Solar Power for your Residence? Buy, Lease, Wait??? (1 Viewer)

[LostAfrican]

There are now condensers with DC motor compressors - if you are willing to pay. The advantage is that the speed is easily modulated so they can start slow (low current draw) and be run at just the level needed. Also, they would integrate nicely with a DC supply from batteries/solar/regulator without paying the inverter penalty. I can see that in the future, homes might have DC circuits and AC circuits. There are many things that are more efficient on DC - and that integrate better with solar sourced power. Also consider the advantages of running a swimming pool pump with a variable speed DC motor powered by solar! Not even sure you'd need a battery! Just need the economy of scale to catch up to reduce the cost of entry.

 

[Living in the Past]

There are now condensers with DC motor compressors - if you are willing to pay. The advantage is that the speed is easily modulated so they can start slow (low current draw) and be run at just the level needed. Also, they would integrate nicely with a DC supply from batteries/solar/regulator without paying the inverter penalty. I can see that in the future, homes might have DC circuits and AC circuits. There are many things that are more efficient on DC - and that integrate better with solar sourced power. Also consider the advantages of running a swimming pool pump with a variable speed DC motor powered by solar! Not even sure you'd need a battery! Just need the economy of scale to catch up to reduce the cost of entry.

Some of these are in the 20 SEER range. Wondering how long it will take before the mini splits catch on here. Installation costs are lower, better temperature control in different rooms. People will just have to get use to having a coil on the wall instead of just a vent. I'm am curious how they handle the condense drain. Refrigerant lines and wires are easy. Unless your pumping it out your dealing with gravity drains. With most homes here on concrete slabs retro fitting a home creates a challenge.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

The BAD - Bill exceeded a $100 first time this year
The GOOD - Some energy changes let me beat last year by ~30% in the same billing cycle

Amount of electricity you used
Meter reading on Jun 9 30400
Meter reading on May 8 29498
Total electricity you used, in kWh 902
On-peak meter reading on Jun 9 9772
On-peak meter reading on May 8 9521
On-peak electricity you used, in kWh 251
(9 am to 9 pm Monday to Friday)
Off-peak electricity you used, in kWh 651
(9 pm to 9 am weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday)

 

[re_guderian]

The BAD - Bill exceeded a $100 first time this year
The GOOD - Some energy changes let me beat last year by ~30% in the same billing cycle

Amount of electricity you used
Meter reading on Jun 9 30400
Meter reading on May 8 29498
Total electricity you used, in kWh 902
On-peak meter reading on Jun 9 9772
On-peak meter reading on May 8 9521
On-peak electricity you used, in kWh 251
(9 am to 9 pm Monday to Friday)
Off-peak electricity you used, in kWh 651
(9 pm to 9 am weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday)

Yer killin' me... I'm happy my bill was under $300. Still, I'm down 15-20% from last year. Getting a new AC unit installed upstairs today that should also help out a bunch. Redid sunscreens on critical windows, and will continue to monitor. What specific things have you done? Keep in mind, I have 3 kids, a stay-at-home wife, and a 3K sq ft home that is ~27 years old. I've toyed with getting a thermal camera to see where major heat/cooling loss areas are.

 

[Project FJ80]

I was able to jump on the solar bandwagon while they were still offering $4 per watt installed rebates.
I have 5280 watts on my roof top.
First year was great, received a credit back that lasted until June the following year.
the second year the credit was like 50 bucks, then 12.
I now average 3800-4800 watts depending on sun, clouds and dust on the pannels.
My bill has been cut in half. all 12 months.

After this last go around of wanting to charge more to customers who went green. I now have a monthly bill of 18-30 for taxes and basic charge metering billing etc. Even if I use 0 kilowatts from APS. (It used to be $0)

In the Summer they charge you for what you would have used. If I used 300KW in june but had a credit from months passed and was only billed 20KW They will charge me the transmission fees of $50 for the 300KW .. then your basic charge goes up to 30, add taxes etc. and they still get there $100 from you. ... Its better than 280... but why should I get charged $$$ for generating my own elect. then only get rebated $.005 back.

 

[Project FJ80]

So, is it worth it... That all depends.

If you Buy, you own it. and it sells with the house or you can take it with you. (It does not help to raise the appraisal of the home by the bank)

If you Lease... you sign a contract (20 years or so I think) and you have to sell this idea and extra charge if you sell the house before then.
Then, if you don't renew.. they come take it all back, and leave you with either a bunch of brackets on your roof, or a bunch of holes in your roof.

If you wait... solar prices will continue to go down, transmission prices will continue to go up (as with fees and what ever else they can shove down our throats)

YES!
If you have APS and can source all the supplies and parts yourself and install it. At least then you will be saving 50% of what someone else will charge you. You would still have to get all the permits and inspections form the city.
(more so if you can separate the incoming electricity from your current provider so it does not feed back into the grid)
(you would also need batteries for low sun or power at night)

NO! If you have SRP. They are charging something like $50 per month so you can " Pay Your Fair Share" of maintaining the power facility that you are no longer using. This is regardless of weather you are producing 400, 1000, 2000, or 10KW of solar on your "Grid Tied" roof.

That means even if you had a 10KW system producing at 80% they would still get $600 a year just for you to have solar, Plus the rest of the monthly fee BS. billing, metering ... the "if you would have had a different company it would have been this, so we will charge you this."
Id say you would be out $1200 per year in extra fees vs having no Solar at all, going with SRP.

Its Just not worth it to spend the upfront cost of 5K, 10K, 20K, if your ROI takes 10-20 years. (and you know the power co will continue to raise rates and the extra solar fees.)

APS is charging something like $5 per month for offsets, as that's all they could get passed on the public vote.