Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > North Carolina > Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary
 [Register]
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary The Triangle Area
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 07-11-2014, 09:30 PM
 
Location: Cary
119 posts, read 318,139 times
Reputation: 59

Advertisements

Does anyone has had the experience of having installed Solar panels on one's roof? If so, has it been worthwhile? Which are the major installers in the Triangle area?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 07-12-2014, 05:53 AM
 
826 posts, read 1,928,448 times
Reputation: 912
Do a search for RDU_Biker and solar panels - he installed them a couple years ago and posted some very detailed information about it. I'm sure you could DM him as well - he's always very helpful!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-12-2014, 08:12 AM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
5,819 posts, read 6,876,799 times
Reputation: 10175
Quote:
Originally Posted by mskb View Post
he installed them a couple years ago and posted some very detailed information about it.
//www.city-data.com/forum/ralei...-decision.html
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-14-2014, 08:07 AM
 
Location: NC
2,904 posts, read 5,909,304 times
Reputation: 2152
Someone beat me to it! Ask there on that thread if you have questions. Glad to help out. I'm a big believer of solar panels and reducing energy usage within reason (especially when there are tax breaks involved, )
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-20-2014, 10:00 AM
 
Location: Cary
119 posts, read 318,139 times
Reputation: 59
Thanks everyone, and especially RDUBiker. My basic question is: is it financially worthwhile installing solar panels in this area? What is the estimated break-even period of the costs?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-20-2014, 08:07 PM
MOD
 
95 posts, read 151,310 times
Reputation: 130
The cost effectiveness and payoff time varies from project to project. Partly because costs have been dropping steadily for the past few years, and partly because of uncertainty or changes in the incentives the government offers or the availability of group buy programs. The amount of sun exposure you have available matters as well.

Here in NC we have good, but not stellar weather for PV. There are occasionally "slam dunk" cases but mostly you need some reason other than financial to go ahead with it, be it avoiding excess carbon, lowering summer peak demand, or just being able to charge your phone and run the fridge when the power goes out (some inverters have an active outlet or two when the grid goes down).

Most folks I know who have done it recently have estimated 10-12 years to break even for mid-sized arrays (3-5 kilowatt). But note that that isn't a great sample set, those are people who decided to go ahead with it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-21-2014, 05:25 AM
 
Location: NC
2,904 posts, read 5,909,304 times
Reputation: 2152
My system should break even in under 5 years. I did it purely for financial (well, 90%) reasons because incentives were so strong. But down the road, as we live here longer and longer, it will keep on providing free power once I've met my investment, and it helps keep bills low and negate rising electricity costs. One day I'll have an electric plug-in car and it will help with that, too.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-21-2014, 11:41 AM
 
250 posts, read 691,303 times
Reputation: 341
Wango Wango, you didn’t mention whether you’re looking at leasing the solar panels or buying them. And so far in this thread, it doesn’t look like anyone has clarified whether they’re talking about leased or homeowner-owned ones. I think it can make a big difference in whether it’s financially worthwhile installing solar panels in this area (or any other).

Since no commenters mentioned leasing solar panels I wondering if NC allows it?

Last edited by hmrd; 07-21-2014 at 11:59 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-23-2014, 01:59 PM
 
Location: New York
2,251 posts, read 4,904,619 times
Reputation: 1617
Quote:
Originally Posted by hmrd View Post
..Since no commenters mentioned leasing solar panels I wondering if NC allows it?

Do not consider leasing - the benefits of buying are much greater. They now have zero down payment options of 1.95% interest rate loans for the down payment.

My system paid for itself with 2 years. Used to pay $240 monthly for electricity. Last bill was $10.95....

See my post - //www.city-data.com/forum/long-...ng-charge.html

Last edited by Modification Specialist; 07-23-2014 at 02:18 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-24-2014, 09:15 AM
 
Location: Cary
119 posts, read 318,139 times
Reputation: 59
i am just considering whether this is worthwhile doing and will consider all options. It has to pay off financially at the earliest. I appreciate the comments of all of you.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:




Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > North Carolina > Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top