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solar in Fairfax City?
Posted by: sunnyD ()
Date: April 12, 2019 08:04PM

Anyone have it or look into having it installed?

Is it worth it if I'm staying in the house 10+ years, have good southern exposure & plenty of roof space?

Recommend a company?

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Re: solar in Fairfax City?
Posted by: Reddy Kilowatt ()
Date: April 12, 2019 08:52PM

Electricity rates here are such that it's only marginally worthwhile last that I looked. Depends on size and cost, DIY vs paid install, lease vs purchase, etc., but generally it will take longer than 10 years to recoup for most. More like 15 to start to break even. Also depends on how you heat and various other factors for the cost offset. But just ballpark for a typical suburban house figure an annual energy cost savings of about $1,500. Put that against your cost with whatever loan or other related financing costs, tax credits, cost for time value of money, assumptions for natural gas prices, etc., and you'll have a rough for your payback.

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Re: solar in Fairfax City?
Posted by: energysupport ()
Date: April 13, 2019 02:13AM


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Re: solar in Fairfax City?
Posted by: Solar bullshit ()
Date: April 13, 2019 03:45AM

Unless u r paying $600+ Elec bill, you will lose with solar.
Look at all the niggers in KD that are regretting their 20yr leases....
Buying it? That $300 per panel price is high and obsolete within 3yrs.
Grid tied system? Good luck getting Dininion to sign off....
Battery system? Unless u get the $10k Tesla powereall-good luck being the golf cart battery guy on your block.

SolarCity is heavily tax subsidized by liberals in those states.
Research it.

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Re: solar in Fairfax City?
Posted by: SunnyD ()
Date: April 14, 2019 02:00PM

so unless it's a matter of personal principle, economically it doesn't make sense?

even if I'm planning to keep the house 20+ years?

in other words - will solar get cheaper/electricity more expensive?

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Re: solar in Fairfax City?
Posted by: Reddy Kilowatt ()
Date: April 14, 2019 02:37PM

I wouldn't say absolutely that it doesn't make sense. Depends on specifics and assumptions for a given case. The pure financial case isn't really all that strong for most here but you may value other aspects which makes it more so. Generally speaking though if something has a 15-year break-even point that's getting into a difficult period to justify anything for most typical homeowners.

You can't predict the future. If you'd asked the same question 20 years ago, then you'd have been using 'consensus' natural gas and electricity prices that were far, far higher than they actually turned out to be. You probably can assume that the equipment side of solar will get cheaper (but that will tend to favor for waiting). Labor and money costs likely will increase on the other side. Etc, etc... Best to look at things as they stand and make some relatively level assumptions going forward. i.e., Don't base any decision on assumptions that anything is going to get much more or less expensive unless there's a high degree of certainty. Current incentives are a big contributor in terms of payback since they're up-front money vs long-term money saved over time (and worth less).

Search around some and you'll find various calculators to help figure out the payback. In most cases they're from proponents so generally take the results as a best case.

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Re: solar in Fairfax City?
Posted by: This dude is 78% correct ()
Date: April 14, 2019 06:31PM

SunnyD Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> so unless it's a matter of personal principle,
> economically it doesn't make sense?
>
> even if I'm planning to keep the house 20+ years?
>
> in other words - will solar get
> cheaper/electricity more expensive?


The guy that did the semi rant re:solar is 70-80%correct.
In AZ, the monthly solar “savings” was eaten up by a flat fee the utility charged solar customers for maintenance on their grid, etc.

Also, like jiffy lube doing your oil change, lots of unskilled installer nightmare tales!

Figure the tech will change every 3-5yrs, a 20yr solar lease, is like buying a car with a 20yr lease.
Factor in the @efficieny “numbers were done in a lab and not on a residential roof.

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