Solar thread

[turbobrick240]

The people buying homes in my area have noticed what is happening with heating oil/diesel/gasoline prices this year. Energy markets can be fickle.

 

[Mongler98]

Correction... the people buying homes in your area and all over the country have either more money than brains or just more money. Buying a home reguardless or what it comes with is a huge pocket taker. Properly tax and home repairs heavily outright overtake any measly savings from energy needs.
Its helarious when somone says ... yes I spent 20 grand so I could save 30 grand over 10 years on a utility that costs more than most people's rent!
Dont want to spend $ fine... but stop this nonsence about saving when you are spending a enormous amount of $ becuase you can afford it.
Housing is at an all time high. Much more than fuel prices by ratio. It makes no sence to argue that buying a home with solar is because fuel or energy demands / prices are high.
Solar has its place. And that's for those who can afford to not have it but chose to invest in cleaner better tech so it can become cheap and better for those who cant. That's how all tech has worked since the dawn of fire and the wheel.....

 

[turbobrick240]

That's just a convoluted word jumble. It's possible to finance a solar install such that the monthly payments are no greater than the previous electric bills. If you're not into home ownership, then yeah, you're better off buying some community solar generation or something like that.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

If you own a home you're going to pay property taxes and have to make repairs/replacements, regardless. And you're right, where I live, property taxes alone exceed what I would spend on utilities, even if I didn't have solar. Nothing I can do about that. But if I can save spending the $2,500 or so a year that electricity would cost, along with receiving $2K or so in carbon tax payments, that's $4,500/year I can put towards taxes or improvements. The system has long since reimbursed me the purchase and installation cost.

I like that I have no water/sewage bill (well and septic system) and (nearly) no electric bill at my house. My only utilitiy costs are oil heat (not nothing) and a tiny amount of propane I use for cooking and the clothes drier. And to run the generator when needed. Not having those expenses makes me less stressed about continuing to live here.

 

[nwdiver]

Its helarious when somone says ... yes I spent 20 grand so I could save 30 grand over 10 years on a utility that costs more than most people's rent!

You realize that’s >$70k over 20 years as rates keep rising… right? Where’s the line that it makes sense in the ‘book of Mongler’? $15k to save $30k over 10 years? $10k? What about the financing? Would not paying $120/mo on a solar loan to save $150/mo make sense because numbers?

 

[tikal]

If those are your electric rates it makes more sense that people aren't investing in solar. Here rates have been around $.23/kWh, going to $.25 or so this summer. So the payback is pretty significant.

Yes those were historical averages for 2020 and 2021.

Here is the 'bet' I did in August of 2021 when I decided to go solar for our house: the historical low electric rates in my area will no longer be statistically significant from 2022 and onward. On the other hand inflation will become statistically significant for the foreseeable future when it come to electrical rates and PV systems.

 

[tikal]

In a sense keeping/buying used TDIs is also a 'bet' against inflation in my view.

 

[Mozambiquer]

What it comes down to it seems, is that in rural areas with low electricity, low taxes and low cost of living, going solar doesn't make as much sense as other areas where electricity prices are high, taxes are high and cost of living is high.

In my area in the middle of Missouri, I currently own my own house with no mortgage (though I'm working on buying a bigger place now) my property tax is $140 per year (yes, the full year is less than $150)
Electricity is $.07 per kWh. Cost of living is very low. For me and for others in my area, it may not make much sense to have a system installed due to the long time to reach a breaking even point. But for those in areas that have high cost of living and high energy costs, it makes much more sense for them.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

No one ever claimed that living in greater Boston is inexpensive. But it's home: I've basically lived within 10 miles of where I am now all my life, not counting a couple years away at college (transferred to Boston to finish) and a couple years in Los Angeles. I have a lot of family in LA and that region does make Boston look cheap by comparison. So I guess what is and isn't expensive depends on your frame of reference.

And although saving electric costs doesn't make much of a dent in my overall housing costs, I still like having solar.

 

[nwdiver]

Electricity is $.07 per kWh.

Is that the ACTUAL cost of using a kWh? Here the cost is ~$0.08. PLUS a fuel fee of ~$0.02. PLUS RPS, franchise etc, etc. The ACTUAL cost is ~$0.13 per kWh.

Is your utility Xcel? Enjoy your low rates while they last….

Xcel Energy can recover $509 million from consumer bills after February 2021 storm, judge rules

Xcel can recover $509 million from customers in coming months’ bills to pay for surging natural gas costs during the southwestern freeze in February 2021, an administrative law judge ruled this week, despite finding the…

www.postindependent.com

 

[Mozambiquer]

Is that the ACTUAL cost of using a kWh? Here the cost is ~$0.08. PLUS a fuel fee of ~$0.02. PLUS RPS, franchise etc, etc. The ACTUAL cost is ~$0.13 per kWh.

Is your utility Xcel? Enjoy your low rates while they last….

Xcel Energy can recover $509 million from consumer bills after February 2021 storm, judge rules

Xcel can recover $509 million from customers in coming months’ bills to pay for surging natural gas costs during the southwestern freeze in February 2021, an administrative law judge ruled this week, despite finding the…

www.postindependent.com

Actual cost is .07 per key and a $25 per month service fee.
I'm on a an electric cooperative, which makes a big difference.

 

[tikal]

Definitively not "one size fits all". As long as you are comfortable with your electric rates being stable in the x amount of years ahead ...

... then 'be happy, don't worry"

 

[tikal]

Before the solar panels were installed, I was averaging around 8 to 9 cents a kWh for many years.

Well, out of curiosity, I went back and check the ongoing retail rates for our area. Now you are looking at and average of 15 to 17 cents per kWh

Telling you the truth this this the first time I check the rates since Fall 2021. Wow!!!

If these rates stay like this or go up in the future then my payback time accelerates and my decision in Summer of 2021 to go solar becomes more justified.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Yesterday I received an electric bill, which consisted of a $29.03 credit, despite using the A/C for several days and opening the pool in mid-May, so the filter pump ran full time for a while until the water stabilized. And yesterday I also received an SREC check for $822. This from a system that paid for itself years ago. Hard not to like that.

Saw a story on the local news that our utility's cost of wholesale power has tripled since the first of the year. They've only raised rates a little, so far, but there will be larger rate increases coming soon. Glad I have a buffer against that.

 

[03TDICommuter]

My SCE bill just came in.
Total is $187.07 for 605 KWh, or $0.309/KWh. Inside the bill was also notice that SCE is looking to increase rates again by 6.8%

At $0.309/KWh, and my eGolf getting 4 miles per KWh (estimated, freeway is less, city is more), compared to my TDI NB, my eGolf is the equivalent of $3.63/gallon of diesel. Wish it had the 700 mile range my TDI gets.

Thinking of peeling some of the house off onto 'off grid' solar. I've got about 200 continuously running watts of power I could move off the grid.