will generally be very disappointed in the resale value of solar (could be none).
9) The panels degrade over time. Sometimes a panel will just quit working. Yet....20-25 years is a long time.
10) When the grid goes down due to storms etc., your solar production will also go down...in most cases. So it usually isn't good for prepping unless you are off the grid and using your own batterie$.

***I am off the grid solar. My break even return on investment compared to normal grid power is...never. Batteries are very expensive and they do wear out or malfunction. The other electronics also wear out though normally do better than the batterie$. It is .... an adventure.