Getting solar at the house

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Originally Posted by tmckay2

i am building a house and am interested in solar but i just am shy about the long term cost effectiveness. i mean how long will these things last? i know they pay for themselves after about 5-6 years.

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The system itself should last at least 20 years. With Solar City, you sign a 20 yr contract and during that time, they'll warranty and service the system. If forces of nature cause damage to the panels, homeowners insurance should cover that damage.

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Originally Posted by meatman

The system itself should last at least 20 years. With Solar City, you sign a 20 yr contract and during that time, they'll warranty and service the system. If forces of nature cause damage to the panels, homeowners insurance should cover that damage.

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Solar City says they insure the house and equipment too, and service it if there is damage or lack of performance. They pretty much take care of the whole solar system, 100%.

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Originally Posted by gnihcraes

Solar City says they insure the house and equipment too, and service it if there is damage or lack of performance. They pretty much take care of the whole solar system, 100%.

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so then whats the catch? there is always a catch?

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Originally Posted by tmckay2

so then whats the catch? there is always a catch?

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You're paying on it for 20 years and a 2.9% increase each year I believe. (still less than Excel)
You're not going to get the incentives for going solar, I believe they keep those.

I'll get a double check on everything in the morning when I meet with the sales lady again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gnihcraes

You're paying on it for 20 years and a 2.9% increase each year I believe. (still less than Excel)
You're not going to get the incentives for going solar, I believe they keep those.

I'll get a double check on everything in the morning when I meet with the sales lady again.

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Please let us know how your meeting goes. I don't want to get into politics and all that, but I'm very interested in this whole concept.

I will look for changes in IREA then. I have the perfect south facing slope on my roof, no trees or larger homes casting shadows on it at all.

i know of several homes in bailey that have solar and would be in IREAs system, the only thing i know about IREA is that there are no incentives paid to install like there would be with xcel.

Ok, met with the solar city gal again, the wife has heard the sales pitch. We'll probably go with it, but have to discuss it a bit. I'll also get a few friends opinions. below are the portions of the quotes I received.

The piece everyone seems to leave out of the discussions are "My Excel Bill is only $8!" Ok, now add in the Solar charges monthly and you're paying $70 a month. So yes, Excel is low, but you're still paying someone for electricity. (solar company)

She couldn't get the updated photo into the quote, but I'll use the house only, front and back roofs, east/west. I've been looking during different parts of the day and I get sun most of the day.

http://i1103.photobucket.com/albums/...aes/solar1.jpg

http://i1103.photobucket.com/albums/...aes/Solar2.jpg
http://i1103.photobucket.com/albums/...aes/solar3.jpg

id be most interested in just buying it up front if it would actually last a long time. but the costs are probably too high. if you live where the county allows it a small wind turbine can actually provide most of your energy for 16k or so. its not bad over the long term, but of course most counties don't allow it.

Well, outright purchase of the system, is only a return on the money at %2. You can invest it for 20 years at a better rate, right?

http://i1103.photobucket.com/albums/...aes/solar4.jpg