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Anyone Have Solar Panels On Your House?
- Thread starter Huntn
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I believe that SunPower panels are the best. They produce the highest efficiency, about 24%. However, I can’t say that this works out to be best per cost over the life of the system. They do show data that their panels degrade much more slowly than others do.
We are putting in 9kW of SunPower panels on our home with a battery (not Tesla). I’m not much worried about the cost, I mostly want to do this as it is the right thing to do. We will have an all electric home, no natural gas.
Note that with a battery system you get limited power, you can’t run high power devices. This is enough to keep the refrigerators and such running in an emergency. Our particular system is limited to 40 amps.
The battery also helps to time shift power. You charge the battery in the afternoon and get back power in the evening when utility power is most expensive.
Without the battery I think the system cost about $15k. I’m not sure about any rebates we might get. This is a moving target. I’ll let the accountants figure it out once everything is done.
We are putting in 9kW of SunPower panels on our home with a battery (not Tesla). I’m not much worried about the cost, I mostly want to do this as it is the right thing to do. We will have an all electric home, no natural gas.
Note that with a battery system you get limited power, you can’t run high power devices. This is enough to keep the refrigerators and such running in an emergency. Our particular system is limited to 40 amps.
The battery also helps to time shift power. You charge the battery in the afternoon and get back power in the evening when utility power is most expensive.
Without the battery I think the system cost about $15k. I’m not sure about any rebates we might get. This is a moving target. I’ll let the accountants figure it out once everything is done.
Ok, so I have a few questions for you, if you don’t mind answering them given your lengthy owner experience.
1.) Have you ever had any damage to your solar panels (Inadvertent from storms, hail, tree branches…) and if so, is that something that you have to pay for out-of-pocket? Or is that covered under some type of insurance? And if it is covered under insurance, is there a deductible?
2.) One thing I’ve always been curious about, what’s the durability of these solar panels and what can they possibly with-stand?
3.) If you’re in need of a roof replacement when the solar panels are already installed, how does it work where the solar panels have to be removed and the roof needs to be replaced? Is that something a roofing company can do or is that a solar company‘s-owner responsibility to remove the panels prior to the roof replacement? I imagine that would probably be really costly to have them removed and then reinstalled. [Which is probably is a good idea as a homeowner, to make sure that your roof is not in need of replacement prior to the installation of the solar panels.]
4.) And lastly, if you’re relocating to another residence, is it possible to take the solar panels and equipment from one residence to another, where the company makes the transfer for you, given that the cost will obviously be the owners responsibility.
My question(s) would be, what’s the reliability of used panels? Does it include any type of warranty? Are they inspected and guaranteed? That’s something education is important before you buy any used solar panels, given what is also the age of the panels, and why are they being sold as used?
Sorry to be slow in responding.
1. I've never had damage. The panels never had a problem. The guarantee I had would not have covered damage -- it was only for performance. As for the insurance, I have to say that I don't know. I'd suppose, considering they were part of the house, that they'd have been covered. But I never had to inquire, and the policy isn't around anymore. I'm sure that my deductable would have applied, though. As for here, I'd have to ask my agent. The leasing company owns them, so I'm not sure what the coverage would be.
2. The installation in Hilo went through two tropical storms (60 mph+ winds), lots of earthquakes (including a 6.9), and lots of rain. The panels themselves never skipped a beat, although one did eventually stop making power and was replaced. The installation/maintenance company had a percentage value for output -- maybe it was 85%? I can't remember. If a panel's output dipped below that, they replaced it. Panels don't like scratching/abrasion, but that was never a problem for me. Here, they are often covered with a thick layer of snow; last winter was a bad one and at times it looked to me as though there was at least a foot on snow on them. If wet, that would have been a heavy load -- but there were no problems. Similarly, being locked in ice wasn't a problem. This year, I got a poly roof rake and will be trying to keep the lower row of panels clear of snow. The poly won't scratch them.
3. Roof replacement is definitely an issue. In Hilo, I needed to have the metal roof painted. The painting contractor didn't want to remove the panels, as that would have been very expensive, so we left them in place. One issue was that because the painter was going to be spraying rather than rolling, he had to be very careful near the panels. In Hilo, painters and roofers are used to working with and around panels. In a part of the country where solar would be just coming in, there wouldn't be that knowledge. Here, the roof is shingled and my guess is that, assuming the panels were fastened in and the bolts were sealed properly, the roof will actually last longer with the panels than without.
4. That's a good question. A homeowner would have to negotiate with the installer, and I do think it would be expensive. If I were the buyer, and had agreed in principle to give up the installation, I'd be very very cautious about the state of the roof after the panels were gone. There would be a lot of holes. Actually if I were the buyer, I wouldn't buy the house under those conditions.
I looked in to solar and did not like the payback for my particular configuration (roof orientation, utility buy back price, etc). I did understand there was one type of inverter that would supply power to your house when the grid is down. A proper backup generator installation automatically disconnects from the grid when powering your house, so I would hope a similar thing could be set up for solar.
I'm about to install panels that I will lease. Can you please explain how equity, when selling my home, is affected? Thanks!
I see no effect on the equity of your house for leased panels. Only more or less desirable at sales time, which might effect effect the final price if you want to consider that equity.
I was pitched the idea of leasing panels which I rejected due to possible complications when it comes time to sell the house in the 5-10 year time frame, and the price to lease was not that compelling at $.14kh, which I’m currently paying less via a contract with a local utility for power plant electricity. Now if it had been $.10kh I might have considered it more. There are other concerns such as at what rate can I expect the cost of leased via solar panel electricity to increase in price? I mean this is equipment fixed to my house, why would the cost to lease it go up? ?
What happens when I sell my house?
We will negotiate with the new owners to enter into a lease agreement with us.
What happens if the new owners don’t want to lease solar panels?
We will remove them at our expense and repair the roof.
My concern was that there might be complications, people who don’t want to buy the house, because they would be concerned about the condition of the roof, or buying a house with solar panels they don’t want that need to be removed.
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I bought a house with leased panels. They were never discussed separately from the rest of the property. We understood that the lease would be transferred to us. I don't remember that anybody put a price on the panels, beyond noting the per-month cost. I didn't like the idea of leasing -- and the buyout was ridiculously high -- but they were on the roof, we wanted solar power, and so that was that.
The leasing company (Spruce Power) is about as bad as they get. It's impossible to contact them, etc etc. I have two non functioning inverters (out of 53) but I can't even find somebody to talk to about getting repairs.
Some sellers believe that if they dump money into solar for their house they'll see it come back to them when they put their homes up for sale. "We have a green house and that's valuable today". It may add $15k to the sale price, but the cost of the equipment is more than that typically. I'm speaking strictly for those who purchase their equipment outright, which very few do. Or those who are dumb enough to take out a loan to by the equipment (lien on the house).
Value in terms of homes is generally on a case by case basis. Not everyone is into solar. If you lease the equipment, solar won't be factored in to the sale price. It may attract certain buyers but they're not going to pay over what the comps are for your neighborhood because you have solar panels. In the case of a lease the buyers either agree to take over the lease or they have you call the company to remove the equipment prior to closing. The buyers may also request an inspection of the roof once the equipment is removed. Anyone who takes the keys to the house BEFORE the equipment is removed and an inspection is conducted on the roof is an idiot.
Just got these installed today. Inspection is Thursday, meter swap is Friday. No batteries as that was an added expense that we don't need. Plan on getting a smaller rechargeable one.
In keeping with the thread topic, we didn't have enough southerly facing roof to have it installed up there, which is fine with me. We have plenty of ground.
This array should cover 112% of our usage.
![IMG_7152-X2.jpg]()
![IMG_7128-X2.jpg]()
In keeping with the thread topic, we didn't have enough southerly facing roof to have it installed up there, which is fine with me. We have plenty of ground.
This array should cover 112% of our usage.
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The extra 12% is sold to the power company or to keep the small battery charged?Just got these installed today. Inspection is Thursday, meter swap is Friday. No batteries as that was an added expense that we don't need. Plan on getting a smaller rechargeable one.
In keeping with the thread topic, we didn't have enough southerly facing roof to have it installed up there, which is fine with me. We have plenty of ground.
This array should cover 112% of our usage.
![IMG_7152-X2.jpg]()
![IMG_7128-X2.jpg]()
Do you care to speak of how much that setup cost? I really wanted solar panels here in Texas, but I could not make the numbers sound good. In other words my costs for the solar panel loan would be more per month than my current electric bill. Maybe I was talking to lousy salespeople, because there is a bunch of sun down here to generate electric with.Just got these installed today. Inspection is Thursday, meter swap is Friday. No batteries as that was an added expense that we don't need. Plan on getting a smaller rechargeable one.
In keeping with the thread topic, we didn't have enough southerly facing roof to have it installed up there, which is fine with me. We have plenty of ground.
This array should cover 112% of our usage.
![IMG_7152-X2.jpg]()
![IMG_7128-X2.jpg]()
From my understanding, even various realty companies won’t get involved with homes that have solar panels on them, because it causes a lot of issues in terms of the new owners may not want the panels and/or if the previous owner of the residence wants to take the panels with them, that can obviously cause damage to the roof when they’re removed.
If I were to have a solar set-up, I kind of like what John has above photoed with the in-ground set up, but when we move into our new house, I’m not sure if we have enough plot to have that installed. That’s definitely something for a contractor to take a look at.
total cost before tax credit of 26% is $50,000. For us, with an average electric bill of $240/month (we are all electric here, no gas). If your electric usage is small, you can either not get it or get a smaller system. We are thinking long term...after retirement no more wild fluctuation of electric bill. I even had 10" of insulation blown into attic! While our usage went down, the rates went up.
Here's how we broke it down:
Cost per month of electric through provider: $240
Cost of loan per month for solar: $325
After install:
Electric per month $15 (have to maintain connection to power company)
We look at the loan payment as our electric bill and the solar payment as the extra amount
Electric: $240
Solar panels: $85
Benefit is that we can & will pay off that loan early, so that we'll be paying $15/month total
In the USA, there have been incentives of interest in my recent (last year) discussion with installers no real mention of that was made of,tax incentives gives when describing price. It is possible they had already adjusted the price for tax incentives, but I’m not sure. I think my most recent posts in this thread sum up my view.
In essence, a huge investment which may not be worth it if you are not staying in your house for a decade or more. The problem I see is that if this investment becomes a loan, you simply can’t tack $40k onto the price of your house and expect it to remain competitive in the housing market because of that single feature. The same goes for a pool, if number one it is desired, I think while some buyers will be willing to pay more for the house, but they will expect you to eat most of the purchase expense.
Of interest I have a sister-inlaw who installed panels in Austin, Texas, I am in Houston, Texas, and as reported though my wife, she is still getting substantial electric bills that she is arguing about with the local electrical provider. If I was still interested in getting panels, I’d ask for details.
The problem here in the US, in possibly my uninformed opinion, is that individuals are expected to front the costs of solar energy, while as a society, if we are trying to tackle a serious looming energy issue, I would think it would require much more in the way of subsidizing these costs, instead of just allowing those who can afford it to benefit from it. Unfortunately this quickly turns into a political discussion, which stops me in my tracks on this website, so I’ll stop here.
It will absolutely never be worth it financially. Never. These programs that exist around the country, even here in the sunshine state, are not set up to benefit you, but to benefit the electric company. And meanwhile, it is ugly as shlt. We are a long way away from the cost of solar coming down to earth and being a sensible option.
I can’t say they are always ugly, look at a Tesla install, and they (someone) are supposed to be working on solar shingles.