Talk of The Villages Florida - Rentals, Entertainment & More
Talk of The Villages Florida - Rentals, Entertainment & More
#1
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I know there are people that have gone totally solar. I am having a hard time deciding on which company to use. Can anyone reccomend theirs., or know anything about Momentum or Statewide Energy Corp.
I,ve already got my figures in line. |
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#2
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Be sure you do your research, especially on the contract. IMHO, you are better off hiring your own contractor, and paying for the system yourself. Be sure you check out any company you are thinking about dealing with by going to Seniors against crime, the BBB, and then the complaint websites. I recall seeing a few articles that were very negative on some of the "zero cost" installers, but I do not recall the names of the companies.
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Pennsylvania, for 60+ years, most recently, Allentown, now TV. ![]() |
#3
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Try David Shira Sunshine Solar Group (SSG) - Home info@sunshinesolargroup.com.
He has been in business for years and does a good job of follow up if you have problems. A big problem is estimating the number of panels you need. David tends to estimate what you need plus 10% for safety. He has access to hundreds of installations so he can do a pretty good job of estimating your needs. One problem in estimating is that the production in one year can be more than the production in the next year for most of the months. The point I am trying to make is that the estimating is more of an art than a science so pay attention to how your sales person comes up with the number of panels you need. East/West production is also a lot different than South facing panels. I used David and three other people on my street also used him. I added 10% to the panels he suggested and I end up with a small credit at the end of the year. |
#4
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Seco, the power company for some of The Villages, will do a free estimate of how effective solar will be for reducing your electric bill. The also have simple on line estimator that will give you a ballpark estimate.
Solar Power – SECO Energy |
#5
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I am 73yrs old my electric bill is roughly $1500 a year. What is the cost of the panels installation etc ? What is my savings per year? How long do I have to live to break even? Just curious. Len
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#6
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Solar Estimator – SECO Energy |
#7
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You have a good head on your shoulders. ![]()
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It is better to laugh than to cry. |
#8
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Thanks Gracie Nobody will ever tell me what it cost to install.
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#9
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How your house is oriented, the pitch of the roof, gables on the roof, chimneys, trees on the lot, how much energy you are trying to replace, A/C on the roof, requirements of local power company and state and local codes... and whatever else they run into has a big effect on install cost. As I remember the residential installs he did went from well under $10k to over $25k. In terms of the actual payback time it depends on power company, local, state, and federal subsidies... which can change from year to year even after a system has been installed. It also depends on the cost of conventional gas/coal electricity... natural gas has been driving down the cost of electricity. My friend started out doing both residential and commercial installs. He found that if the site was good and the subsidies were good you could show on paper a payback in 6 to 12 years. In terms of long term savings another unknown is how long panels and inverters will last before they need to be replaced from age or storm or lightning. Back in MA all of his components were guaranteed (parts and labor) for 5 years... that was one the reg's in MA. He dropped doing residential because the pricing on the jobs was too small to cover the "construction" surprises that always happened. He also had all the commercial work he could handle. BTW he had extensive background in electrical utilities and construction and was a PE, fully qualified to do this stuff. About 8 years ago or so he shut down his business so costs/pricing may be different now.. There are also installers (don't know if they are allowed in FL) who do the installation for free and they own and maintain the equipment. You pay them like a power company, per KWH that you use. This, in effect, guarantees the savings you will get from the system. It's not clear if in the end this really ends up being a less expensive way to get solar than just having your own installed and taking on the risk of maintenance yourself. So in the end you need to have someone check out your house and give a quote and see what they estimate for payback time (if you believe them ![]() So in a nutshell if you if you can deal with 6 or 8 years payback time get an estimate. BTW my friend did a solar installation on his brother's warehouse and it got payback in less than 5 years... but subsidies were much better then than they are now. |
#10
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Would be nice if Tesla were in Florida.
Tesla tiles on the roof; Tesla battery in the garage; Tesla car in the drive :-) |
#11
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Thank you So my best case scenario would put my break even point at the about the age of 80 to 82.
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#12
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I'm sure these panels would make a re roof a lot more expensive.
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#13
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OP, are you willing to share your annual KwH consumption? I'll go first, 10,093 for 2000 sq. ft. under air.
I ask because you will probably be matching your system to your current consumption. |
#14
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Just seems like a "give-in" that Florida "the sunshine state" and solar would be a marriage made in heaven, excuse pun. Many websites suggest free installation until you contact them and then you get the "trust us", daaaah! NOT!
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#15
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A 7.5kw system would cost about $15k if all the rebates and sun were ideal for your site and would provide over 100% of your electricity needs. That means as long as net metering is supported you would be getting a check from the electric company every month. Divide $15k by your annual electricity cost and that will give you your payback time in years. But to get something other than a wild guestimate (what this is) you need someone to do a quote and a payback estimate. |
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