You need to spend more than $100 a month on your PGE bill to have a good return on your investment. Let me make it clear, nothing is free.
The electric bill is going to be increasing year after year, no doubt about it. The pace of those increases, they say, will equal to having a second mortgage on the house.
So, if a company is going to give you a package replacing all what is supposed to be replaced to make your home energy efficient, probably they will double your bill for 20-25 years in lieu of the expenses they are going to run to install brand new heater, air conditioning with a special filter to prevent any allergies or asthma, new windows, new water pump in your pool, insulate your attic or the basement, install an EV charger, batteries, etc. This is, and has to be inspected by PGE otherwise it wonât be possible to obtain.
I will say it again. Do not buy a solar system if your home is a leaking tank. Imagine an air compressor that has the capacity to stop once its sensors tell it the tire is filled with air. It wonât stop if thereâs a leak, that is your money being thrown out of theâŚwellâŚwindow or door not insulated.
Oh, also, if you are planning on buying an electric car, that has to be taken in consideration. The problem is, that solar companies are bound to install what you spend in a yearly basis (I donât know if you can increase it by going private).
I have seen a problem with the new owner of a house when he moves in with more family members than the prior occupant. Their expenses will be taken in consideration a year later. Meanwhile, they are stuck with a solar panel system that is not enough for their needs. I may be wrong, but PGE wonât allow you to install more panels than what you need.
To me, $20K max (with tax break) is not too bad for a fully warranted 20 years (10 yrs on battery) if we were planning to stay here for the rest of our lives. Our family size is consistent and will not be changing. I can see us using electric heating more as we get older. I donât think PG&E can tell you how much you can install, but of course why build or pay for more if you donât need it based on actual/projected usage? The car part is the kicker I think. If we stayed, and we both buy electric cars, it may be worth it for the convenience and the chance to give the middle finger to the oil companies.
Donât let the sales guy lie to you ⌠When it was cloudy in RWC my solar output dropped 50%⌠foggy areas are useless for solar. If you plan on dying there go for it. As far as resale it will ad little value
The new panels are different. They will work with even a small part of it being touched by the sun while the old ones needed the entire panel cells being heated by the sun.
It is like the risk you go through buying any new TV, IPhone or Ipad, you get the best for the moment, next year(s) it may be obsolete or not working as the new thing.
Anyone seen hybrid panels (PVT) in action?
Panels that generating electricity and heating up water. For me it looks like interesting idea, but I havenât seen it anywhere installed.
Iâve just started todo research and see that few companies providing such solution. But want to see/talk to someone who is using it.
Iâm living in condo, where electricity bill is 80k and gas 180k, so huge opportunity to reduce this numbers with solar energy.
I wouldnât worry about solar panels, I would worry about the idiot in the whine house. Yes! Whine house!
This is the opening of Chapter 1 of Woodwardâs book âFear: Trump in the White Houseâ which just came out today:
Trump was always shifting, rarely fixed, erratic. He would get in a bad mood, something large or small would infuriate him, and he would say about the KORUS trade agreement, âWeâre withdrawing today.â But now there was the letter, dated September 5, 2017, a potential trigger to a national security catastrophe. Cohn was worried Trump would sign the letter if he saw it. Cohn removed the letter draft from the Resolute Desk. He placed it in a blue folder marked âKEEP.â âI stole it off his desk,â he later told an associate. âI wouldnât let him see it. Heâs never going to see that document. Got to protect the country.â In the anarchy and disorder of the White House, and Trumpâs mind, the president never noticed the missing letter.â
Not yetâŚonce I move (if I move to SB) and if I redo the roof with skylights. Me thinks the whole battery system ala Teslaâs will come down in price even more so that more homeowners can get it and be semi off the grid.
Thatâs nothing new.
I heard on the radio the advertising of some companies selling windows, and remodeling homes, and any companies dedicated to any type of home conservation are selling solar.
Just another penny in the pocket.
I went to see the guys that had a solar company. They would audit your entire home, from insulation on the attic, on the windows, doors, and replacing old appliances, heaters, air condition units so your home would be not wasting $ by letting the cold or hot air get in or out.
Not focusing on the new part, but the fact that more competition means hopefully lowering of the pricing in general. I am def interested in something like this for my SB home before I move in. I was told my roof had maybe a few years to go. Ok, so why donât I consider doing my skylights, new roof and also solar all at once? One. Stop. Shop.
Yes, I agree, thatâs the point. No need to get quotes from 10 vendors or handymen.
Thatâs what we do at the office, from workerâs comp to merchant accounts, life insurance, 401Ks, etc. All in one visit.
Going back to the topic, whatâs needed is to cut PG&E from monopolizing whatever you do at your house when it comes to electricity. You canât buy a solar equipment if you are not inspected and approved by them. You are subject to their regulations and whatnot.
Also, since you canât operate 100% on solar, you are stuck with your energy provider. Once the battery, remember? is built to charge during the day so you can work free of charge during night time, nothing good for the consumer, 100% is out there. You will always need energy from the provider.
