Solar panels in Frederick County? (Potomac, California: lease, mortgage, get credit)

[tw71]

I'm curious if anyone in the Frederick area has installed solar panels on their home, and if so, how it worked out for you?

I noticed that where we want to move in Brunswick, Potomac Edison is the local electric company. Are they pretty cooperative with programs where you put power back onto the electrical grid (electric meter essentially runs backwards) and you get credited for it?

I've been reading a bit about this stuff, and although I like the idea of the "solar lease" programs out there (where you pay nothing down and the company provides and installs everything for you -- and then you basically pay THEM a reduced rate for the power you use each month), I'm also told it's really smarter to just buy a system, so you recoup all the tax credits and potentially get free power, vs. just discounted power at some negotiated rate with the solar panel provider.

Apparently, there was/is a way to do a special type of FHA loan, in order to buy a solar panel system on a low interest loan, and it's completely independent from whatever you're doing with your home mortgage itself?

And lastly, not sure if anyone knows much about these or not, but I see the Dow company makes solar shingles too. Instead of placing big framed panels on your roof, you could buy these actual replacement roofing shingles where the electrical connections are built into each one, and interlock when you snap the shingles together on top of each other. (They were only sold in a few states like California initially, but Maryland is now a state they sell them in too.)

I think the solar shingles cost as much as 2x the price of regular panels, but the reason I still might be interested is the fact the house we're looking at buying is near the end of its life on the existing roof. If I have to have the roof redone soon anyway, it might make a lot of sense to do the Dow solar shingles and knock out BOTH things as one project?

[MidValleyDad]

Yes there are a fair number of places with them. Check the zoning codes in Brunswick, I don't know if they have addressed them yet. Middletown has. Issues like how high above the roof line or how mounted on side walls or as seperate structures.

[jessy0780]

I'm going to send you a private message. Several homes in Brunswick Crossing have solar panels, and I can put you in touch with someone who can answer all the questions. He got the ball rolling in the community.