Photovoltaic systems - Oahu (sales, HOA, appliances)

[MsHell]

Photovoltaic systems - Oahu.

Does anyone have? Your experience?

We are considering getting for our house.

[justus978]

...have one and love it...but sorry, im on the big island

[mokeanne]

we are having one installed on our hour right now. out last electrical bill was 340, so i think it'll be well worth it. our system probably won't cover all of the bill, but at least we're dumping that money into our house.

we're working with revolusun, but it's safe to say that our sales guy is a major ditz. we're having issues with the HOA approval and permitting. maybe a older and more organized sales guy would have been better.

[alex7777]

I was just thinking that an off-grid outfitter would be a great business to develop in Hawaii. You could set up and market systems that provide solar/wind power, superior catchment systems, better ventilation systems, more efficient home design, etc. These would be especially appealing to the signficant amount of property that is currently off-grid, but it would also appeal to the numerous tree-huggers that probably live on the Islands. Especially given the apparently high cost of electricity.

[hotzcatz]

Inter-island Solar on Oahu has been around for three decades that I know of. They are a reputable firm and very knowledgeable about what they do. They also will be there later if you need warranty work on anything or want an upgrade later.

Inter-island Solar and SolarWorks (down in Oceanview) are also on the Big Island for folks there who want solar equipment. Costco did have a good deal on solar panels awhile back, but I don't know if they still have them.

If you live like you are on a photovoltaic system, then your electric bill won't be that much. We've lived for years on sunshine with a generator backup but we have now been on the grid for the past four months. Our new house is set up pretty much as the off grid one was. Curly bulbs throughout, solar water heater with the electric element turned off, gas dryer, gas stove and oven. We have an 18 cubic feet (mid to normal sized) new refrigerator with the ice maker in the freezer, electronics, washing machine, vacuum, power tools, small kitchen appliances, TVs, computers, etc., and our electric bill is running around $60 a month. We turn off the electronics with a power strip switch when we aren't using them.

We will be moving the photovoltaic panels over to the new house eventually, although instead of using a gas generator for backup, we will have a Helco outlet to plug into when the batteries need charging and the sun isn't out. That should knock the electric bill back to $25 a month just as standby power.

With a $340 monthly electric bill, that is quite a bit of electricity being used. It would take a really large (and expensive) system to provide that much power. More than likely, putting in a small to mid-sized system and figuring out ways of using less electricity would be more economical than building a system that can cover that much electrical use.

At the moment, though, there are a lot of kickbacks for folks installing solar so if you can get someone else to pay for half or more of the system being installed, that would be a really good thing. Now is a good time to go solar, the tax incentives don't last forever so get them while the gettings good.

[alex7777]

Just to note, for those who don't know -- solar hot water heating systems are very simple and cost-effective -- basically just a matter of black plastic tubes sitting in the sun, which tends to warm up really well. If you have those on your roof, in a generally sunny area, you'll probably take care of most of your hot water needs for showers, etc -- at a fairly modest cost.

[mokeanne]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

At the moment, though, there are a lot of kickbacks for folks installing solar so if you can get someone else to pay for half or more of the system being installed, that would be a really good thing. Now is a good time to go solar, the tax incentives don't last forever so get them while the gettings good.

Yep, totally agree and this is why we are doing it. last year they were trying to push a bill that would take away the state solar credits. with the way our state financials are going, i see them pushing for the cuts again.

the overall cost of our system is something like 40k, but with the credits we're only paying out 15.

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

With a $340 monthly electric bill, that is quite a bit of electricity being used. It would take a really large (and expensive) system to provide that much power. More than likely, putting in a small to mid-sized system and figuring out ways of using less electricity would be more economical than building a system that can cover that much electrical use.

definitely agree w/ you. we have central ac and i think my husband was home most the the month. that probably helped drive the bill up. our neighbors are doing their landscaping, so it's red dirt galore. to prevent our house from being layered in red dirt, we're having to keep the windows closed. add to that my husband loves his car hobbies, which include welding and powder coating. iirc our system is around 5kw. i'm hoping it covers it, but i know how we are.

also, when you look for a contractor make sure they know the laws about the tax credit as far as the definition of "system." supposedly it's defined by inverters, but with a lot of contractors installing micro inverters it seems like some of them don't know the laws.

[mokeanne]

Originally Posted by alex7777

Just to note, for those who don't know -- solar hot water heating systems are very simple and cost-effective -- basically just a matter of black plastic tubes sitting in the sun, which tends to warm up really well. If you have those on your roof, in a generally sunny area, you'll probably take care of most of your hot water needs for showers, etc -- at a fairly modest cost.

a lot of the contractors we worked with ask if we had solar water heater first. they say that most times doing the hot water heater will cut your electrical cost dramatically.

[hotzcatz]

The solar water heater also cuts way down on propane costs, so it's good even if your water heater is gas. We had been using about ten gallons of propane each month at our old house which had a tankless water heater as well as the stove and oven. Here at the new house which has solar water heating, we've used one five gallon tank in four months which cover the cooking and baking. So, if propane is at $5 a gallon (I don't know the exact current price, but it's somewhere around there), then our gas bill has dropped from $50 a month to $6.25 per month. It's only a little bit, but enough little bits add up to a lot.

I'm pretty sure they have tax credits for solar hot water heating, too, don't they? Can you get both?

Isn't sunshine wonderful?

[alex7777]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

The solar water heater also cuts way down on propane costs, so it's good even if your water heater is gas. We had been using about ten gallons of propane each month at our old house which had a tankless water heater as well as the stove and oven. Here at the new house which has solar water heating, we've used one five gallon tank in four months which cover the cooking and baking. So, if propane is at $5 a gallon (I don't know the exact current price, but it's somewhere around there), then our gas bill has dropped from $50 a month to $6.25 per month. It's only a little bit, but enough little bits add up to a lot.

I'm pretty sure they have tax credits for solar hot water heating, too, don't they? Can you get both?

Isn't sunshine wonderful?

One thing I love about renewable energy like solar and wind (and someday surf), aside from the fact that it's clean, is that it's free (once you pay for the system) and it's endless.

Ideally, I'll ultimately be completely off-grid, so I have almost no montlhly nut, but in the meantime, as you indicate, even a "hybrid" home system is far better than a full-conventional system. By using solar water heating to pre-heat your water, you reduce the amount of work your conventional heater has to do. By using solar panels, you reduce the amount of juice you need off the grid. A couple solar fans can help keep your house cooler, hopefully reducing the amount of time you need A.C. (if ever). I plan to have a wood-burning stove (or fireplace) for those rare times when heat is needed.

P.S.: Do any Hawaiian homes have basements? I know it's a big rock and all, I'm just wondering if it's feasible to tunnel into it. B/c I definitely know it's much cooler in a midwestern basement in the summer -- ridiculously cooler, actually. If I had a basement in Hawaii, I doubt I'd ever even need A.C..