SDS Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 I have a consultation tomorrow. Seems like the right thing to do if you can lease with no out of pocket costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 I looked into solar panels when I was in Dallas but they just were not cost effective over a reasonable time horizon. I am curious to see what you find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ieatcrayonz Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 I have a consultation tomorrow. Seems like the right thing to do if you can lease with no out of pocket costs. I don't know dude. You'll have neighbors that love you as you add a wonderful eyesore to your neighborhood. And it is only a 300 year payback. Plus you get to help them pay back their enormous advertising budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 I have a consultation tomorrow. Seems like the right thing to do if you can lease with no out of pocket costs. How do solar panels work in Buffalo? Do you have to point lights at them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDS Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 I don't know dude. You'll have neighbors that love you as you add a wonderful eyesore to your neighborhood. And it is only a 300 year payback. Plus you get to help them pay back their enormous advertising budget. My backyard is southern facing. It wouldn't be a big deal. Plus, they actually have no cost lease options. I'll get details tomorrow, but even if I don't save any money on my monthly bills per se, I'd be using 40-50% less electricity. How do solar panels work in Buffalo? Do you have to point lights at them? IDK, ask someone who lives there. I live in MD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Plus, they actually have no cost lease options. I'll get details tomorrow, but even if I don't save any money on my monthly bills per se, I'd be using 40-50% less electricity. No cost lease? How does that work? My parents have a windmill, that with all the goverment rebates/incentives/tax savings, they only paid about 1/2 the cost. Does a lease mean you don't own it outright? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stussy109 Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 How do solar panels work in Buffalo? Do you have to point lights at them? This is a great post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stussy109 Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 I've been researching these for over a month. consulted with 5 different companies before signing a contract earlier today. I live in jersey which no longer has a state rebate, however you are still entitled to the 30% fed tax credit. I am against leasing however I went with a program backed by sunrun. From what i understand you have over 5 yrs to take the tax credit, however with a program like sunrun they offer you a 35% discount off of the agreed upon sales price, so in my case, you get the discount upfront vs having to wait a yr or two for my tax returns to be wiped out by the credit. NJ is one of the best states to have solar because the state is behind getting a lot of solar power producers over the next 15 yrs, they charge every consumer a little bit to pay the solar producers what are call SREC's (solar credits). So not only to you get your electric you produce for free, you also get paid approx. $550 for every KW produced which in my case will be about 11KW/yr off of a 9400 watt system. In NJ with the SREC's it will take approximately 4 yrs to pay off my sytem then have free electric with income from the srec's for the next 20-30 yrs. I did not use this company because they were not responding to me fast enough, however i would recommend googling "one block off the grid" they are the most competitive in price besides my local guy who i negotiated pretty hard with. Remember eveything is negotiable in price. Whatever type of system you put in you want to compare apples to apples with your price per watt. I got quotes anywhere from $7/watt to $4/watt before the tax credits. for example a 10,000 watt system at 4.50/watt would be quoted at $45,000. then you get the 30% tax credit which bring it down to about 31k. Do your research on the solar panels, and their efficiency ratings. I am getting sharp panels, however i wanted sunpower which are the best in the industry, i just missed out on the cheap pricing they had offered me b4 it shot back up to regular price. From what I hear it is a cowboy industry with a lot of yahoo installers, and yahoo panel producers. Do your background research. I ended up getting a 9400 watt Sharp system at $4.27/watt before the discounts and credits. I am excited to take my house 80% off the grid, and make some money to boot. The more direct south your roof faces the more electric it will produce. be careful of trees and shading as they can hurt production as well. Also the more inverters you have, the better. No cost lease? How does that work? My parents have a windmill, that with all the goverment rebates/incentives/tax savings, they only paid about 1/2 the cost. Does a lease mean you don't own it outright? A lot of companies do this right now, for no money down you can get as large a system as you want (up to your households 100% usage) and buy the electric from the provider for a discounted price from what you pay now, and keep the Solar credits as cash in your pocket if your state provides them. Look into one block off the grid, sun edison, sunrun. The companies do this because they get to take all the tax credits from the government and then depreciate the entire system over a few years, all while selling you cheap electric, its a win win for both sides. Make sure you have a newer roof before installing a system so your panels don;'t outlast your roof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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