Solar

From earlier this month.

Thank you r1, but I want to know WHAT people bought.

How many panels?

Overnight battery?

Companion generator?

Does anyone have a system the loads Hydrogen Cells from excess day energy?

Not interested in the dollar side complaints that are in r1.

Do you have panels or an integrated roof?

I am interested in going off-grid while still attached. Odd?

Unless you have a huge house, you won't have enough to power your vibrator. Stick to the kick-started gas-powered one you're using now.

We did not purchase a battery, not only for cost reasons (and there's no way in hell I'm giving any money to Tesla) but that tech is likely to get significantly better in the years ahead. We have a gas-powered whole house generator that kicks on automatically. There's nothing climate friendly about it, but we're in a rural area and need power during thunderstorms due to potential water/flooding issues. I would stay attached to the grid, and move your excess generation directly to the grid and hopefully, your state allows net-metering so you can tap back into what you generated during the winter and/or cloudy days. We have 24 panels on our roof, all facing south. Yesterday was fairly sunny (for late April) and we produced 60.74 kWh and consumed 39.6 kWh (with 3 fridges and AC on, as needed). I've said this before so please forgive me, but get a free advisor at EnergySage. We had an amazing experience working with them and they're NYT recommended. You need to dig into the specifics of your area and the companies nearby and what they offer to get into true decision-making territory. What made sense for us might be different for your situation. As you've cited, there are many options and configurations. One last thought... we jumped in time to take advantage of the 30% federal rebate which we claimed on our taxes just recently, but who knows what Trump will do moving forward. I'd try to get in on that, and quickly. It knocked more than $8K off of our cost.

[quote] Unless you have a huge house, you won't have enough to power your vibrator

Personal experience?

Excellent info r4.

For the naysayers out there, things are happening quickly now.

Trump has reversed our coal policy and is bringing it back. The utilities hate solar — they can't make enough profit when you generate your own electricity — so are doing everything they can to make it economically infeasible. And because we're a nation of idiots lead by the biggest idiot since Hebert Hoover, we've alienated the one supplier of rare earth minerals required to manufacture batteries and they've stopped selling them to us, so we're dead in the water there for the time being. And everything required to make solar panels is now going to cost at least 25% more and in many cases up to 154% more, so any momentum we had has evaporated.

I got a solar system back in 2023, before it all went to hell. I'm in California. For the most part, I don't pay PG&E, because I generate enough to be independent of them, except for the winter months, when I have a pretty big bill. Ugh.

My system is from Tesla, and it's mostly been OK, although the inverter died after a year and it had to be replaced, which was really frustrating. But it's working well now.

We're having it installed this week. My partner is handling it. All I know is that there is a Tesla logo on the power box we need to cover up. I'm in Houston and I can't do another summer without power for two weeks like I did last summer.

R9 - you got in at the right time cuz yes, they fucked it up for everyone in California after that NEM 3.0 legislation went into effect in May 2023.

R4 - EnergySage is not a great resource. They just list the providers with the lowest offers - and that isn't necessarily what you want. Particularly with maintenance and other issues for the next 20 years - are these companies even going to be around? And they start with one price but then add on 'unforeseen construction costs' later. I know - I worked with the platform.

Worked at a solar company for several years. There are a LOT of shady people in the solar industry - and some of the big names are the worst.

I can't help wondering why R4 has three refrigerators.

Are there expansions available?

For example, I have gas and electricity.

If I replace my water heater with an instant electric hot water tank, can I add more panels to compensate?

We have one kitchen fridge which we replaced last week. We ordered it during the tariff panic. The old one is now in the garage for beverages and overflow but it's on its last legs. And my husband has a wine fridge in the basement. Yeah, I know... it's a little ridiculous but we're likely back to two when it dies.

R11 I'm in Ohio. I know it's been difficult in California. What can I say? We had a great experience with EnergySage. Our advisor was extremely knowledgeable, and laid out all of the potential pitfalls. We had four estimates to compare from local companies and ultimately had two of them out on site for final detailed estimates. I acknowledge some of the pushback detailed by R8 but ultimately economics will decide this and green energy just keeps getting cheaper and cheaper. It's here to stay however frustrating the transition might be for some. But, isn't doing right by the environment worth the effort and a little more enthusiasm?

R15 - yes, you are doing right by going solar, particularly if it pencils out in your favor and there are cost savings.

I hope you got a good deal - but getting 2 on-site quotes is not enough. My advice is to look into the price differences and why one company is cheaper and another is more expensive.

You can put forth a lower estimate three ways: 1) cheaper, lower quality solar panels (which you won't know because you don't go up there) 2) illegal or inexperienced labor - which causes issues further down the line with your panels and roof or 3) tacking on additional or hidden costs once the project is underway (oh, well the estimate didn't account for X).

Also you need to see how long the company has been in business - 80% of solar companies have gone out of business in the last 15 years. Where do you go when you have problems? Nowhere - you have to find another solar company to come out and inspect and it won't be under THEIR warranty.

I hope you have a good experience - but I'm just putting it out there for others that going for the cheapest estimate on any house construction is never a good idea, unless you've known them and their work for years.

Oh and we've seen some solar installers have you pay for the project, then delay it over and over with some supply-chain issue, and then cut out and not complete the job - taking all your money. We had people calling into our call center all the time literally crying on the phone.

Go with a solar company that's been around a long time, has good financials and good reviews and has a service/maintenance department. It may cost 10-15% more, but it's all worth it in the end. Certified, insured installers with safety lock-downs, they do all the permitting, etc.

And a company that also has experience doing roofing. 50% of all solar installations will require new or reinforced roofing to support the panels. If they outsource ANY of the construction - roofing, installation, follow-up - you're going to have issues because there is literally no one to call with problems. It was outsourced.

I don't want to scare people, but it's a large investment and not one to be taken lightly.

Which is why I wanted people to share their experiences here.

Are the panels expandable if you add an electric furnace?

Is there just one person here who searches to see if your post is a redundant duplicate? Or do people race to be the first to point out your egregious misuse of precious bandwidth?