Solar shingles already exist, but they are not cost effective or efficient. They're just an expensive proof of concept. It would be great if we all could have solar roofing that feeds directly into a storage unit that feeds our home and reduces our draw from the electrical grid...but that's still nothing more than a fantasy at this point.
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Anyone Have Solar Panels On Your House?
- Thread starter Huntn
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I… never mind, no good can come from my comment.
I haven’t read the entire thread, but anyway… 😂
Firstly, it would be great to come out ahead financially by installing solar panels. I’m going to break even on the cost of my panels after 7-8 years of ownership, so I’m not concerned about this at all.
However, purely in response to the original post, you really need to think about it in terms of what motivates people into considering solar, because for me, even if I never broke even on the purchase, I’m willing to pay a bit more to reduce my environmental impact.
I already do this for many other decisions that I make, as long as it doesn’t feel like “green-washing” BS that is purely meant to make you feel like you’re doing something, but you’re not doing anything (e.g. EVs for the most part, products pushed as environmental because they’re made from recycled plastic bottles, etc). 🤷🏻♂️
Firstly, it would be great to come out ahead financially by installing solar panels. I’m going to break even on the cost of my panels after 7-8 years of ownership, so I’m not concerned about this at all.
However, purely in response to the original post, you really need to think about it in terms of what motivates people into considering solar, because for me, even if I never broke even on the purchase, I’m willing to pay a bit more to reduce my environmental impact.
I already do this for many other decisions that I make, as long as it doesn’t feel like “green-washing” BS that is purely meant to make you feel like you’re doing something, but you’re not doing anything (e.g. EVs for the most part, products pushed as environmental because they’re made from recycled plastic bottles, etc). 🤷🏻♂️
Rebates on the solar panels have dropped considerably
To make it worth while you need a battery system which in some cities is not permitted
Lastly remember that if you have to fix your roof after the solar panels are installed it becomes very costly as the solar company has to remove and then reinstall the panels after the roof work
Only a good idea if your electric bill is extremely high and you have a new roof
Additional home insurance is needed once panels are installed
To make it worth while you need a battery system which in some cities is not permitted
Lastly remember that if you have to fix your roof after the solar panels are installed it becomes very costly as the solar company has to remove and then reinstall the panels after the roof work
Only a good idea if your electric bill is extremely high and you have a new roof
Additional home insurance is needed once panels are installed
If you are in California,,, might want to look at the new law that was just signed and goes into effect in April of 2024
California’s residential solar rules overhauled after highly charged debate
So here in the UK we pay a lot more for electricity. Bills have typically doubled in the last 12 months so we have been looking into it.
My Dad purchased solar panels outright about 8 years ago. Back then the incentive scheme was very good. He sells his excess power back to the grid at a higher price than he buys his electricity from them when he isn’t producing power.
Unfortunately now you get paid about a tenth per unit that you sell back to them. So unless you use a lot of power in the day you have to buy a battery as well.
I do work from home some days and have an EV but usage is still higher in the evening. I rarely charge the EV at home as I’m able to charge for free at the office.
So the panels plus the battery cost are prohibitive. As much as I’d like to do it from an environmental viewpoint I think it just doesn’t work for us at the moment. That’s not even factoring in the roof on our place is 60 years old so is likely to need replacing at some point.
Oh and it’s not as sunny in the UK most of the year!
My Dad purchased solar panels outright about 8 years ago. Back then the incentive scheme was very good. He sells his excess power back to the grid at a higher price than he buys his electricity from them when he isn’t producing power.
Unfortunately now you get paid about a tenth per unit that you sell back to them. So unless you use a lot of power in the day you have to buy a battery as well.
I do work from home some days and have an EV but usage is still higher in the evening. I rarely charge the EV at home as I’m able to charge for free at the office.
So the panels plus the battery cost are prohibitive. As much as I’d like to do it from an environmental viewpoint I think it just doesn’t work for us at the moment. That’s not even factoring in the roof on our place is 60 years old so is likely to need replacing at some point.
Oh and it’s not as sunny in the UK most of the year!
We have them on our roof in a small array to heat our pool. We didn't put them in, previous owner had them installed. They do a good job, Lord knows we get enough sun here.
A reality of the situation is that there are no easy solutions. Renewable energy comes with a substantial initial capital cost and is not a 1:1 replacement for fossil fuels (nothing ever will be). But on the other hand we have been ignoring the 'costs' of fossil fuels all along.
We have solar panels on our house. Since we put them in, they've produced 45.5 MWh of electricity -- about 12 MWh per year or 1 MWh per month, which is more than the average US home uses. It's cut our summer electricity bills by well over half even when the AC is on full tilt, and our winter electricity bills by 2/3. And since I drive an EV which gets charged at home, I spend essentially nothing on fuel annually.
The break-even point is 15 yrs (which includes the tax rebates we received when they were installed), of which we're over 3.5 years in to, so less than 12 years to go. And since it's unlikely that we'll move in the next 12 yrs, we're satisfied with the tradeoff. And even if we do, the price of the panels would be rolled into the price of the home. They've so far been completely maintenance free, so there has been no additional costs thus far.
Almost half of the homes in our neighborhood also have solar panels, so since they're mostly larger homes, it significantly reduces the footprint of the neighborhood.
The break-even point is 15 yrs (which includes the tax rebates we received when they were installed), of which we're over 3.5 years in to, so less than 12 years to go. And since it's unlikely that we'll move in the next 12 yrs, we're satisfied with the tradeoff. And even if we do, the price of the panels would be rolled into the price of the home. They've so far been completely maintenance free, so there has been no additional costs thus far.
Almost half of the homes in our neighborhood also have solar panels, so since they're mostly larger homes, it significantly reduces the footprint of the neighborhood.
12 years for a pay off is more than I’d want though. As much as I’d love them, I couldn’t afford that. Not until we finish the mortgage anyway.
But that will vary by country I’m sure. Not much sun here in the UK a lot of the time.
you can install batteries with panels, but you have to plan at the time of installation of Solar system.
The last time I talked to 2 solar panel install companies, not a peep was said about credits or rebates. 🤔 I found there to be too many open questions in my thinking. If you plan on staying in a house, it should pay off. If you maybe are moving within 5 years, I could easily see it not paying off, because it’s like having a pool, which may have cost you $35k, a seller may pay $10k more for the pool, but you can’t simply tack $35k onto your sale price and expect the buyer to pay it.
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