Solar Panel Installation on roof

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corvetteguy78

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So basically i saw an add on TV that said they will install free solar panels on your roof. So i signed up on the website and talked to a guy for about 30 minutes. After google mapping my location he said i would qualify to have them installed

he explained that the solar company will install and maintain the panels free of charge which would cover about 80-90% of my electrical use and i would switch over to them as my electrical supplier for the remainder of the bill.

So its kid of like having Connecticut Light and Power but switching to New Energy to supply your electricity.

I have an appointment for a consultant on Friday to go over the details.

I have been also reading that on average solar powered homes at about 3.5% or mor to the value of your home.

Obvsiouly the biggest concern is the eye soreness. im not sure how i feel about the whole thing.

Any thoughts or suggestions?
 
My personal opinion is don't do it. There's a house maybe a mile from me that has all kinds of solar panels protruding from the roof and goddamn it sticks out like a sore thumb. Granted they may be older (more than likely from the 80s-90s) but whatever it adds in theoretical value it would certainly take away from the pool of potential buyers.

They're gonna sling their sales pitch at you and tell you how great it is and blah blah blah but there is always 2 sides to the coin.
 
so whats the catch
because obviously nothing is free

well the catch is you let them be your power supply company...instead of a utility company...let's say you only generate 70% electricity from the panels...you pay the 30% to the solar company instead of Connecticut Light and Power or whoever your supplier is.

California has a huge push on Builders using solar panels in new construction.

This is one of the houses the company did.

Eric-Holmes%2C-Bellingham%2C-MA.jpg


As far as resale

http://cleantechnica.com/2010/10/23/solar-homes-sold-20-faster-and-for-17-more-nrel-study-finds/
 
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most solar panels have the ability to heat up to melt snow and ice.

Hydrophobic coatings also let the snow slide off.


OP: Yeah, I looked into solar panels, and I had a couple in-depth discussions with Ian/gsrcrxsi about it, since he works with power systems on satellites all day... I figure I can do my house with under 15k.

What you might want to look into is adding a battery bank to allow semi-off-grid use for key areas during mains outages.
 
I'm mostly worried about the eye soreness....i'll probably save about $1200 bucks a year and that $100/m is no where near breaking my balls to pay...but combined with the estimated wood stove savings...id be saving around $3000+ a year in heating and cooling...

it's a big decision...they need Nano technology in the solar market!

Does that house picture above look that bad?
 
Nah, it's not an eyesore at all. Just factor in the potential for reflective glare... It'd suck to get it all setup, then find out in the fall that your neighbor gets a roof full of sun on their front door or bedroom window.

I'm concerned about my pool pump, the one I have is "energy efficient" but still draws 1.5kW. So, all I have to do is get enough out of the panels to power that, and I'll be happy.
 
I see that commercial all the time, they are ugly but maybe worth it. In the commercial they mention something about a state grant to cover the cost of the installation.
 
i looked in to it seriously last year. similar deal.

don't have time right now to detail it, but DON'T DO IT.
 
Like I said, you can do it for 15k on your own, and you don't have to pay someone a monthly fee to have them.
 
I'd like to see their rates vs your local provider.

If you can't shop around without losing the panels, they have you on the hook.

At work our rate went from 8c in contract up to 12c off contract. The going rate is now 8.5c. While that doesn't seem like much. Adding it all up, it caused our energy bill to go up $380/mo. I shopped around and locked in 7.8c

Glad I had the option...
 
First off. Don't believe any BS they tell you about how much the panel can generate. Because unless you have a sun sensor(s) and a motor moving the array it'll never maintain that power output.

BEST case is that they install it on a south facing roof slant that isn't obstructed by tall trees. If you even have that. And even then, you'll only make Maximum output at mid day. It will taper off both in the morning and at sunset. You will have significantly less output in the winter (shorter days) than the summer.

The best option is to have an array capable of like twice the output you need and a battery bank to help supplement when the sun goes down. Then when the batteries run out you use the grid power. That's how id set it up.
 
these are grid-tie systems, no batteries. you still lose power when the power goes out.

The power rate note above is huge.

If your rood needs repair, you have to get the panel company involved to get it fixed or you breach contract by not sending X panel output to them.

just don't do it. it's too early. it's like buying a $6000 30" plasma tv in 2002. in a few years, we're going to see some shit.
 
these are grid-tie systems, no batteries. you still lose power when the power goes out.

The power rate note above is huge.

If your rood needs repair, you have to get the panel company involved to get it fixed or you breach contract by not sending X panel output to them.

just don't do it. it's too early. it's like buying a $6000 30" plasma tv in 2002. in a few years, we're going to see some shit.

Well i wouldn't being buying anything..again it's free...im not paying 1 cent for this. Only cost to me is the same cost i have now to my electric company only at 70-90 percent savings...

But ...im am going to pass on this..i just don't want this big eye sore on my roof.

it's a great idea..but like i said, they need some sort of Nano or Mirco Techonology so the system is 1/10th the size
 
It costs you nothing because they make money off you on the power bill when they jack your rates.

And when you need to do your roof, suddenly you can't because you have panels everywhere.
And when it snows, you stop making power until you can get up there and clean them off.

You are basically leasing the units from them via subsidized power bill. you still get wacked with the same bill after the rate increase and they get free power for letting them use your roof space.

and in 10 years when they are obsolete and no longer efficient, who takes ownership of it? they won't come fix it. that's on you.
 
It's got that 'too good to be true' vibe to it for me too.

In terms of efficiency, solar has had some big technologial breakthroughs in the last year or two that haven't really hit the market yet... I'd hold off on any big solar project, paid or 'free', until the advances get cheap enough to come to market.
 
There's no free money in this world.

Too good to be true because in reality, you're not saving anything. You're spending. As a consumer, you just have a short time horizon with your checkbook. As a business, they have a long time horizon and are willing to wait a few years until this becomes profitable for them and unprofitable for you.
 
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