On 8/18/2021 at 4:30 PM, Eaglesfandan said:

You should ask our resident internet research expert EagleVA to help you out.

Start here.

On 8/18/2021 at 1:41 PM, Boogyman said:

My house already had them installed. We took over the lease on the panels, it's like 100 bucks a month and the amount of money we save is a LOT more than 100 dollars.

With your lease, do you generate and sell back electricity like standard net metering, or do they just charge you a lower rate for the electricity the panels make and you consume

Just now, paco said:

With your lease, do you generate and sell back electricity like standard net metering, or do they just charge you a lower rate for the electricity the panels make and you consume

We sell back

18 minutes ago, paco said:

With your lease, do you generate and sell back electricity like standard net metering, or do they just charge you a lower rate for the electricity the panels make and you consume

The latter. I would have preferred the former but when we bought the home it was either take the deal over or have them removed. Didn't feel it was worth the hassle. We do save several hundred a month though, even after the 105 dollar lease charge for the panels. We use a lot of power. 

I have a buddy with no kids and a small home with panels and he has yet to pay more than 20 bucks a month for electricity.

36 minutes ago, vikas83 said:

We sell back

The reason I asked is one company I talked to sounded like their plan was you provide the roof space, they put panels up there and you buy it from them.  Not really what I was going for

14 minutes ago, Boogyman said:

The latter. I would have preferred the former but when we bought the home it was either take the deal over or have them removed. Didn't feel it was worth the hassle. We do save several hundred a month though, even after the 105 dollar lease charge for the panels. We use a lot of power. 

I have a buddy with no kids and a small home with panels and he has yet to pay more than 20 bucks a month for electricity.

Yeah, that is what I want. Net metering and owning the panels 

31 minutes ago, paco said:

The reason I asked is one company I talked to sounded like their plan was you provide the roof space, they put panels up there and you buy it from them.  Not really what I was going for

Yeah, that is what I want. Net metering and owning the panels 

I agree the route you are looking to go sounds like the best way. If I were adding them to my home today that's what I would look for.

Sorry, to be clear, we do net metering and own the panels. If we produce more than we use, we get a credit. Hasn't happened yet.

EDIT: And I've never seen our electric bill, so this is what I am told.

2 minutes ago, vikas83 said:

Sorry, to be clear, we do net metering and own the panels. If we produce more than we use, we get a credit. Hasn't happened yet.

EDIT: And I've never seen our electric bill, so this is what I am told.

Maybe you should stop making and selling nukes then, Akbahr McCameldeek!

8 minutes ago, bobeph said:

Maybe you should stop making and selling nukes then, Akbahr McCameldeek!

But then I'd be poor like you and actually have to review my bills. 

Plus, it's better to use electricity to make products as opposed to you have to run the A/C at full blast 24/7 to keep from sweating while you chew.

39 minutes ago, vikas83 said:

Sorry, to be clear, we do net metering and own the panels. If we produce more than we use, we get a credit. Hasn't happened yet.

EDIT: And I've never seen our electric bill, so this is what I am told.

I’m assuming you get a month to month roll over credit, not get a check. I don’t know of any power companies that pay Joe Solar for excess power generated 

Just now, paco said:

I’m assuming you get a month to month roll over credit, not get a check. I don’t know of any power companies that pay Joe Solar for excess power generated 

Probably. Per the person who actually knows (wife), we offset about 65% of our monthly electric bill. Also keeps us in the lower tier of pricing, apparently.

I only know we have the panels because I was home one of the days they were being installed.

Just now, vikas83 said:

Probably. Per the person who actually knows (wife), we offset about 65% of our monthly electric bill. Also keeps us in the lower tier of pricing, apparently.

I only know we have the panels because I was home one of the days they were being installed.

Are you guys doing interval billing/dynamic pricing?  I.E., you pay more for power at 2 pm vs 11 pm due to overall demand.  From what you just said it sounds like your company has a blended pricing program that looks at total consumption tiers.  
 

I also learned not all batteries are created equal. The Tesla power walk can backup all circuits but battery X from company Y yo have to choose a subset, like your fridges and AC. 

Just now, paco said:

Are you guys doing interval billing/dynamic pricing?  I.E., you pay more for power at 2 pm vs 11 pm due to overall demand.  From what you just said it sounds like your company has a blended pricing program that looks at total consumption tiers.  
 

I also learned not all batteries are created equal. The Tesla power walk can backup all circuits but battery X from company Y yo have to choose a subset, like your fridges and AC. 

I believe total consumption tiers, not based on time of day.

On 8/18/2021 at 3:44 PM, paco said:

This is what I'm trying to avoid.  I do my research google searches and its hard to tell what is legit and what is crap

Anything where you enter into a Power Purchase Agreement and the company puts panels on your roof free of charge is an awful idea.  They are everywhere, but basically making money off of leasing your roof.  Make sure you purchase the system outright upfront so you see the benefits of the reduced energy costs as well as the selling of RECs and any unused power back to the grid.  I work for a utility scale solar developer BTW.

Also, I am waiting/hoping for PA to have another high value residential solar incentive before I plan to install.  If it comes out (and the GOP in PA is even more pro-solar now then ever after finally realizing that purchasing renewable energy credits from out of state was losing them money, so they closed the loophole about 2 years ago), I would save quite a bit of money.  You're talking about 5-10 year payoff as opposed to 15-20

50 minutes ago, barho said:

Anything where you enter into a Power Purchase Agreement and the company puts panels on your roof free of charge is an awful idea.  They are everywhere, but basically making money off of leasing your roof.  Make sure you purchase the system outright upfront so you see the benefits of the reduced energy costs as well as the selling of RECs and any unused power back to the grid.  I work for a utility scale solar developer BTW.

Also, I am waiting/hoping for PA to have another high value residential solar incentive before I plan to install.  If it comes out (and the GOP in PA is even more pro-solar now then ever after finally realizing that purchasing renewable energy credits from out of state was losing them money, so they closed the loophole about 2 years ago), I would save quite a bit of money.  You're talking about 5-10 year payoff as opposed to 15-20

That's really good to know.  Do you see them doing it soon?  Only reason I ask is I was aiming for 2022 before the tax credit drops again.

19 minutes ago, paco said:

That's really good to know.  Do you see them doing it soon?  Only reason I ask is I was aiming for 2022 before the tax credit drops again.

Well, the only thing they have discussed at all is larger solar incentives for utility scale and perhaps community solar projects.  Nothing about residential, so it may never happen, but it should.  I'd say, if you don't want to miss out on the federal ITC go for it now.  Its just that I have been in the renewables space for nearly 20 years and both the PTC (wind) and ITC (solar) constantly find a way to get new extensions.

4 hours ago, vikas83 said:

But then I'd be poor like you and actually have to review my bills. 

Plus, it's better to use electricity to make products as opposed to you have to run the A/C at full blast 24/7 to keep from sweating while you chew.

 

 

What's with the car brand banners? I don't think I've ever seen that in someone's garage

Lol. Poor white man thinks a Panamera GTS is a baller car.

47 minutes ago, bobeph said:

 

 

bobeph be like

 

I tried to keep my personal life on the down low.  But there’s no way I’m letting a nuclear loaded camel jockey call me poor!

6 minutes ago, vikas83 said:

Lol. Poor white man thinks a Panamera GTS is a baller car.

It’s a family baller car a hole!

20 minutes ago, Mike030270 said:

What's with the car brand banners? I don't think I've ever seen that in someone's garage

They came with the cars.  So I just stuck on the F out there.

4 hours ago, paco said:

That's really good to know.  Do you see them doing it soon?  Only reason I ask is I was aiming for 2022 before the tax credit drops again.

My impression is every time you ask a question, Vikas checks with his wife because he barely knows what goes on at home. 

You should just have Binky get in touch with Mrs. Vikas

1 minute ago, JohnSnowsHair said:

My impression is every time you ask a question, Vikas checks with his wife because he barely knows what goes on at home. 

You should just have Binky get in touch with Mrs. Vikas

Agree 100%. 

11 minutes ago, JohnSnowsHair said:

My impression is every time you ask a question, Vikas checks with his wife because he barely knows what goes on at home. 

You should just have Binky get in touch with Mrs. Vikas

I didnt know that was an option