Residential Solar Energy: Pros and Cons (San Antonio, Spring: insurance, loan, how much)

[escanlan]

I checked into it earlier this year and it is not worth it. The best scenario was a 15 - 20 year return on original investment before they started making any dollar return. That does not include all of the maintenance costs for that 15 - 20 years. Also the only installers I could find were ones that would put them all over the roof and that isn't happening! I have acreage and could find none that knew what they were doing for stand alone (separate from the home) installations. Those that did install on roofs didn't appear to know what they were doing either.

Possibly one day solar energy might be inexpensive enough to be viable but they are not there yet.

[Randyk47]

Originally Posted by Bo

That's not completely true. The state law doesn't allow HOAs to prevent the installation of solar panels, but they can regulate where/how they are installed, if they do it officially in their DCCRs. Amending the DCCRs is enough of a hassle that most HOAs probably don't go to the trouble.

OK. I should have explained further. In essence HOAs have been basically taken out of the decision. Sure they can say that home owners should try to place the panels as much out of sight as possible but that’s kind of a losing proposition. Generally speaking solar panels in San Antonio should be placed facing the southwest. If that happens to be the front roof like our house, and visible from the street, then the HOA has little recourse. Funny thing is that it was actually one of the residents in our HOA who was one of the first cases locally, though not the only, that started the whole solar panel debate that led to the law. I don’t know what it cost him but he installed panels without getting HOA approval. The HOA went after him and he had the resources to fight back. As I recall he tied the HOA up in court and never did remove the panels. That said it’s not the HOA that’s keeping us from installing solar panels, that decision is based on the poor or extended return on investment.

[dhsa]

I wanted one, in the unlikely event that power is out for more than a couple days during summer (due to some cataclysmic situation). At my age I wouldn't last a week without AC.
I learned that you have to purchase a battery ($6000 minimum) in order to maintain power during an outage. For safety reasons. See below.
Prices should go down on solar cells & batteries. Conversely, financial incentives may go away at some point, i.e. the CPS rebate and the federal tax deduction (as the coal industry gains favor).
If I had it, I could turn down the AC from 77 to 75 during summer without feeling guilty (being inherently thrifty/frugal/tight).

After the April 2016 hailstorm that came from the west-northwest, I noticed solar cells on west-facing roofs were demolished. The long side of my roof faces south, which seems ideal. I don't remember if we get severe weather events from the south? Except for the Feb 19 2017 tornadoes.


"What happens during an electric outage? For any type of electric outage, only solar energy systems with battery backup will continue to have power. Systems without battery backup, by law and CPS Energy standards, must shut down until the outage has been restored."
https://www.cpsenergy.com/en/my-home...bate-faqs.html

[Randyk47]

Originally Posted by dhsa

I wanted one, in the unlikely event that power is out for more than a couple days during summer (due to some cataclysmic situation). At my age I wouldn't last a week without AC.
I learned that you have to purchase a battery ($6000 minimum) in order to maintain power during an outage. For safety reasons. See below.
Prices should go down on solar cells & batteries. Conversely, financial incentives may go away at some point, i.e. the CPS rebate and the federal tax deduction (as the coal industry gains favor).
If I had it, I could turn down the AC from 77 to 75 during summer without feeling guilty (being inherently thrifty/frugal/tight).

After the April 2016 hailstorm that came from the west-northwest, I noticed solar cells on west-facing roofs were demolished. The long side of my roof faces south, which seems ideal. I don't remember if we get severe weather events from the south? Except for the Feb 19 2017 tornadoes.


"What happens during an electric outage? For any type of electric outage, only solar energy systems with battery backup will continue to have power. Systems without battery backup, by law and CPS Energy standards, must shut down until the outage has been restored."
https://www.cpsenergy.com/en/my-home...bate-faqs.html

If I was really worried about an extended power outage I’d look at installing some kind of standby generator. Neighbor in Virginia had one that ran off of natural gas. The wife had it installed as her husband had a health issue that required power to run supporting medical equipment. Initially I thought it was a waste but we got hit with a storm that knocked out our power for a couple of days. Her generator kicked on and easily bridged the gap.

[flashfearless]

Originally Posted by Randyk47

If I was really worried about an extended power outage I’d look at installing some kind of standby generator. Neighbor in Virginia had one that ran off of natural gas. The wife had it installed as her husband had a health issue that required power to run supporting medical equipment. Initially I thought it was a waste but we got hit with a storm that knocked out our power for a couple of days. Her generator kicked on and easily bridged the gap.

The annoying thing about those systems is that you should test them once a month and they are loud as anything. High maintenance costs too.

[Rustybolt]

Originally Posted by flashfearless

The annoying thing about those systems is that you should test them once a month and they are loud as anything. High maintenance costs too.

Not true. My friend in Florida has a 22kW Generac Natural Gas fired generator and when it is on you hardly know it is running. Quieter that my AC unit. They have really awesome sound enclosures and are designed for residential use. Has to run it once a month to test, which it is on a schedule to test itself. Very slick. During a hurricane he was the envy of the neighborhood. Required both plumber and electrician for the transfer switch and all that, but considering he lives on the coast it was a worthy investment.

[txbullsfan]

As of the end of 2016, the average cost for a solar panel system in San Antonio was $3.31 per watt.
The price tag for a 5 kilowatt (5,000 watt) solar system in San Antonio will range from roughly $7,000 to $17,000 before the hefty CPS solar rebate.

Solar efficiency is improving every single year (albeit slowly). Cost is decreasing every single year.

Return on investment is averaging about 10 years. After the payoff period (avg of about 10 years), one can actually profit off the system.

Many people here in SA have requested quotes. Check to see what some of the quotes people got in your area here (enter your zip over on the right of the page):
https://news.energysage.com/much-sol...antonio-texas/

[Randyk47]

Originally Posted by Rustybolt

Not true. My friend in Florida has a 22kW Generac Natural Gas fired generator and when it is on you hardly know it is running. Quieter that my AC unit. They have really awesome sound enclosures and are designed for residential use. Has to run it once a month to test, which it is on a schedule to test itself. Very slick. During a hurricane he was the envy of the neighborhood. Required both plumber and electrician for the transfer switch and all that, but considering he lives on the coast it was a worthy investment.

Agree. Neighbor’s unit hardly made much more noise than an idling car. Certainly not as noisy as a lawnmower or gas powered air compressor. Since we’re talking emergency power in probably fairly serious conditions a little noise is worth it. Neighbor allowed me to run a couple of heavy duty extension cords over the fence and that kept our freezer and refrigerator running. As for maintenance I don’t know what it cost her but it was a leased unit and part of the lease was whatever regular maintenance was required. Her case was somewhat special as the whole reason was her husband’s medical issues so any expense was worth it.

[flashfearless]

I don't know what you guys are talking about because I had a neighbor 1000 ft away and I always knew when it was on.

[Rustybolt]

Originally Posted by flashfearless

I don't know what you guys are talking about because I had a neighbor 1000 ft away and I always knew when it was on.

Your neighbor's generator sucked then.