OT: Rooftop Solar Panels

[dconifer0]

That is done to protect the folks who are paying to use power off the grid and the electric company. They don't want to have to pay for your extra power when they have to have the generating capacity for everyone if needed.

Go ahead and install your heaters. After a year come back and try agin with the usage from your heaters in the calculation.

We dont even use $100 of electricity to make it worthwhile to install solar

This is all confusing to me, but maybe it's because I'm sitting in a Zoom meeting as I'm reading it.

I generate more power than I use, and the excess goes onto the grid. Of course, I am taking power of the grid when the sun isn't out. But the net is that I never have owe the power company any money.

Now that I typed it out, I guess it makes more sense now and doesn't conflict with the discussion above.

This is about the Township house. I am thinking about installing at the Atlantic City house. But I recently spent a ton of money on the roof (plywood, frostguard, shingles), which can now withstand a nuclear attack. So I feel funny about drilling holes in it...

 

[RUInsanityToo]

Where did you get your quote from? The 13 kW generac is only about 4K, with installation around 2K or so (from generac site). What am I missing?

Lots of trees that continue to fall on power lines by me so I got a quote for a whole natural gas whole house generator. Cummins 20kw system with load management / shredding accessories. Cost of the unit is ~$5K - but the total quote was almost $15K after install. I did not go further with that guy. Will continue to search again.

 

[PSU_Nut_rivals17625]

Tesla uses Powerwalls storage to give you approx 14 kw storage per unit and it also powers the system when your electric service provider is kaput. There is a system, the actual name my old brain is empty till I recharge it, that takes care of this problem.

You are NOT powerless, as long as you have battery power and charge in your system.

Naturally if you are using more energy than your system is providing you WILL run out of power eventually, even with battery backup.

At $15k a peace you better off getting a generator installed for back up power. It is cheaper and can run a lot longer. With the typical daily usage in NJ being 27.8 kw you at best will get 12 hours out of one unit. Sure it great if you experience a lot of small power outages but not a long term backup power source.

 

[PSU_Nut_rivals17625]

I think it will be worth it. You can prepare an analysis to determine your payoff period. My rooftop solar system was paid off in 7 years, but I literally live in one of the sunniest places on Earth. New Jersey has less solar potential than the Sacramento Region. It will come down to whether a 10 year payoff (just a guess on my part) is worth it for you. A 10 year payoff would be equivalent to a 7% rate of return.

One thing that I feel strongly about - do not lease solar panels. Either buy the system or don't. The leases are not a good deal, IMO, and they will royally complicate a home sale.

Mine in Pennsylvania is projected to pay off in about 7 years also. I finance my system for 25 years and my payment is little bit less than what I was paying for the electric bill. I looked at it as I am locking in my electric cost for the next 25 years worst case. The best case is I throw all the extra money generated and pay it off early in 7 years.

 

[WhichReligionIsRight]

Mine in Pennsylvania is projected to pay off in about 7 years also. I finance my system for 25 years and my payment is little bit less than what I was paying for the electric bill. I looked at it as I am locking in my electric cost for the next 25 years worst case. The best case is I throw all the extra money generated and pay it off early in 7 years.

That sounds great. I assume that because you financed, there were little/no upfront costs. It seems inevitable that electricity prices will increase going forward, so locking in at current rates - boffo.

 

[PSU_Nut_rivals17625]

That sounds great. I assume that because you financed, there were little/no upfront costs. It seems inevitable that electricity prices will increase going forward, so locking in at current rates - boffo.

No up front cost. The company I used (Lumina) was fantastic and made the process easy. They used no sub contractors and managed the entire project start to finish. The financing is based on me mailing them the tax credit I receive when I file next year so I not even paying more until I deposit that. In all likelihood prices will only go up. No more shopping third party power rates ect. All I have to do is pay my $15 customer fee to the power company and then once a year get a check from them.

 

[rurichdog]

I recently saw GAF has a solar shingle product for sale. Sounds interesting especially since I need to replace my roof soon. Big problem though is it looks like ****. Tesla roof looks much nicer, but way pricier and I fail to see where I could fit their Powerwall near my panel.

 

[fg7321]

This is all confusing to me, but maybe it's because I'm sitting in a Zoom meeting as I'm reading it.

I generate more power than I use, and the excess goes onto the grid. Of course, I am taking power of the grid when the sun isn't out. But the net is that I never have owe the power company any money.

Now that I typed it out, I guess it makes more sense now and doesn't conflict with the discussion above.

This is about the Township house. I am thinking about installing at the Atlantic City house. But I recently spent a ton of money on the roof (plywood, frostguard, shingles), which can now withstand a nuclear attack. So I feel funny about drilling holes in it...

That's the perfect time to install solar when you have a solid new roof to place them up there. You should be good for 30 years befoe you need to redo your roof.

 

[RobertG]

I recently saw GAF has a solar shingle product for sale. Sounds interesting especially since I need to replace my roof soon. Big problem though is it looks like ****. Tesla roof looks much nicer, but way pricier and I fail to see where I could fit their Powerwall near my panel.

Just got a quote for a GAF solar roof. This include replacing the entire roof including 3/4 inch plywood sheathing. $41850 for a 4.97 KW system which produces 6816 kWh per year. The output is guaranteed to produce at least 85% for 25 years. The sales guy tells me that I should get a tax credit of 30% off the entire thing, which would be $12557.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

I think they look horrible on most houses….not sure the savings is worth it!

 

[PSU_Nut_rivals17625]

Just got a quote for a GAF solar roof. This include replacing the entire roof including 3/4 inch plywood sheathing. $41850 for a 4.97 KW system which produces 6816 kWh per year. The output is guaranteed to produce at least 85% for 25 years. The sales guy tells me that I should get a tax credit of 30% off the entire thing, which would be $12557.

Just to compare I got a 14.5 kw system for $5100 with the output at 90% to 30 years. These were traditions panels.

 

[RU#1fan]

They only let you put in a system that generates the kWh that you used in the last 12 months.
In my case it was JCP&L that somehow had the power to kill our plan. We had to scale it back to under 100% of the last years usage. Why the powers that be (Hello Dems and you environmental nuts that support them) don't let me generate extra power so I could add electric heater to decrease my use of fossil fuel heat in the winter. Or add the ability to charge the EV they want me to buy. Hey Murphy, you want to go to the California model? Hypocrite.

Knucklehead

 

[RAC’emUp]

Lots of trees that continue to fall on power lines by me so I got a quote for a whole natural gas whole house generator. Cummins 20kw system with load management / shredding accessories. Cost of the unit is ~$5K - but the total quote was almost $15K after install. I did not go further with that guy. Will continue to search again.

Generac is the major manufacturer of whole house systems. I got one 3 years ago that covers 10 of our 13 circuits. That’s more than enough, eg. we didnt hook in for the dishwasher. I think it was $7500. $300 a year maintenance contract. I’m in north Jersey and we used Corbin Electric out of Freehold. They have been very good.

 

[dconifer0]

That's the perfect time to install solar when you have a solid new roof to place them up there. You should be good for 30 years befoe you need to redo your roof.

Yeah, it’s irrational. Especially since I have spent fifteen years explaining that I did a new roof at the same time that the panels went up in the other house, for the reasons specified by you and others here…

 

[dconifer0]

Ha, this thread is replete with the folks with whom I try hard never to talk about my panels with. If it comes up, they take on "I hate Al Gore" face, and they start verbally flailing, trying comically to find the right cliche to denigrate something they don't know very much about. I've had that conversation a billion times; now I try to change the subject, and talk about something like Rutgers (or Maryland) football!

 

[wheezer]

I think they look horrible on most houses….not sure the savings is worth it!

I hate it also, but many people don't mind

I once got an estimate where covering just about my full roof would save about $20 bucks a month, the energy company reaped the rest of the energy
I then called my house insurance company ANd they said the panels raise your insurance rates, harder to put out fires with them on

 

[motorb54]

Knucklehead

I guess you cannot argue the points so you revert to name calling. Go f*** yourself!

 

[dconifer0]

I hate it also, but many people don't mind

I once got an estimate where covering just about my full roof would save about $20 bucks a month, the energy company reaped the rest of the energy
I then called my house insurance company ANd they said the panels raise your insurance rates, harder to put out fires with them on

I own my panels, so I have no direct experience with these types of arrangements. But if you were really interested, I hope you got a second opinion from another solar supplier. A roof full of panels should be enough to generate all your own power, so I can't imagine what that contract looked like if the homeowner only cleared $20 a month in savings.

There is a lot of "mythology" about solar panels / homeowners insurance policies. Not going to get into that...

 

[wheezer]

I own my panels, so I have no direct experience with these types of arrangements. But if you were really interested, I hope you got a second opinion from another solar supplier. A roof full of panels should be enough to generate all your own power, so I can't imagine what that contract looked like if the homeowner only cleared $20 a month in savings.

There is a lot of "mythology" about solar panels / homeowners insurance policies. Not going to get into that...

Thanks
This was a long time ago so a lot could have changed
I did call my insurance company at that time and they did say the rates would go up

Also, the roofer who put my latest roof on said that panels would void his guarantee, limited as it was

I would have been tempted to buy the system and get all the energy, but to be honest I really did not want the panels on my roof, just wanted to know how it would work, savings etc

The newest thing with panels that look close to normal shingles seem more acceptable appearance wise imo...that still might affect insurance in my case

 

[dconifer0]

Thanks
This was a long time ago so a lot could have changed
I did call my insurance company at that time and they did say the rates would go up

Also, the roofer who put my latest roof on said that panels would void his guarantee, limited as it was

I would have been tempted to buy the system and get all the energy, but to be honest I really did not want the panels on my roof, just wanted to know how it would work, savings etc

The newest thing with panels that look close to normal shingles seem more acceptable appearance wise imo...that still might affect insurance in my case

That's great that you have an open mind about it. I try to be that way about all things, but I'm sure I fail in many instances without even realizing it...

 

[RobertG]

Generac is the major manufacturer of whole house systems. I got one 3 years ago that covers 10 of our 13 circuits. That’s more than enough, eg. we didnt hook in for the dishwasher. I think it was $7500. $300 a year maintenance contract. I’m in north Jersey and we used Corbin Electric out of Freehold. They have been very good.

I took a different approach to home power generation, in case of power outage. I put in a Transfer switch at the box $600 and purchases a 7500 watt generator for $1000, that can run on propane or gas. If the power goes out I start the generator flip the transfer switch and I can run my lights, refrigerator, TVs and Internet and heating unit (gas). Only thing I'm not running is my AC. I will have to keep it filled with gas or propane. So all in $1800 (added a long cable for the generator)

 

[Sleeping Giant]

I hate it also, but many people don't mind

I once got an estimate where covering just about my full roof would save about $20 bucks a month, the energy company reaped the rest of the energy
I then called my house insurance company ANd they said the panels raise your insurance rates, harder to put out fires with them on

Just think they look like an eyesore and really take away from the aesthetic of the house. So much so that I would never buy a house with them…and for $20 saving not even remotely worth it.

 

[wheezer]

Just think they look like an eyesore and really take away from the aesthetic of the house. So much so that I would never buy a house with them…and for $20 saving not even remotely worth it.

When a house has them it’s the first thing I notice, no matter how nice the house

Maybe, if I could have gotten good power out of panels on the back of the house alone, that not really visible so much

 

[e5fdny]

Just think they look like an eyesore and really take away from the aesthetic of the house. So much so that I would never buy a house with them…and for $20 saving not even remotely worth it.

When a house has them it’s the first thing I notice, no matter how nice the house

Maybe, if I could have gotten good power out of panels on the back of the house alone, that not really visible so much

As mentioned I have them and even before I decided never really thought about the look.

But because of *the way my house faces and the type of roof, expanded cape, you don’t see most of the panels anyway.

* because of that I don’t get as much total sun as my neighbor across the street.

 

[RC1991]

Just to note that for battery backup, Tesla is not the only option. We have a 16kW LG battery since the Teslas were back ordered at the time and it was less expensive. There are other options as well though the Teslas have a nice footprint. Also, if you install a battery at the same time as the panels and the battery can be recharged via solar the you also get the tax credit for the battery in addition to the panels. The battery closes the system and allows you to still generate electricity when the grid is down. We’ve had some short outages and during the day the battery was idle as the panels were more than enough to power the house. Have had enough net metering credits to keep the bill at base rate even during the winter when our days are cloudy and very short.

 

[BellyFullOfWhiteDogCrap]

Just to note that for battery backup, Tesla is not the only option. We have a 16kW LG battery since the Teslas were back ordered at the time and it was less expensive. There are other options as well though the Teslas have a nice footprint. Also, if you install a battery at the same time as the panels and the battery can be recharged via solar the you also get the tax credit for the battery in addition to the panels. The battery closes the system and allows you to still generate electricity when the grid is down. We’ve had some short outages and during the day the battery was idle as the panels were more than enough to power the house. Have had enough net metering credits to keep the bill at base rate even during the winter when our days are cloudy and very short.

Does your provider offer time of use rates? If so, do you charge you battery from the grid at night and sell extra electricity during the day? Thanks.

 

[RUSK97]

I took a different approach to home power generation, in case of power outage. I put in a Transfer switch at the box $600 and purchases a 7500 watt generator for $1000, that can run on propane or gas. If the power goes out I start the generator flip the transfer switch and I can run my lights, refrigerator, TVs and Internet and heating unit (gas). Only thing I'm not running is my AC. I will have to keep it filled with gas or propane. So all in $1800 (added a long cable for the generator)

This is what I did too. Though Pezz Electric charged me over a thousand for the transfer switch because they had to move a bunch of circuits around. That said, I need to be around to hook this all up...it's not instantaneous like a whole house generator.

 

[e5fdny]

This is what I did too. Though Pezz Electric charged me over a thousand for the transfer switch because they had to move a bunch of circuits around. That said, I need to be around to hook this all up...it's not instantaneous like a whole house generator.

Which is why I ended up with the whole house instead.

Gave my neighbor a big 5 gallon gas can for his portable that he would need more than me.

 

[RC1991]

Does your provider offer time of use rates? If so, do you charge you battery from the grid at night and sell extra electricity during the day? Thanks.

They are doing that as a pilot program but we’re not part of the pilot. In looking at the parameters the rates are adjusted during the winter months (November to February) and peak rates are about 2 hour windows in the morning and evening with discount rates overnight. They also have weekday to weekend adjustments. Our power management prioritizes charging our battery when we’re producing electricity from the panels though occasionally (1 or 2 times) I’ve seen it charge from the grid in the evening. In the summer during peak production even when we’re charging the battery from the panels there is usually enough production to run the house and export to the grid unless we are running the dryer and a/c at the same time.

 

[RobertG]

Just got a quote for a GAF solar roof. This include replacing the entire roof including 3/4 inch plywood sheathing. $41850 for a 4.97 KW system which produces 6816 kWh per year. The output is guaranteed to produce at least 85% for 25 years. The sales guy tells me that I should get a tax credit of 30% off the entire thing, which would be $12557.

Just found out that the 85% guaranty is only if you buy the warranty for another $1800

 

[Plum Street]

That's the perfect time to install solar when you have a solid new roof to place them up there. You should be good for 30 years befoe you need to redo your roof.

Dumb question . But say you do get your brand new roof or buy new construction , wouldn’t you be putting your roof warranty at risk by putting solar panels on it ?

 

[PSU_Nut_rivals17625]

Dumb question . But say you do get your brand new roof or buy new construction , wouldn’t you be putting your roof warranty at risk by putting solar panels on it ?

No it doesn’t effect the warranty but with mine I have a warranty from the dollar company that protects against leaks where the panels were attached.

 

[PSU_Nut_rivals17625]

I hate it also, but many people don't mind

I once got an estimate where covering just about my full roof would save about $20 bucks a month, the energy company reaped the rest of the energy
I then called my house insurance company ANd they said the panels raise your insurance rates, harder to put out fires with them on

Five of us got solar panels on my street. The amount insurance went up was $16 to $60 a year and that was simply because you are adding about $40-50k in replacement cost coverage.

 

[wheezer]

Five of us got solar panels on my street. The amount insurance went up was $16 to $60 a year and that was simply because you are adding about $40-50k in replacement cost coverage.

Someone also told me part of the increase is because it makes it a bit more difficult when putting out a fire
Your explanation makes more sense

 

[Plum Street]

Five of us got solar panels on my street. The amount insurance went up was $16 to $60 a year and that was simply because you are adding about $40-50k in replacement cost coverage.

Yeah, but can teenage kids still sneak off to the roof to smoke ?

 

[wheezer]

No it doesn’t effect the warranty but with mine I have a warranty from the dollar company that protects against leaks where the panels were attached.

I had a new roof put on by your typical local roofing company, not a chain

In the contract he had a provision that if I added solar panels it voided his guarantee
I guess the solar company must have to make that provision and be responsible

 

[PSU_Nut_rivals17625]

Yeah, but can teenage kids still sneak off to the roof to smoke ?

They don’t need to. They just vape these days lol