Solar Panels for the house

[Nascar24]

Why is everyone getting solar panels? Do you all have $500 electric bills? I see these ridiculous prices and I would be dead before I could ever gain any thing from this. My electric bill probably avg. $80 to $100 a month over the year. I would not be paying 20 to 40k for solar panels.

 

[bill dennison]

Why is everyone getting solar panels? Do you all have $500 electric bills? I see these ridiculous prices and I would be dead before I could ever gain any thing from this. My electric bill probably avg. $80 to $100 a month over the year. I would not be paying 20 to 40k for solar panels.

electric bill about 275 last 3 months plus 35 to 50 for natural gas
it turns around in the winter and both are lower spring and fall

but both will be going up soon i think

and when i change the heat and water heater from gas to electric and then add the ford lighting electric bill will be a goog bit higher without solar

 

[Nascar24]

electric bill about 275 last 3 months plus 35 to 50 for natural gas
it turns around in the winter and both are lower spring and fall

but both will be going up soon i think

and when i change the heat and water heater from gas to electric and then add the ford lighting electric bill will be a goog bit higher without solar

I think you are older than me, how many years out will it take to even break even? That’s alot of cash that would be a lot of years of electric payments.

 

[bill dennison]

I think you are older than me, how many years out will it take to even break even? That’s alot of cash that would be a lot of years of electric payments.

what i'm looking at right now i will most likely change in a year when i do it

about 22kw with a battery

power was out last night for about 2 hours
don't know why it wakes me right up

rough figures
but 52k / by 275 a month = 15.75 years

but now add the EV truck for 90k for a total of 142k

275 a month for electric payments and 750 a month in guzzolene at 4 bucks a gal
so say about 10 to 15 years depending on the prices gasoline and electricity that i think will go back up soon

i think i may work about 7 to 10 years more

 

[Lazy8s]

electric bill about 275 last 3 months plus 35 to 50 for natural gas
it turns around in the winter and both are lower spring and fall

but both will be going up soon i think

and when i change the heat and water heater from gas to electric and then add the ford lighting electric bill will be a goog bit higher without solar

I really hope your rates stay more stable than ours are here. I would love to go full 100% solar right now, but even with expected grid price increases (64%) it would be tough to swing with my forced retirement coming up.

https://www.wcvb.com/article/electr...is-winter-in-massachusetts-2022-2033/41312993

 

[dodger]

We're already over 50% and that was in July!

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/05/texas-energy-bills-natural-gas-export/

Texans are seeing skyrocketing home electric bills this spring and summer, with many customers paying at least 50% more than they did for electric bills at this time last year.

Also in the article we're still paying for the effects of that big freeze as well. I'm glad people that can get solar where it makes sense are doing so, every panel will help fight against authoritarianism!

 

[Nascar24]

Electric company here is asking for an 8 percent increase that somehow needs to be approved. Maybe why our electric isn’t that expensive.

 

[shrike126]

Why is everyone getting solar panels? Do you all have $500 electric bills? I see these ridiculous prices and I would be dead before I could ever gain any thing from this. My electric bill probably avg. $80 to $100 a month over the year. I would not be paying 20 to 40k for solar panels.

So, at least here in Colorado on a net-metering program, the energy you produce during the day you either sell or buy from the electric company at a 1:1 ratio.

During the day you end up, on average, over producing and in the evenings when solar isn't producing, you buy back. As long as it all averages out, at the end of the year if your panels installed matches your average household usage then you end up with a minimal or close to $0 energy bill (there's still a monthly connection fee).

So I'm effectively trading in my $100-200 monthly electric utility bill for a $138 monthly payment on solar panels with the added benefit that if the grid goes down I at least can expect to have my house working during the day, and I know I'm doing my part to cut our house's dependency on coal and natural gas usage. Not only that but in a year or two I can add in battery backup, and a few extra panels when we buy an EV.

Honestly, if you asked me to pay 50% more every month on electric bills just for 100% grid supplied energy from renewables, I'd probably do that. But now they're on my house, and that makes me feel better PLUS I get some benefit from having my own local grid to rely on.

 

[Gandalfthewhite]

Why is everyone getting solar panels? Do you all have $500 electric bills? I see these ridiculous prices and I would be dead before I could ever gain any thing from this. My electric bill probably avg. $80 to $100 a month over the year. I would not be paying 20 to 40k for solar panels.

my bills this summer were over between 420 - 470 a month. still waiting on my first solar bill but my estimates put it in the high 100s so ill be saving 250 a month in the summers alone. House is fully electric so putting in solar just makes sense. Current net zero based on my preliminary calculations puts me at an 10-11 year break even point

 

[Silent-Runner]

 

[SubCog]

One thing I've often wondered, especially living in CA where it's pretty dusty through most of the year. I'd often see people's solar panels coated with a thick & visible coat of dust. That's gotta impact the performance of the panels, right? In CA we'd often go from April-Nov with no rain. Should people be going up and cleaning the dust off their panels periodically? Maybe panels should come with windshield wipers?