[Troy8432]

We’ve been interested about solar power for many years, and since 2021 is currently the last year to receive a federal tax incentive, it might be time to pull the trigger.

I suspect there are fellow Villagers who have gone solar for power and I would welcome your experiences. More specifically, I am curious to know.....

1). Did you purchase out right, lease, or something else? What drove your decision? Any pros/cons/problems selling your house?

2). If you purchased, did you realize the savings that you thought you would? Are you actually getting money from the electric utility? How long until they become cost effective/breakpoint?

3). If your house points south (mine does), where did you place the panels and did you have to acquire extra panels because you didn’t/couldn’t/wouldn’t place them on the front of your house?

4). Anything else that, someone who is considering, might not have thought about?

Thanx in advance!

[retiredguy123]

There are lots of previous threads on this topic. Do a search. But, in my opinion, if you want to save the planet, buy a solar system. If you want to save money, don't buy one because it is a bad investment. The payback period is about 15-20 years, which is too long to make it a good investment. The contractors who sell these systems will skew the numbers to make it look better than it really is.

[Garywt]

I have stayed away on both of my houses strictly because I don’t like the look if them especially the wiring to connect to the meter. Because of this I have never looked into it further.

[villagetinker]

Be aware of ANY firm that offers a NO COST lease, you will find out you do NOT own the solar panels, you cannot remove the panels, and when you sell the house the new owner MUST sign the lease. There were a few news storied about this as well as some horror stories. As noted above there are many threads about these, and in general there is a long payback (in Florida). Be careful, ask a lot of questions and make sure you know exactly what you are getting into. Send a PM if you would like to discuss further.

[Stu from NYC]

Also if you need to replace your roof the panels have to come off and guess who pays for that.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

Also if you need to replace your roof the panels have to come off and guess who pays for that.

I give up. Who?

That is one of several things that is never addressed in the contractor's sales pitch or payback calculations.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I give up. Who?

That is one of several things that is never addressed in the contractor's sales pitch or payback calculations.

I did speak to Solar Guys just after moving here about a skylight and asked what happens to the roof when they put in the skylight.

Told me they are also roofers so no problem putting roofing tiles back on.

Would think that if you do find a reputable company put in solar panels at same time as new proof and hope it all pays for itself within 15 years and try and stay above ground during that period.

[debron911]

We learn from our mistakes!

Note: I am not an expert. These are my experiences as a consumer after going through the process, installation and ownership of a 7.3 kw Silfab 23 panel system with an Enphase microinverter.

#1. Did not do enough research before buying a system. SECO has a lot of good information on their website including the process to set up their interconnection agreement.
#2. To decide which contractors to contact , we didn’t know about: Florida Solar Energy Industries Association
This Florida association holds installers to a higher standard. Had we known before selecting a contractor we would have selected from these companies in the association
#3. If financial gain is your goal it probably is NOT in your best interest to proceed. Our first few bills (optimum sun exposure-17 panels facing south and 6 facing west) garnered us enough savings to make the $100 solar payment at 2.99% interest). So it was a wash. SECO charges $1 a day regardless of usage plus 10 cents per kwh. They buy back power from a system at the rate of 7.2 cents per kwh. You can do the math easily to see it is highly unlikely you can produce enough power to wipe out your bill. The system is designed to produce what your average consumption is before installing a system!
#4. Solar contractor was not honest in how “net metering “ is calculated. Nor did they explain that, as your system is producing power (during the day) your home uses that solar power and only takes power from the grid if your usage exceeds your production. Any excess produced goes back into the grid and you receive 7.2 cents per kwh as a credit on your monthly bill. Hence using your washer, dryer, dishwasher, hot water heater, etc during peak hours 10-4pm is recommended. NOTE: We learned this after installation from SECO’s solar department.
#5. In our area power is generally considered cheap compared to other areas of the country so the primary benefit of installing a system here is simply environmental.
#6. It took 10 weeks from contract sign date to installation. Another 3 weeks to correct issues that kept system from firing up. Building permit required, SECO had even more requirements and caught deficiencies the building department inspector missed.
#7. Resale. Could be considered a liability to a perspective buyer despite the benefits due to lack of knowledge. The loan is NOT recorded as a lien against the home. No idea why - but it is not! So if you sell it is your loan even though ours has a provision to be assumed if buyer agrees. A licensed real estate appraiser told us our home value would increase 9% with solar but that would not necessarily be true depending on the worth to a particular buyer. So selling could be sticky.
#8. You will still lose power in a power outage unless you add a battery backup system quoted price approximately $5000. Our system was $28K and for 2020 26% tax rebate so net cost of $20,720. 2021 credit is 19%. Last year of rebate.

My personal opinion is that we have all this beautiful Florida sunshine and even if we can save enough to break even with the financing it is worth it for the environmental benefits. IT IS AN INVESTMENT FOR OUR PLANET NOT OUR PORTFOLIO. Despite all the pitfalls we went through and the dissatisfaction of our contractor, in the end it was still worth it

Debbie Achtenberg

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by Troy8432

4). Anything else that, someone who is considering, might not have thought about?

Never cut a hole in a perfectly good roof.

[B-flat]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

Never cut a hole in a perfectly good roof.

Very sound advice. I wouldn't touch solar panels with a 10 foot pole, not at my age, maybe if I was in my mid fifties but not at 70.

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by Troy8432

We’ve been interested about solar power for many years, and since 2021 is currently the last year to receive a federal tax incentive, it might be time to pull the trigger.

I suspect there are fellow Villagers who have gone solar for power and I would welcome your experiences. More specifically, I am curious to know.....

1). Did you purchase out right, lease, or something else? What drove your decision? Any pros/cons/problems selling your house?

2). If you purchased, did you realize the savings that you thought you would? Are you actually getting money from the electric utility? How long until they become cost effective/breakpoint?

3). If your house points south (mine does), where did you place the panels and did you have to acquire extra panels because you didn’t/couldn’t/wouldn’t place them on the front of your house?

4). Anything else that, someone who is considering, might not have thought about?

Thanx in advance!

Bear in mind information about solar panel rebates that comes from ads on Facebook or click-bait sites are NOT likely to be accurate. Stay away from them. There are federal and state government sites that will be more accurate, and every reputable solar power company will know what is available.

[1couple]

Look at the maintenance cost versus how much you will really save. If you put the savings away it still won’t cover the maintenance cost

[Heytubes]

I believe the tax credit drops from 26% to 24% next year.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Heytubes

I believe the tax credit drops from 26% to 24% next year.

The tax credit is 22 percent for 2021, but, currently, there will be no tax credit in 2022 for residential systems.

[debron911]

2021 is 19%