Poll: do you have solar panels?

[pixy0stix]

Jun 21, 2021 12:14:42 GMT -5 glw said:

Jun 21, 2021 12:09:32 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

This is not true. They remove the shingle, and then replace.

I should have said: We live in a historic home, cannot remove or change our slate roof.

So you can't add panels, it has nothing to do with the material of the roof. Correct?

[Susie]

I never considered it at our old house because it was very shaded, but we are moving to a sunnier location where our new next door neighbors have solar panels.  I need to get through the logistics of the move, but after that I'm interested in looking into it.

[glw]

Jun 21, 2021 12:15:51 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Jun 21, 2021 12:14:42 GMT -5 glw said:

I should have said: We live in a historic home, cannot remove or change our slate roof.

So you can't add panels, it has nothing to do with the material of the roof. Correct?

We inquired about it and the solar panel company told us that they cannot put them on a slate roof. That was the only response we got. Maybe they just didn't want to do it. 

[basilosaurus]

I'm just loving pixy0stix coming in here with data.

Why is there no solar where I live? Near the equator, sun nearly all the damn time, even in rainy season. If any solar company is looking for an opening, come to Malaysia.

[aspentosh]

No. Our roof is not set up for the optimum exposure, so it would take a long time to make back the $30-40k we've been expecting. But we have looked into Tesla solar shingles and if we could do that on both front and back of our house then it would make a lot more sense. Especially since our entire house is electric. Our bills aren't insanely high (range from $75-$200 in winter) but H wants to get an electric truck, so we'd need more power soon anyway.

[pixy0stix]

Jun 21, 2021 12:20:23 GMT -5 glw said:

Jun 21, 2021 12:15:51 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

So you can't add panels, it has nothing to do with the material of the roof. Correct?

We inquired about it and the solar panel company told us that they cannot put them on a slate roof. That was the only response we got. Maybe they just didn't want to do it. 

I'm going to guess they didn't want to deal with it. Some companies really just want to dash in and do it, get their money and leave. We had a few companies that said panels couldn't be installed on a metal roof (what we have). Which was a lie, and so we gladly sent them on their way.

[pixy0stix]

Jun 21, 2021 12:20:26 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

I'm just loving pixy0stix coming in here with data.

Look, I love this shit, ok? LOL!

[aspentosh]

Jun 21, 2021 11:54:47 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

We got ours last August. We're in VA so it's not as much incentive. We're still connected to the grid and have to pay the connection fees. It hasn't been a full year. But most months we produce most of our power even though we estimated that it should produce about 2/3rds of our power. It's been overproducing which is great. We cut down one small tree in the front yard in January and that has made a big difference!

We only have them on one side of the roof because the company that said that is where you get the most bang for your buck. The front of our house is very sunny so we were ideal candidates for them. The first company that approached us wanted to put them on both sides of the roof and it was double the price of the second company, but would not produce double the energy.

We paid for them in full and they should be paid back in around 10 years. I'm happy we have them I wish we would have gotten them a year earlier when the rebate was even higher!

I think we paid about $16K for them after the tax rebate back (26%) for those interested in numbers. 

I would love to know the company since I am also in VA. The places I've talked to were much, much higher... but maybe we would need more? Feel free to PM

[mouse]

Jun 21, 2021 12:23:11 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Jun 21, 2021 12:20:23 GMT -5 glw said:

We inquired about it and the solar panel company told us that they cannot put them on a slate roof. That was the only response we got. Maybe they just didn't want to do it. 

I'm going to guess they didn't want to deal with it. Some companies really just want to dash in and do it, get their money and leave. We had a few companies that said panels couldn't be installed on a metal roof (what we have). Which was a lie, and so we gladly sent them on their way.

O/T But how do you like your roof? I want to replace with metal for convenience/maintenance/lifespan but it seems like the info depends on what a company is selling. The one “solid” piece of advice I’ve gotten is to go with someone who knows what they’re doing. Gee, thanks. I had no idea that I should look for that in a roofer.

[sonrisa]

I’m intrigued by Tesla’s solar roof options

www.tesla.com/solarroof

[picaflora]

We put in solar panels in Feb/Mar of 2020, so we've had them a bit over a year. Our roof line wasn't ideal (faced the wrong way, too many gable/peaks) but we had a great spot in our larger backyard. So - we went with a ground mount grid tied system. Bonus, I have less grass to cut! Ground mount isn't always feasible/preferred, but it works well for our location. And except in the winter, you can't really see them from the front of the house. It may or may not make the house harder to sell later, but we aren't looking at moving anytime soon.

We're in VA and at the time could only put in a system x% over our average monthly usage over a year. Thankfully we already had the EV for a year so we could factor that in. In the year +, we've only paid the connection fee. All other electricity costs have been earned by the panels (and I still have a "credit" but you have to manually calculate it. It isn't obvious on the bill). We do have gas heat though.

Total cost for us was right at $26,000 and after the tax credit was $19,000. I don't remember what the payback was exactly, but it was 10 plus years. That's already decreased though, as the electric co has raised rates by 10%.

[pixy0stix]

Jun 21, 2021 12:28:32 GMT -5 mouse said:

Jun 21, 2021 12:23:11 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

I'm going to guess they didn't want to deal with it. Some companies really just want to dash in and do it, get their money and leave. We had a few companies that said panels couldn't be installed on a metal roof (what we have). Which was a lie, and so we gladly sent them on their way.

O/T But how do you like your roof? I want to replace with metal for convenience/maintenance/lifespan but it seems like the info depends on what a company is selling. The one “solid” piece of advice I’ve gotten is to go with someone who knows what they’re doing. Gee, thanks. I had no idea that I should look for that in a roofer.

I like it so far. We've had it for a little less than a year. The only thing we didn't account for was how hard/fast snow slides off the roof. It took out portions of our gutter system when we had 2+ ft of snow. So if you're in a snowy area, make sure you get snow guards installed. One thing people keep asking us was how loud it is when it rains. I honestly can't tell a difference in the house, although our neighbor said that it's louder for her.

[lea]

No, because to do so requires a $3000 tree removal and right now we have other expenses taking priority (and our cars keep needing stupid repairs). Plus, we plan on moving in another year or two if all goes well and then will see about having them installed on our new house.

[mouse]

Jun 21, 2021 12:33:05 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Jun 21, 2021 12:28:32 GMT -5 mouse said:

O/T But how do you like your roof? I want to replace with metal for convenience/maintenance/lifespan but it seems like the info depends on what a company is selling. The one “solid” piece of advice I’ve gotten is to go with someone who knows what they’re doing. Gee, thanks. I had no idea that I should look for that in a roofer.

I like it so far. We've had it for a little less than a year. The only thing we didn't account for was how hard/fast snow slides off the roof. It took out portions of our gutter system when we had 2+ ft of snow. So if you're in a snowy area, make sure you get snow guards installed. One thing people keep asking us was how loud it is when it rains. I honestly can't tell a difference in the house, although our neighbor said that it's louder for her.

Thanks for responding! Portland area, so not usually snow or big hail. When we were renters we had a log cabin with a metal roof, we thought it sounded romantic. But we were in our 20s, so everything was romantic. I have heard that insulation can be an issue (because it’s lightweight vs asphalt shingle?), so I’m going to inquire about that.

[rootbeerfloat]

We got them maybe 8 years ago, so battery storage wasn't an option or at least wasn't in our price range at the time. Until we added A/C, we produced more than we used in summer months, but those times have passed lol. At some point, we will look to add more panels and explore battery storage, but it isn't a priority for now. I live in HI, where electricity is expensive, and there's plenty of sun.

[lemoncupcake]

We are about 3/4 through the life of our current roof (it was fairly new when we bought) so we are planning to have it installed when we redo the roof.

[mpc]

We have solar panels, no battery storage. Our system cost right around 20k, we got back 6k with the tax credit, so total cost was about 14k. Estimated break even time is 7 years.

[RitzyHeifer]

Jun 21, 2021 11:51:56 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

I wish. I'm a life long renter. I guess that makes me SS?

Look into community solar! We don’t have it as an option where I am (yet) and our roof is not well positioned for our own panels, but I hope to get linked into community solar soon.

[madDawg228]

Voted No, I live in a condo/multi family home, and it isn't an option as far as I know. There are also a ton of trees in the area, and I'm not sure how much sunlight any solar panels would collect.

I could see it potentially working if solar panels were placed on top of the covered parking areas, but installation and upkeep might make our HOA dues skyrocket.

[basilosaurus]

Jun 21, 2021 12:23:38 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Jun 21, 2021 12:20:26 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

I'm just loving pixy0stix coming in here with data.

Look, I love this shit, ok? LOL!

Really. I love it. No shade. I'm learning a lot even though it won't affect my rental self.

[macmars45]

Jun 21, 2021 11:44:41 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

We're grid tied with no battery storage, with plans to add battery storage within the next 5-10 years. I'm hoping that the battery systems get better/less expensive with the delay.

Same. We generate 3-4x more than what we use daily so I'm looking forward to the day that we can benefit from that.

ETA: we got them installed in Dec 2020 and got an EV charger installed in our garage at the same time. We purchased our Tesla model 3 in Feb 2021.

[goldengirlz]

We’re in the process of getting quotes. The sticking point for us is that our roof is about 20 years old so no one will do panels until we put a new roof on.

My ONLY hesitation is that we’re perennially thinking of moving. We don’t think that’s really possible in this market, but I’d hate to invest $20k and then turn around and sell a few months later. (And by “thinking,” I mean we’re actually looking at houses as they come on the market. It’s just that everything we can afford is crap.)

[shauni27]

Jun 21, 2021 12:50:05 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

We are about 3/4 through the life of our current roof (it was fairly new when we bought) so we are planning to have it installed when we redo the roof.

same.

[aliciabella]

It is bumming because we were able to get solar at the shore house in Jersey but here in PA they wanted us to take down two old trees in the front and we just can't.

[notsopicky]

I want them to heat my pool. I think we'll wait until after this pool season to find out cost and how much they can actually heat it. We're still trying to determine how warm the water will actually get through the summer by natural direct sunlight (it hovers at 80* usually; I think it was 83* this morning). When the temp tanks at night (50s), it gets down to 76.

[savan]

Jun 21, 2021 14:01:20 GMT -5 notsopicky said:

I want them to heat my pool. I think we'll wait until after this pool season to find out cost and how much they can actually heat it. We're still trying to determine how warm the water will actually get through the summer by natural direct sunlight (it hovers at 80* usually; I think it was 83* this morning). When the temp tanks at night (50s), it gets down to 76.

Get a solar pool cover!  We have also looked into solar pool heating but the cover works so well.  Our pool only loses a degree or two over night and it helps prevent water evaporation.

[suburbanzookeeper]

We have had our grid tied system in Southern California for 9 years this August. When we installed batteries were insane $$$$$ but have been watching the price point fall closely for the last few years and will eventually add those on. We do not have electric cars (yet) but we have figured that will come with the battery system.

We used to get money back every year from SCE for our excess but they pay literal pennies on the dollar (like $800+ in retail netted us back less than $80) so we're a bit more free with using A/C and other resources. We owed last year with the pandemic ($300) and are assuming it'll be the same this year.

We pay a monthly service fee for connectivity into the grid and for administrative costs.

[lilac05]

In case anyone is on the fence thinking about damage due to hail or wind, I have anecdotes! I know how we love those.

One of our biggest concerns was storm damage. Last year, we had huge hail that resulted in most houses in our neighborhood getting new roofs. Our friends with solar panels didn’t have damage on a single panel. (I believe they did end up having the panels removed briefly so the rest of the roof could be replaced, but it all went up again right after.) We also had a storm in August that had 100+mph winds for an hour. I don’t know of anyone that had any damage to their panels then, either, even though many people had significant roof damage.

The companies had a pitch about durability, but it was hard to believe until we saw it with our own eyes and talked to people who have them. We were really impressed!

[picksthemusic]

We're considering it, but will definitely do it in our next home.

[al dente]

They're common here, but we don't. I looked into it briefly and it was like $15-20,000 I think. We aren't sure how long we'll be here for, and I'd rather invest that kind of money elsewhere in the house.
Also my friend rents them? And pays $200/mo in rent, plus still has an electric bill of $200. That really surprised me, our electric bill is always less then $200 so that made renting not an option.