home solar panels

[ronin_01r1]

i'm interested in getting them installed at my house. i am making an appointment with a home depot installer to get an estimate/consultation. my plan was to start with them to come out and price it out for me. then i was going to do the same thing with a couple local companies i've seen driving around.

does anyone here have them at your home or business?

how much can i expect to pay?

are there different types?

is there anything i should watch out for?

i heard "new" types of solar panels are under development or were coming out soon which would greatly improve solar panel efficiency...any truth to that?

basically, i'm looking for any information that might be helpful in deciding whether this large investment is worth considering.

thanks.

[IrocRob]

You do live in a single family home which is not subject
to any type of "homeowners association", correct?

There are several lawsuits currently going through the system
concerning people who installed solar panels, and the associations
who think they should be removed. Good Luck with the installation.

[Smokes35]

a customer of mine has them installed on his house, if u'd like to talk to him, shoot me a PM with some contact info im sure he'd be happy to talk to you about it.

[ronin_01r1]

You do live in a single family home which is not subject
to any type of "homeowners association", correct?

There are several lawsuits currently going through the system
concerning people who installed solar panels, and the associations
who think they should be removed. Good Luck with the installation.

actually, i should check with the association first. thanks for the reminde.r

[jcblitz]

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72752-0.html?tw=rss.index

[ronin_01r1]

Email I recieved from the Home Depot's solar power installer.. $50K out of pocket initial investment is much more than i expected and on top of that, it generates energy to cover an avg $175 electric bill? ...in the summer, i can tell you it's gone much higher than that with the AC running..

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SOLAR B/P & HOME DEPOT $1000 DEPOSIT IS REQUIRED TO MOVE FORWARD ON REBATE THE STATE IS OFFERING DUE TO CHANGE 3/2/07


I recently received a lead from the Home Solutions & BP Solar, indicating your interest in solar electric. Home Depot has an exclusive with BP Solar and provides financing for the solar electric system. I will give you some basic, preliminary information on the solar system and the state’s rebate program. If you are interested in more information or are ready to purchase a system, please feel free to contact me at one of the phone numbers listed above.



Currently, the state of New Jersey is paying approximately43% of the cost of a solar system for residential homes. A home that uses approximately 1100 kilowatt hours of electricity would require a 10k (10,000 watt) system, in order to eliminate the home’s electric bill up to $175 a month. A 10k system costs the homeowner approximately $49,000. That is the homeowner’s out-of-pocket cost, after the state’s rebate. A 5k system costs the homeowner approximately $25,000.



The state has several requirements that must be met in order for the rebate money to be issued. The solar panels must be placed on the south facing side of the roof. In addition, there must not be any trees within 60 feet of the home, on that side of the building. In the event trees are present, they must be cut down before the solar panels can be installed.



In addition to eliminating the home’s electric bill, the state’s program also involves the accumulation and sale of renewable energy credits. For every 1,000 kw hours your system produces, you will earn one certificate, through the state of New Jersey. Once a year, you will be able to sell those certificates to large polluting industries. They will send a check to you, purchasing your clean energy. The current rate is approximately $260 per certificate. This rate has been increasing every year.



In addition to eliminating your electric bill and selling renewable energy credits, you will receive a $3,000 tax credit on your federal tax return.



This is an excellent program, as well as an excellent investment in your home. If you are interested in more information regarding your home and what size system you will qualify for, please feel free to call me at my home. I would also recommend that you explore the following website for more information on the state’s clean energy program.

www.njcep.com



If you would like an exact price quote for a system on your home, I would need you to fax or email a copy of the second page of your electric bill to me. My fax number is 609-625-5021. I look forward to hearing from you soon.



Sincerely,

Dion Palmer

[RCM78]

Shop around. You may be able to cut that out of pocket # by 20%. But it will still take years to recoup your money. At this stage in solar panel developement it really doesnt pay for itself. By the time you start to see a return on investment it's time to replace the panels...

[John712]

Email I recieved from the Home Depot's solar power installer.. $50K out of pocket initial investment is much more than i expected and on top of that, it generates energy to cover an avg $175 electric bill? ...in the summer, i can tell you it's gone much higher than that with the AC running..


I'm still in the meter reading department and a lot of my customers have them, when i say a lot i mean 10 out of close to 19,000 customers that i have on my route monthly.

8 out of those 10 customers said they were better off saving their money and just pay the monthy utility bill. while the last 2 said their saving on an average of $100 to $150 monthly.

if your not using more then 3000 kilowatt hours in summer/warmer months and 2000+ in the colder/chilly months, its not worth it. your better off getting yourself on a budget plan, which is also 50-50. it can either kick you in the ass at year end and you will owe the utility company money OR they will owe you a big credit and you wont be paying an electric bill for a few months.

these solar panels are really designed for big square footage houses, Mansions, Mini Mansions, whereas those houses are using that 3000+ kilowatt hours every month. i dont know the square footage of your house. dont get me wrong, they are a great idea, but like i said there for bigger houses, personally i would save my money only because of the price for them and installation is so high and you wont see a big difference as you would think.

you will hear stories from people who currently have them, and say its the best thing they invested in, but when you hear it from a person who works for the utility company such me and RCM78 you might take that money and put on an addition to satisfy your needs even more, plus it will boost up the price of your house.



as for HomeDepot, i love that place, i must be in there 3 to 4 times a week. but i will not, hell, i wont even think about HomDepot doing anything to my house weather it be replacement windows, roofing, siding or solar panels basically ANYTHING is what im saying. they will rip you a new ass, then take your old ass and put it in a paper shredder and feed it to pigs at the 1st upcoming circus in your town.

im not telling you what to do with your money, that is completely up to you, but it will be years maybe a decade or 2 before you get your money back from it. by then your gonna need a new roof, or roof shingles, then here starts the process again, labor for removing and reinstalling the panels, then more labor for the roof. this might kick you in the ass in the long run.

[soda7o]

wow the requirments are freaking crazy and so is the price tag!

[Cakes206]

in the summer, i can tell you it's gone much higher than that with the AC running..
How big is your place again? A good way to save on energy bills, like for ac/heat is to make sure all windows and doors are properly sealed. Drafts will bring up your bill as it'll make the ac run more in the summer and heat run more in the winter. Same with attic insulation, if you have one. Also, try not to fluctuate the temp. I read that a lot of people when they're not home will drastically change the thermostat so that the ac/heat won't kick on, when they get home they put it on to whatever...this causes it to work harder and longer to bring it to the desired temp. If anything just cut it back a couple degrees.

[ronin_01r1]

....

you will hear stories from people who currently have them, and say its the best thing they invested in, but when you hear it from a person who works for the utility company such me and RCM78 you might take that money and put on an addition to satisfy your needs even more, plus it will boost up the price of your house.

as for HomeDepot, i love that place, i must be in there 3 to 4 times a week. but i will not, hell, i wont even think about HomDepot doing anything to my house weather it be replacement windows, roofing, siding or solar panels basically ANYTHING is what im saying. they will rip you a new ass, then take your old ass and put it in a paper shredder and feed it to pigs at the 1st upcoming circus in your town.

im not telling you what to do with your money, that is completely up to you, but it will be years maybe a decade or 2 before you get your money back from it. by then your gonna need a new roof, or roof shingles, then here starts the process again, labor for removing and reinstalling the panels, then more labor for the roof. this might kick you in the ass in the long run.

thanks for the comments, i really appreciate it. i am rethinking the entire thing. but i've always been curious to find out more about it so i figure it doesn't cost me anything but a little time to do a price comparison from a few local companies and to guage what exactly they're offering.. i also agree that the solar panel technology still has a long ways to go..

now, if i lived in the rockies or somewhere with LOTS of wind, i'd seriously consider getting one of those wind power generators. i heard on npr that some farmers out there have invested in those and are now selling energy instead of the crop they previously struggled to sell..! sweet!


How big is your place again? A good way to save on energy bills, like for ac/heat is to make sure all windows and doors are properly sealed. Drafts will bring up your bill as it'll make the ac run more in the summer and heat run more in the winter. Same with attic insulation, if you have one. Also, try not to fluctuate the temp. I read that a lot of people when they're not home will drastically change the thermostat so that the ac/heat won't kick on, when they get home they put it on to whatever...this causes it to work harder and longer to bring it to the desired temp. If anything just cut it back a couple degrees.

approximately 5k sq. ft, not including the unfinished basement. i have a ton of windows which i'm sure has a huge impact on heating/cooling the house. ...and funny u mention the thermostat setting. i have 2 zone heating/ac for the 1st and 2nd floor...and in hopes to save electricity/gas, i had it fluctuate about +/- 15 degrees when ppl were home and not home. the gas bill was rediculous so i'm now i have it set to fluctuate 4 degrees....it's been about 3 weeks now, so i'm looking to see what kind of difference its going to make in the next couple bills.

[RCM78]

As far as the thermostat setting goes. It's OK to set it back as long as it's set back for at least 8 hrs.

I have mine set to 60 deg during the day from 7am-6pm. It takes maybe 30 minutes to heat my house back up to 68 when we get home. I'm sure the heat would run alot longer then that if I left it on 68 all day. Also, keep in mind that the Heat will not work harder to heat a cold house, it will just run longer (unlike the A/C) It only runs at one speed unless you have a multi stage furnace.

A/C is totally different. The recovery time for A/C units is sometimes ten times that of a heating unit. Also, If you let the house get really hot the A/C unit has to work very hard to remove the heat and humidity from the house. This is where the huge bills come in. In most cases your better off setting the A/C unit at one temp and letting it run all day. Once the house has cooled and humidity level is down the A/C can run but it will draw much less power. It's also normal for an A/C unit run run all day without stopping on a very hot day (>90 deg). Rule of thumb for a properly designed A/C system is 15-20 degrees below the outdoor temp. So if it's 95 outside and your trying to maintain 75 inside expect the unit to run all day.

[ronin_01r1]

found a solar power forum: http://www.solarpowerforum.net/forum/