Solar on a Home -- any experiences

[RicInOR]

We got a quote for our Washington County Home, 100% - meaning panels can provide 100% of electric needs.
- estimated cost of purchase system + install, 2% loan, 20 year pay off = current average electric bill. So my out-of-pocket each month would be the connection fee and tax.
(not that I would necessarily finance, but that is included in the quote)


Do it soon?
Wait a few years for battery technology?
Tips/Tricks/Concerns?
Questions I may not have thought of?


ref:

Compare solar companies, solar panels, and solar prices | SolarReviews

SolarReviews is America's leading independent, unbiased, solar company and solar panel comparison website for homeowners considering installing solar panels on their homes.

www.solarreviews.com

TIA


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[bigbearbear]

One of those threads you listed was started by me, there wasn't a lot of replies but I have since installed my solar panels along with 3 Tesla Powerwalls for battery backup. Hopefully my experience will help you.

On the financial side, I did not finance my system and paid up front for it. I think this gives you a lot more flexibility because if you were to sell your house, having an outstanding loan on your solar system can cause issues and delay the closing.

When I was looking for quotes, Tesla was the cheapest and they were cheaper by a HUGE margin. So if you have not priced your system yet via Tesla's online self-service web site, you should do this before buying the system. Here's the thing: If Tesla does not have the electrical license in your County, they will hire the local folks to come install it anyway so you're essentially buying the hardware from a large company at a huge discount and getting the craftsmanship of the local folks. An irony for my system is that the Tesla contract who came out to do my installation was also a company I received a quote with, and their quote was over $12k more than Tesla's and it was for a smaller system too.

Solar Panels | Tesla

Tesla solar makes it easy to produce clean, renewable energy for your home or business and to take control of your energy use. Learn more about solar.

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You should also purchase battery backup to go with your solar panels. They work seamlessly as electrical backup during power outage, during which your solar panels will not operate unless you have batteries. So in 100+ degrees condition and the power goes out, you'll be out of luck without batteries. I went with 3 Tesla Powerwalls to provide whole house battery backup. You can go with a smaller or larger battery array but generally, the larger the better. If you purchase the batteries along with the solar panels, the entire price of solar+battery will be used to calculate the Tax Investment Credit which is currently at 26%. In other words, you'll be getting a 26% discount on the entire system in the form of a tax credit.

If you are planning for a large an expensive system, be sure to work with an accountant to adjust your tax contribution accordingly.

You should do your purchase ASAP before the tax investment credit expires and also before the local utilities change their netmetering plan. At the moment they are still pretty favorable (e.g. 1:1 exchange, meaning you sell back energy at the same price you purchase) but those will change soon like what is happening in California. If you get in early though, they will grandfather in your existing plan.