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Right now it can be worth it if you get state and federal subsidies. Otherwise the cost does not typically justify the savings.
If you could just install them and collect free electricity for the rest of your live, it woudl be a great deal even without subsidies. However, you have to factor in replacing batteries, panels, motors, inverter, etc. Also cleaning and maintenance. Luckily there are enough subsidies in some states that is almost pays for the system.
Also keep in mind, in most places a solar system will not let you live off grid. In those cases, the electric company makes certain the solar power does not provide much benefit, through creative and unbalanced billing and credit systems.
I've looked into it twice (about 8 years apart, last time was 2016-ish) ~ in both instances it was FAR better money spent on insulation. Simply a better return on the money spent over 30 years. Solar, from what I can tell, is the dead Last thing one would do for return on investment. Prices Are getting better, and at some point it'll be cheaper to add more energy (solar) rather than retain energy (insulation) ~ but now isn't the time.
Now, there are other reasons to buy them.. from "feels good" to wanting to be off-grid, even if only for a couple things. My folks have a small off-grid system that powers their fridge and freezer, looking to expand it to power their water pump/well ~ but they live in the boonies of Montana and power outages can last a week or more. They can cook and heat without electricity, have a good supply of bottled water right now (and can buy more if needed), just the loss of food that they needed covered.
I have an RV and have skipped the solar there too, after putting it on my previous RV. The ROI just isn't there for me. Even camping WAY out in the middle of nowhere, my limitation is WATER, not power. I've seen that echoed many times over from others who are way more hardcore about being somewhere few others have ever been, solar is just a redundant and only Truly used a few percent of the time.
Do your homework for yourself. Don't rely on paid advertisements (people who gain from you buying solar) as the Only source of your information, nor from those who were unwilling or unable to do their own research. And for God's sake, don't take advice form some random stranger on an internet forum (yes, mine too) without triple checking it on your own.
What's the current condition of your roof? I'd see how much life you have left in your shingles and the state of the beams in your roof before putting panels on top.
Of course your house's solar potential; its geographic location; shading and roof slope orientation as well as the condition of your existing roof surface (only an already failing/extremely weak roof structure would be potentially compromised by the minimal weight of the panels and arrays) is all important but the most important thing to consider is your utility company's net metering program, if it has one and existing and projected future utility rates. This will make all the difference in determining the viability and payoff of that system's investment.
There is also the aesthetic component- the systems (not the Tesla roof tiles) are not particularly attractive and can look off-putting to some. When they can be completely hidden (as ours is on our beautiful 90 y.o. Spanish Revival) or deftly incorporated into the roof design it can make all the difference.
Our utility rates are very high, are increasing and also we have a very generous net-metering program affiliated with our utility company, with full retail price paid for the excess electricity our system puts out into grid. We also have excellent solar potential by our location, lack of shading and mostly flat roof which needed replacement at about the same time as the PV installation. It is a 100% offset-sized system meaning we only pay a minimal monthly service charge that is roughly halved by our over-generation at our yearly true-up date, so, a yearly electricity charge of about $40. It all adds up to a nearly no maintenance system that will be fully paid off in just under five years, with all components and generation guaranteed for 20 years and thus giving us essentially free electricity for at least 20 years by the estimated system's life. We also rolled the new roof cost along with the system cost into the federal and state rebate program as it was one and the same.
I'm considering it for a few years down the road. My house is paid off.. At that point I'll have no real recurring expenses (Taxes and the like, of course, but..)
I have 2 acres of field behind my house.. I'm thinking about putting panels out there. My biggest concern.. I wonder how solar panels hold up in hail. Here in the south, that's a pretty big concern.
I'm considering it for a few years down the road. My house is paid off.. At that point I'll have no real recurring expenses (Taxes and the like, of course, but..)
I have 2 acres of field behind my house.. I'm thinking about putting panels out there. My biggest concern.. I wonder how solar panels hold up in hail. Here in the south, that's a pretty big concern.
Most solar panel companies of any consequence have designed surprisingly robust components including the glass surface. I know the company we chose had actual tests conducted and filmed of simulated and real hail storms that showed the panels, while certainly not indestructible, are indeed made to stand up to most severe weather events.
Definitely shop around and check with the particulars manufacturer.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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With consistent sun only in July and August, plus many 80-100' trees, it would not be practical. I do have one 100 watt panel for our travel trailer, but most of our camping is in summer, and we only need it when not at a campground with hookups. At home the electricity is only $0.09/kWh, so we rarely go over $100/month, the big expense is in natural gas for heat and range which goes as much as $300 in the coldest months.
We installed the panels last year, it's connected to the grid.
Our electric rates are very high, so we decided to do it, even though the incentives are not as good as in MA. From April thru December we only pay $15/mo (connection charge). January till March, we had to pay what we used ~$130/mo. Our roof is small, so the system doesn't cover us all year (Maybe if some people here were more aware of their usage, it'd be better...)
The idea is that since the system costed us some $12K after tax credits & state rebates, so it'll pay for itself in around 7 years and then we would have "free" electricity. Here the REC's are worthless so we didn't include them and we're not getting them. As it is now, it cost more to get them and sell, than it is to give them away to the utility. That's something we wish the state had regulated better. As it is now, the Public Utilities Commission is controlled by the utilities.
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