First electric bill with solar! (foreclosure, renters, second mortgage)

[HX_Guy]

Kell, I'd have to look at the actual numbers but it could be double due to interest...however it's certainly be much less even with the interest than what would have been paid to the electric company in the same time frame.

As for SRP...homes that have solar are grandfathered...and that's "homes", not people...so it actually stays with the home for 20 years. I actually just heard a couple days ago that homes in SRP territory that are grandfathered in at the old solar rates will have a $12,000 higher value than homes that arrant. Sounds kind of made up, it would be way to soon to determine something like that, but I could see the logic behind it. It's true that most everyone has pulled out of SRP territory for doing any solar, not just leasing, because it's too hard to predict the savings since it depends on the customer's Demand use.

APS is also pushing to raise solar rates in the next couple months, but at least their model is a flat fee per kW installed so the solar lease or purchase can still be calculated. Plus anyone who already has solar or applies before the new rates become effective will be grandfathered in, APS has already stated that in writing.

[HX_Guy]

Solar kicking butt today! Highest output day so far this year loving it!

Reached a maximum output of 10.68kW right around 12:30...


The net usage (what house was consuming + what solar was producing) is always fun to see...


The panels are rated at 310W STC (standard test conditions) but are supposed to put out 275W in real world conditions...some are putting out over 290W!


End of the day summary...


End of the month projection is an overproduction of 942kWh. The production numbers are pretty accurate to what I expected...but the weird thing that happened is that we're using significantly less energy than we did at the same time last year.


Graph for our graphs lover.

[gravooms]

Thank you for the great info, HX_Guy!

Originally Posted by hikernut

On the storage topic, Elon Musk is rumored to soon be announcing a home battery to be built in a Tesla factory.

Experts: Powering your home with batteries is going to get cheaper and cheaper - The Washington Post

This new Tesla battery will power your home, and maybe the electric grid too - The Washington Post

Right now it's too expensive for most people. But then so were VCRs.

[bkk1057]

Great discussion. Apologies for hijacking this thread. I am in Portland, OR and I am in the process of having solar installed through SolarCity (SC). SC seem to be having different models in different localities. The contract that I will have is as follows: SC installs and maintains the system for free for 20 years. I am contracting to buy the electricity that is generated from SC for 20 years. The rate that I am buying power from SC is a lower rate than PGE and will remain same for 20 years, whereas the PGE rate typically goes up every year (or so SC tells me). In addition to buying the generated power from SC, I have to also pay them a monthly amount for the 1st 4 years only. I pay them around $75 a month but I can more than recoup the amount from the $2400 OR Renewable Energy Tax Credit (RETC) that I will get for the 1st 4 years. I believe SC keeps the 30% Federal credit for themselves. I am not 100% sure about the tax arrangements and I believe there will also be a connect charge from PGE. But at any rate I don't see any down side to this unless I am missing something. One thing that seem to be different in OR (at least going by a Solar thread in the Phoenix forum from a year ago) is that there is no monthly lease that I have to pay for 20 years. Only $75 for the first 48 months.

[wase4711]

once you buy a house here, how long does it take to get solar installed if you want to "lease" your system?

thanks

[Rangerdude_Charlie]

Thanks for sharing. This is the way to do it in sunny state. Make the sun work for you.

[MalteseJane]

Originally Posted by bkk1057

Great discussion. Apologies for hijacking this thread. I am in Portland, OR and I am in the process of having solar installed through SolarCity (SC). SC seem to be having different models in different localities. The contract that I will have is as follows: SC installs and maintains the system for free for 20 years. I am contracting to buy the electricity that is generated from SC for 20 years. The rate that I am buying power from SC is a lower rate than PGE and will remain same for 20 years, whereas the PGE rate typically goes up every year (or so SC tells me). In addition to buying the generated power from SC, I have to also pay them a monthly amount for the 1st 4 years only. I pay them around $75 a month but I can more than recoup the amount from the $2400 OR Renewable Energy Tax Credit (RETC) that I will get for the 1st 4 years. I believe SC keeps the 30% Federal credit for themselves. I am not 100% sure about the tax arrangements and I believe there will also be a connect charge from PGE. But at any rate I don't see any down side to this unless I am missing something. One thing that seem to be different in OR (at least going by a Solar thread in the Phoenix forum from a year ago) is that there is no monthly lease that I have to pay for 20 years. Only $75 for the first 48 months.

Hell NO ! I would not go with this. Here in the Phoenix area I have never heard of a contract like this coming from a Solar installer. They are going to install panels on your roof and sell the surplus and still make you pay for the electricity you use. And on top of it you will pay them 75$ for 48 months. Where is the saving to you ? And they will cash in the 30% Federal Credit for themselves. If anybody else thinks this is a good deal, please explain it to me a little better ?

My take is that if you cannot BUY the system or PAY the lease UPFRONT don't do it. That's my personal opinion.

[HX_Guy]

Originally Posted by bkk1057

Great discussion. Apologies for hijacking this thread. I am in Portland, OR and I am in the process of having solar installed through SolarCity (SC). SC seem to be having different models in different localities. The contract that I will have is as follows: SC installs and maintains the system for free for 20 years. I am contracting to buy the electricity that is generated from SC for 20 years. The rate that I am buying power from SC is a lower rate than PGE and will remain same for 20 years, whereas the PGE rate typically goes up every year (or so SC tells me). In addition to buying the generated power from SC, I have to also pay them a monthly amount for the 1st 4 years only. I pay them around $75 a month but I can more than recoup the amount from the $2400 OR Renewable Energy Tax Credit (RETC) that I will get for the 1st 4 years. I believe SC keeps the 30% Federal credit for themselves. I am not 100% sure about the tax arrangements and I believe there will also be a connect charge from PGE. But at any rate I don't see any down side to this unless I am missing something. One thing that seem to be different in OR (at least going by a Solar thread in the Phoenix forum from a year ago) is that there is no monthly lease that I have to pay for 20 years. Only $75 for the first 48 months.

Yeah, AZ doesn't have plans like that which I believe are called PPAs (Power Purchase Agreement).

It's more or less the same just marketed differently. For example you said that you don't have a monthly lease fee past year 4...but you're paying a fee per kWh used by the house right? While you may not pay anything if you shut off your main breaker, that is not going to happen so you will of course pay every month, same as someone with a lease would pay.

If you dont mind me asking, what is the contracted fee for kWh that you pay and what are/were you paying to PGE?

[HX_Guy]

Originally Posted by wase4711

once you buy a house here, how long does it take to get solar installed if you want to "lease" your system?

thanks

With a lease, typical time to have it on the roof is 4-6 weeks (a lot depends on the city you're in...for example Phoenix does permits over the counter...you take it in, they review on the spot, and you're on your way. Peoria on the other hand has a 5 business day process, and they don't work on Fridays...so it's more like 6 business days for normal people). After it's installed, you have to wait for the utility company to come out and give you Permission to Operate and that can take another 1-3 weeks.

[HX_Guy]

Originally Posted by MalteseJane

Hell NO ! I would not go with this. Here in the Phoenix area I have never heard of a contract like this coming from a Solar installer. They are going to install panels on your roof and sell the surplus and still make you pay for the electricity you use. And on top of it you will pay them 75$ for 48 months. Where is the saving to you ? And they will cash in the 30% Federal Credit for themselves. If anybody else thinks this is a good deal, please explain it to me a little better ?

It all comes down to numbers. If a person is paying APS $250/month now and going with solar means a solar payment of $180 + $20 "connection fee" to APS for a total of $200, then you're saving $50/month or $600 per year. It's not like youre going to cancel your electric bill, you're already paying that money.
And lease companies do pass on (some) of that 30% to the customers in the form of a lower lease payment.
I have a proposal tool I use and need to checkmark the Fed tax credit, and when I do, the monthly payment drops instantly to reflect that tax credit. Think of it like getting a car...if there is a manufacturer credit/rebate available and it gets applied to the price of the car, then your monthly payment drops.

My take is that if you cannot BUY the system or PAY the lease UPFRONT don't do it. That's my personal opinion.

How come? If you're saving money, whatever the scenario, why isn't it a good deal?