How my roof saves me on utility bills

[billvon 3,070]

Some pictures of the solar systems I have on my roof -

The first one is the "main" array. Faces southeast, so I get most power in the morning/early afternoon. Generates 2100 watts at full sun.

Second one is the all-the-panels-I-had-left-over array. It generates 1350 watts, and faces southwest. The narrow panel near the top of the roof is the hot-water collector; the small panel right next to that drives the hotwater circulation pump.

Total power generated is 3.5 kilowatts, peak. During a normal day I get about 3kW max, or about 500 kilowatt-hours a month during the summer (when demand is highest.) I use about half of that and "donate" the rest back to the utility.

[PLFXpert 0]

I will be getting those, myself. I hope everyone eventually does. Our energy company will actually pay for a portion, too.

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[Fast 0]

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Some pictures of the solar systems I have on my roof -

The first one is the "main" array. Faces southeast, so I get most power in the morning/early afternoon. Generates 2100 watts at full sun.

Second one is the all-the-panels-I-had-left-over array. It generates 1350 watts, and faces southwest. The narrow panel near the top of the roof is the hot-water collector; the small panel right next to that drives the hotwater circulation pump.

Total power generated is 3.5 kilowatts, peak. During a normal day I get about 3kW max, or about 500 kilowatt-hours a month during the summer (when demand is highest.) I use about half of that and "donate" the rest back to the utility.

By donate do you mean sell?

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[skydemon2 0]

Cost of unit? Do you have to rely on regular power or can it support you totally? How long before you pay off the system with savings?

Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone!

I like to start my day off with a little Ray of Soulshine™!!

[davedlg 0]

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Some pictures of the solar systems I have on my roof -

The first one is the "main" array. Faces southeast, so I get most power in the morning/early afternoon. Generates 2100 watts at full sun.

Second one is the all-the-panels-I-had-left-over array. It generates 1350 watts, and faces southwest. The narrow panel near the top of the roof is the hot-water collector; the small panel right next to that drives the hotwater circulation pump.

Total power generated is 3.5 kilowatts, peak. During a normal day I get about 3kW max, or about 500 kilowatt-hours a month during the summer (when demand is highest.) I use about half of that and "donate" the rest back to the utility.

How much did that cost to install? (and how much can us mere-electrical engineering mortals install it for?)

[Remster 30]

How about the ones in the backyard? Decommisoioned?

Remster

[Remster 30]

There are plenty of kits out there.

The cost is going the vary alot. Pannels are very much subject to market variation. We sell them at work as part of our systems, and in the last year their cost to us almost doubled.


EDIT: I looked into it last week, and for a 3.2KW system, the kist were about 10-15K after the government rebates in AZ. Pannels sold seperatly were more expensive then that.

Remster

[airtwardo 7]

Total power generated is 3.5 kilowatts, peak. During a normal day I get about 3kW max, or about 500 kilowatt-hours a month during the summer (when demand is highest.) I use about half of that and "donate" the rest back to the utility.

***

2!

A couple of questions...

What would be the ballpark cost of that type of arrangement to set up an maintain?

It there 'battery type' back up for rainy days and long nights?

About how big in sqft is your home, and how much power do you use on average a day?

I'm seriously considering SOME KIND of alternative to paying 650.00 a month to the power people.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[jumper03 0]

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There are plenty of kits out there.

The cost is going the vary alot. Pannels are very much subject to market variation. We sell them at work as part of our systems, and in the last year their cost to us almost doubled.


EDIT: I looked into it last week, and for a 3.2KW system, the kist were about 10-15K after the government rebates in AZ. Pannels sold seperatly were more expensive then that.

govt rebates in AZ?????

I checked into solar when I was in arizona and found some muncipalities outlaw solar panels - Eloy being a prime example.

You'd have to go guerilla if you wanted solar there.

Scars remind us that the past is real

[turtlespeed 226]

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Total power generated is 3.5 kilowatts, peak. During a normal day I get about 3kW max, or about 500 kilowatt-hours a month during the summer (when demand is highest.) I use about half of that and "donate" the rest back to the utility.

***

2!

A couple of questions...

What would be the ballpark cost of that type of arrangement to set up an maintain?

It there 'battery type' back up for rainy days and long nights?

About how big in sqft is your home, and how much power do you use on average a day?

I'm seriously considering SOME KIND of alternative to paying 650.00 a month to the power people.

Just give up the hydro garden.

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[airtwardo 7]

Just give up the hydro garden.


***

NO CAN DO!

THAT'S how I pay the MORTGAGE !

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[billvon 3,070]

Answering several questions here:

>By donate do you mean sell?

Nope, donate. I can get my bill to zero, but I can't go beyond that and get a check from them. (Well, I could get set up to do that, but it's more trouble than it's worth.)

>Cost of unit? Do you have to rely on regular power or can it support you totally?

The two systems you see there ran about $10K, doing most of the work myself and getting the California rebate. I can run on batteries but I almost never do, since power's pretty reliable here. Basically the utility provides the 'battery' most of the time.

>How long before you pay off the system with savings?

~12 yrs if the cost of power doesn't go up. Shorter if it does.

>How about the ones in the backyard?

Still there. They are more of an experiment than a real installation though.

>About how big in sqft is your home, and how much power do you use
>on average a day?

About 2000 sq ft, and about 3kWhrs/day in spring and fall, 4kwhr/day in winter and 10kwhr/day in summer (A/C.) It's almost always cheaper to start with more efficient appliances than to jump straight into solar.

[Remster 30]

Yep... TEP (Tucson Electric Power) has pretty good ones.

Remster

[livendive 8]

For some reason I thought you lived in the boonies. Is that the same house as the one with the grey water system?

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[Remster 30]

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doing most of the work myself

Did you need a cert. electrician to give his OK to the install and hook it to the fuse box to get the rebates?

Remster

[Remster 30]

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grey water system

Thats for the brewing vats .

Remster

[PhreeZone 20]

I wish that solar was feasible here in the North. I use 500-600kwh a month and figure I can knock that down a good bit by jumping through the hoops to get a clothes line and air drying our clothes, I just haven't even started that process yet. Return on electricity is about 12 years, what I'd love is to knock my gas bills down in the winter.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[Muenkel 0]

Bill,

Those are awesome. Back in the 70's, my dad had solar panels installed on our roof. They heated the hot water that ran through the radiators. Saved a ton of oil. Back then it was such an anomaly that people used to slow down to look at our house as they passed by. It looked like a house from the future.

Edit because you already answered the question I posed.

You mentioned about the energy efficient appliances. Folks, Bill is so right here. My parent's home is about 5,000 sq. ft. and they have installed all energy efficient appliances. Their electric bill is lower than 2500 sq ft. homes in the area.

Chris

_________________________________________
Chris

[Gone_Skiing 0]

Hey Bill,

Have you seen the new solar roofing tiles? Look just like standard asphalt shingles, with better efficiency than solar panels. Down side is you have to sheath the roof differently to support the connections.

-Nick

--
I used to pray to God for a bicycle.
Then I realized God doesn't work that way.
So I stole one and prayed for forgiveness.

[riddler 0]

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about 10-15K after the government rebates in AZ

And that, there, is the bottom line. Well, that, and do you have an extra 15K lying around? Are you going to be in your house for at least 10 more years? If not, then there's no break-even point.

Assuming you're currently averaging $100/month just for electricity, and the price will increase moderately over the next 10 years, keeping in mind that the average panel has a life expectancy of 20-25 years, then you've got to decide how long you'll be living there. As a rule, there is no increase in resell value for a house that's solar equipped, and it can even shy some potential buyers away.

If you're going to be there 10 more years, you'll probably save money, and if all you care about is saving the planet, then it's worth every penny Or if you're into apocalyptic end-of-civilization scenarios, but still want your 'fridge.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[Shotgun 1]

We just got a proposal for installing solar panels. It'll cost us around $21K for a decent system (we use a lot of electricity since we're both home most of the time), so we're looking around for the best financing options, but I think we're gonna do it. It seems like a shame to waste all of the sunshine out here...

[Shotgun 1]

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As a rule, there is no increase in resell value for a house that's solar equipped, and it can even shy some potential buyers away.

Why would it shy potential buyers away? Even if they don't care about renewable energy sources, it will save them money on their electricity bills... Or are you suggesting that most people are such idiots that the appearance would bother them?

[riddler 0]

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Why would it shy potential buyers away?

It's important to note here that it won't shy ALL buyers away, just some. And it's for the same reason that a swimming pool might shy some buyers away who have never had one - "this is different/scary, and I don't want to deal with it if something goes wrong."

Believe me, I'm all for solar electricity - especially here in Colorado, where we get a LOT of sunlight. But it's not made easy or cheap for anyone.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[Remster 30]

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It'll cost us around $21K for a decent system

Is that before the rebates?

Remster

[Shotgun 1]

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It'll cost us around $21K for a decent system

Is that before the rebates?

Nope, that's after the rebates... But we're looking at installing a lot of panels. I think that most people could get away with a cheaper system (but again, we're both home most of the time so we're above average on home electricity usage).