Solar house
 

Thank you for buying your electricity from me.

On sunny days like today, my solar house makes more electricity than I need to cool it. So the electricity company buys my excess electricity and resells it to you.

I have no great-grandchildren yet, but if I did, they would thank you too because they will have to live on the planet we leave to them. If you have children and grandchildren, you might think of converting to solar. It costs almost nothing as the bill on the solar loan is about the same as the bill to the electric company would be. And every month, the solar company sends a report showing how many tons of carbon my house has offset.

If humanity is to thrive, we will have to defeat global temperature rise, and we Floridians have a unique opportunity to make a significant impact with minimum sacrifice.

If someone from The Villages LLC reads this, I hope they will consider making solar an option for all new construction – residential and commercial.

And the additional construction cost to accomplish this is????????

Now here comes the solar deniers. I had a neighbor unfortunately dead now that said solar panels only work in outer space as he set up his solar sidewalk lamps because the battery inside was so good lasted forever.

I am so grateful or the returns on my investments over the past 19 months which, for the cost of an installed solar system, I have enough to cover my electricity cost for ELEVEN YEARS and I still have the the funds to buy a solar array.

But I won't. And that's OK. I'll do me, you do you OP.

I purchased a system a few years ago and at that time there was no way I could calculate a breakeven point. My salesman could of course. I like the system but do not do it with the idea that you will come out ahead on the dollars.
The unknown is how will future rates be affected by inflation and the cost of getting rid of oil, gas and nuclear sources. I just might get to a breakeven.

Perhaps OP sells solar?

Not a denier, but a realist...

Solar Panels are not without their own problems...

Giant desert solar farms might have unintended climate consequences | Greenbiz

Are we to take this on faith too, Sister?

I've seen several roofs with solar panels on them; one just lately about a block from here. We've chatted about going that route too.

I'm not the rah-rah type when it comes to lowering global temperatures, carbon footprints, saving the planet, etc. The planet got along fine before I arrived and I suspect that it will get along just fine after I leave. But the money-saving aspect does interest me. Not only that but I suspect it adds to the resale value of the house as well.

There are no "solar deniers"...just people who understand science and common sense. Do they get the energy to build your house and it's components from solar power? Nope. Do they build the solar panels using solar power? Nope.

Are we, as humans, arrogant enough to think our burning of fossil fuels is enough to cause global warming? Yup. Does global climate change happen as the earth changes? Yup. Will the earth keep changing and having quite hot periods and ice ages without our input?Yup.The earth is a mega huge chunk of space junk cobbled together by chance and a young universe and solar system. Anyone who thinks we can reverse a naturally occurring process spends most of their time sitting on their brains trying to find meaning in a completely random universe. They are...in effect...not too bright and scared by the fear mongers who only want them to follow as sheep. They want more meaning in their lives and will follow anyone who can make money off of them.

The only deniers are those who refuse to learn from the earths past. One mega volcano puts out more deadly gas and ash than a 100 years of burning oil, coal and wood. How come with 1000's of years of volcanoes are we not living on a dried out husk like Mars? Hmmm?

There are those of us who seem to find meaning in being afraid...then there are those of us who do the best we can, follow the science and do what we can to save the things that are becoming scarce or disappearing altogether.

America does more to lower emissions than any other country. If you believe so strongly why aren't you spending your time going after china, Russia and other polluters? Because it's difficult and this way you can sit on your arse and pontificate to those who you think are at fault in this country.

Solar might be one of the answers one day, but as of now it's so inefficient you may as well go back to horse power...literally.

Now please go back to sleep and when you can visit me with solar(alternative)power that actually is created using solar power and is reasonable for all leave me alone!!!

You are absolutely correct. The planet will get along just fine after you leave. The question is whether humans will survive. Humans have been on the planet for VERY small fraction of the planet's history.

In my opinion, you are misguided on both counts. Solar panels will not save you money because the payback period for the initial system cost is way too long, usually about 15 years or longer. Those who sell solar systems will give you an unrealistic payback calculation that almost never includes the lost investment income value of the initial system cost. They will also give you a 25 to 30 year parts and labor warranty, which no contractor could ever expect to honor. Also, when you sell your house, you will probably get less money for it because most people do not want to buy a house with a solar system because of potential maintenance and roof issues.

Also, if you happen to sign a NO COST type contract, you will find you cannot cancel the contract, and the new home owner MUST take over the contract. I have seen several news articles where it was reported this was a deal breaker.

Power companies are required to buy your power at a rate that subsidizes you. If we all got solar your subsidy would be eliminated.

OP does not sell solar!
 

OP has no financial interest in solar. He is uninterested in arguing with people who believe global warming is a hoax. And, he did not put panels on his house as any kind of a "good investment".

OP believes global warming is an existential threat to the creatures of the earth, including his progeny, and he is moved to take reasonable action to help leave a healthy earth to those who will be here after he passes.

If I really thought that global warming was an existential threat to the planet, I wouldn't even use electricity at all. But, some of the loudest voices promoting things like solar power, come from people who own multiple houses and fly around the world in private jets. The hypocrisy is laughable. The people who sell solar panels to Villagers are scammers. I would suggest that, if you discuss a solar system with a contractor, the first thing you should do is to ask them if you can visit their house and inspect their solar panels.

Is Solar Power Actually Viable?
 

Anyone considering the use of solar power really should look at their current history of kWh usage. kWh is kilo-Watt hours and represents just how much power your home consumes in order to live your daily life. Various sites which promote and sell solar power technology advertise that the average US home uses about 900 kWh / month. Personally, at my house we average a little over 3,000 kWh / month.

Problem is when you go to sell your house the buyer won't be willing to take on the debt and you will be forced to pay it off.
QUOTE=zendog3;1977910]Thank you for buying your electricity from me.

On sunny days like today, my solar house makes more electricity than I need to cool it. So the electricity company buys my excess electricity and resells it to you.

I have no great-grandchildren yet, but if I did, they would thank you too because they will have to live on the planet we leave to them. If you have children and grandchildren, you might think of converting to solar. It costs almost nothing as the bill on the solar loan is about the same as the bill to the electric company would be. And every month, the solar company sends a report showing how many tons of carbon my house has offset.

If humanity is to thrive, we will have to defeat global temperature rise, and we Floridians have a unique opportunity to make a significant impact with minimum sacrifice.

If someone from The Villages LLC reads this, I hope they will consider making solar an option for all new construction – residential and commercial.[/QUOTE]

Even Kerry admittedthat if we totally eliminated our carbon foot print it wouldn't change anything. Time for the rest of the world to step up.

Are you comparing a residential or small commercial array of a few panels to a giant system of thousands of panels? I had 160 panels on my property in Massachusetts and I doubt it had any impact on the climate but did save us a lot of $.

The systems are designed in accordance to your usage or expected usage. We eliminated our oil usage for heat and hot water by customizing our design and saved over $3000. per year over the last 10 years before we sold and that was with a 0 down lease. I can't wait till I get a system installed here.

Doubtful. My power usage varies from 25 to 50 kWhs per day. It is highest in the summer and lowest in the spring and fall because of varying HVAC usage. The average residential usage in the US is about 29 kWhs per day.

I would like to see your energy bill or in your case, your reimbursement check.

We had neighbors up north who had panels put up for FREE to run their house. After a year of nit coming close they called an independent inspector who said an average home requires 4500-5000 kWh of electricity for a year.

He advised that even in Texas, which is the ideal spot for solar you could not run an entire modern home on solar alone. You would need battery backup to store the energy for days you don’t have sun.

The neighbors eventually went to sell their house and found out there was a $49,000 lean on their home by the solar installer. Although you don’t pay anything for the panels the fine print has a 50 year lease in the contract. You are in effect leasing your roof space to them. They couldn’t sell the house without taking a loan to pay off the “FREE” panels.

All sounds like a great idea but I would be very careful and have an independent inspector evaluate your home first and have a lawyer read the contract over.

What is the fluid inside these panels? What happens to the fluid at the end of life?

I don't think they needed a lawyer to tell them that the panels were not free. They should have read the contract.

Lucky
 

you must have a lot better system than me my electric bill went from 235$ a month to 185$ it doesn’t even pay for it’s own payment let alone the cost of the maintenance to replace the battery

You can buy the system outright or lease. Choose carefully.

Regarding average residential power usage in the US, it is more like 10,000 kWhs per year but does vary by almost a factor of 2 from the lowest state to the highest state.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

We looked at solar as we have it on our main home in the UK.
We thought it had to be a great option given all that sunshine in Florida.
But the scheme in the UK was different and we could not make it work on our home in The Villages. The main reason for us was that we could not benefit from the tax breaks.
If we had the tax breaks it did cost in. In the UK the government pay us for each unit we produce even if we use it ourselves. The rate per unit is very generous. We also get half of all units paid an extra fee on the assumption we feed it back onto the grid. We had to fully fund the initial installation in the UK. Our returns over the first 8 years even allowing for growth on our investments and other factors, was passed break even.

So with that in mind we thought about it for the US house for a while and the issue that finally swung us away from it was the potential structural issues.

The return on investment is just too long. Approximately 8 years and that’s assuming everything goes according to plan which it rarely does

Glad you had the extra money to put on solar but we did the numbers and even in sunny Florida it really doesn't pay until you're 20 years out and there's a big inflation. Plus of course there's the problem of when you have to replace your roof and take it off and put it back. Don't forget it cost a lot of pollution to mine the minerals as well as create the factory to make the solar roofs. And of course you're giving you money to the Chinese today because very few solar roofs are made in the USA. But as long as you're happy that's great. I have to say if it was truly efficient and cost-effective you'd be seeing a lot more people with solar roofs

Add in the energy needed to mine the raw materials + energy to build and transport them + toxic chemical landfill waste + no financial return less than 7 years or when the panels are worn out unless gov subsidized.
No thanks

Correct. And, at 20 years out, it will be time to buy a new solar system and a new roof.

Don’t forget that your roof needs to be replaced in Florida more often than in northern climates. Expensive to remove panels & put back up.

We would never consider buying a home with solar panels, especially in The Villages since we are in a co-op (at least in Sumter county) & electricity cost is reasonable.

I just sent a text to Greta Thunberg. She told me not to waste my money. She also mentioned the aesthetics of solar panels are horrible too.

Do I have to put on a new roof before installing the panels? My roof is 12 years old.

To me, it wouldn't make sense to install solar panels on any roof, but especially on a 12 year old roof that will need to be replaced in a few years.

I'll stick with the normal way of generating electricity nuclear and natural gas it's been around a long time and it works I have my doubts on climate change

At over 10 years ROI, you may not be able to have financial gain from your investment .. you may die ..and the panels and structure damage after 10 years, may not be of benefit to a prospective buyer. More cash incentive is necessary .. ROI around 3-4 years and it’s worth considering …

Multiply your house by millions...

I thought that was obvious...

One home wont make a difference, just like one car won't make a difference...

Solar
 

I added solar to our home and later found out that Leesburg electric pays me .03 cent Per KWH. When I'm using their electric, I'm paying .09 per KWH. They sell my excess electricity for .09 cents and pay me .03 cents. They thanked me for doing the solar and said they need more dumb people like me to install solar.