Syracuse area solar

[Capt. Tuttle]

A. Anybody gone there
B. Any do's , don't s or referrals

Plan right now is to put panels on our garage and run our pool and set up charging station in garage as my next car will likely be electric. Also should help resale down the road.

 

[sutomcat]

A. Anybody gone there
B. Any do's , don't s or referrals

Plan right now is to put panels on our garage and ruin our pool and set up charging station in garage as my next car will likely be electric. Also should help resale down the road.

I have no knowledge or experience here.

However, I know there is a thread on this over at the Boneyard. Tom E has done it.

Solar?

Worth it? Seeing more and more houses with it. It’s iffy for my house, with very large trees in back, but I think it could work. House is oriented north-south, with roofs facing east and west. Seeing Generac battery storage for solar now too. Anyone with any info to share?

the-boneyard.com

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

I have no knowledge or experience here.

However, I know there is a thread on this over at the Boneyard. Tom E has done it.

Solar?

Worth it? Seeing more and more houses with it. It’s iffy for my house, with very large trees in back, but I think it could work. House is oriented north-south, with roofs facing east and west. Seeing Generac battery storage for solar now too. Anyone with any info to share?

the-boneyard.com

Thanks Tom. Not sure I am ready to go full electric, but maybe. My D-I-L's father did it years ago and did not hook back into the grid. (San Diego makes it easier to buy in to having enough sun)

 

[upperdeck]

being on a campus means lots of people who wanted to go this direction.. of the dozen i know who have done the solar thing, most had decent luck with it.. after 10-15 yrs they broke even. The ones who went with the more stationary ones had better luck. Less things to break I guess. if you have the proper sun exposure it helps. Some people went the install in the ground way because it limits issues on the roof and if the roof was really built to handle the extra load in the first place. Leaking has been a minor issue but a few ran into issues once it was time to swap the next roof out depending how the install was done and the style of panels used. Panels are getting more efficient though

The elec car thing has gone poorly for almost every one I know who has tried it. if you dont drive a pretty good amount you never can get even or even close. Several hung around long enough to have to get the 2nd set of batteries and that just puts you back in the hole again. The majority went the hybrid route so that could actually use the car on longer trips. thats becoming a bit better if you scout the routes and find places to plug back in.

 

[CuseTroop]

It could also hurt resale depend on how you do it and when. We looked at a few houses that had solar, but each would have required us to take over a $20-40k Solar loan, on top of the mortgage and any needed construction loans.

My neighbor just sold, and had two offers fall through because of the solar loan.

 

[temery]

Depends on your house and how much direct sunlight. I had found a website a while ago that lets you use the online satellite photos of your house, and add panels where you want to show what size system you would need. I'll try to find the site and post here.

I pd $30k after incentives. With mini-splits for heat/AC, and an electric water heater/dehumidifier thanks to mass save, I've had no electric bills since the solar went online. Also no oil bills.

Bottom line: No more bills for heat, AC, electricity, and hot water. The money I had been paying for each more than pays for the loan used to pay for solar. Loan will be pd off in seven years.

I made two mistakes:

1) I ended up using a home equity line to pay for the solar. At the time the rate was 3%. It is now 3.75%, and likely to climb, at least in the short term.

2) If anything, I pd for too large of a solar system. After three months my system has generated a surplus of $817. At one time the electric company issued a refund check. Now it's a running credit. My guess is I'll only dip into the credit in Dec and January. May be time to start mining Bitcoin

There is also a Mass SREC program that will be cutting me a check for several hundred dollars yearly.

There are no guarantees the running credits and SREC payments will be renewed yearly, but my guess is they're not going anywhere anytime soon. Check to see what type of programs are available in your state.

Battery back up is a waste of money at this point, from what I'm told. Way over priced. I bought an inverter generator and have a box connecting it to my panel directly. About $1,500 total.

Make sure to get several quotes. Also check out the Reddit sub for solar. Lots of good info, and a good way to ask questions.

 

[temery]

Follow up: You won't want to do it unless you have a new roof. The good news is you are likely eligible for the same 26% tax credit (not a write off, an actual credit) for your roof replacement as you are for the solar system if done at the same time.

 

[temery]

Another follow-up: Some states offer an incentive program for those who purchase a battery system and live in a high use area.

You can earn several thousand dollars a year depending on your area and the size of your system.

You earn money when your area kicks into high energy use. Usually between 2 and 7 pm, more often in summer time. You use the battery instead of energy from the grid.

The battery purchase is eligible for the same 26% tax credit as the solar, plus whatever your state offers as a purchase incentive.

Just checked: If you live in NY they add huge incentives. 25% up to $5,000 for purchase (mine in Mass was $1,000).

New York Solar Incentives | NY Solar Tax Credit | Sunrun

Thanks to solar rebates, tax credits & exemptions; New Yorkers could earn back up to 40% on the up-front cost of solar & battery storage today. Sunrun.

www.sunrun.com

If you live in a big city you are more likely to qualify for the battery program.

This is for most of New England:

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Thanks to all