Ok, so we have solar panels on our roof to heat our pool. When I paid our electric bill this week I thought how nice it would be to not pay the local goons at the power company $300 a month after month after month. I called a solar panel place for electricity and they are coming out next week.

Solar panels for the electricity would run (about) $31,000 but the power company pays $15,500 of that, net $15k or so that would take a long time to recover but they say at both the sales office and the power company instead of paying THEM $300 I would get about $80 a month back from them for the unused energy I sell them.

I am not doing this to "go green" or "save the planet" I have my own views on that, I just want to save money and make the investment on the house.

Anyone else gone solar for power? What do you think.....thanks

something I heard recently on a tv show, double check the absorbtion rate of the panels you are getting, according to this show, something about the material used hinders the absorbtion, or limits it. I am pretty sure i heard this correctly, but with this MS god only knows what i heard and what was said, best of luck and hats off to you for doing your green part

I applaud you for looking into solar.

I firmly believe that solar has a place in our energy solution. As a matter of fact, I believe that so strongly, I took a position with a start-up solar company a year ago (watch for Innovalight to go IPO at the end of 2009).

That being said, solar is extremely expensive right now. With the advancements on the horizon, the cost should drop substantially in the next few years.

If you are "going green" now because you like the idea, I say GO FOR IT!

If you are "going green" right now because you want to save money, you might want to do the math again.

By putting up solar panels that cost you $15000 after rebates (and I would check back into that, there is a lot of uncertainty on how long the rebates will be going on) and paying your old $300 energy bill to the finance company instead the power company, it would take you five years to off the loan...but that is calculated WITHOUT interest.

How much longer will it take to pay off WITH interest??

It might be more cost effective in the long run, to hold off a little while longer.

Just food for thought...

Have you considered a smaller investment?

How about wind power to lower your bills?

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We installed both solar panels and wind driven turbines at our child care center at the Johnson Space Center late last year. We're monitoring efficiencies and production. It's too early to tell if it's economical (need a couple years).

Personally, I think solar is great - in space. I would think that - the space station is 100% solar. On earth - we're guesstimating ~ 15 year payback.

Tom

Don't forget any state and federal tax breaks you may qualify for. I know there's a few!

We are doing work on more insulating and exploring other options. I'm actually pondering ripping down all my wallboard and using spray in foam insulation, and re-doing the actual configuration of the interior walls for max heat and cooling air movement. ( I also want a bigger bathroom!)

We figure that with a large solar panel, a solar water heat collector, along with wood heat also heating the water in the winter, could save us a LOT of money. We have a tiny house and are pretty energy conscious, but the cost is still too high for my bones!

I would so much like to do this too, but I dont have the funds to invest. I am on a fixed income so is my DW, no way we could come up with 15K. But I love the idea of the power company paying us instead of us paying them. They take us for $375 every month. Immagin what I could do with that money every month, I might even be able to afford the $4+ per gallon of gas which I hear is going to $5 by the 4th of july
Don
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Hi Everyone, it is hard for me to understand why our power companies are not investing in solar or wind. Once they get the equipment up it is free after that. What is going on with this?

some are sannah.

here in texas they have put in huge fields of windmills.

the sad this is for them to route that power to the big cites, they have to go through a wildlife preserve. the project is at a standstill.

i think they need to come up with one that could be mounted on a roof.

most city ordanances prohibit the ones like vic posted.

Well, I'm doing my bit to GO GREEN.

I can't do solar panels. I wish I could. I wish I lived in a place where I could have a whole solar house. I'd do it in a heartbeat.

But I live in a private house in Brooklyn, NY and we pay rent so my landlord is responsible for heating bills, etc.

But I do DO MY PART in the green thing. I use Green Works to clean my house. I use deoderants from crystals, (because I don't want any chemicals in my body). I use Arm and Hammer laundry detergent (thinking it doesn't have all those additives). And I have my steam mop (again, no chemicals on my floor, no bleach, ammonia), no breathing in of fumes. We don't smoke.

So, little by little, I do my best. We don't have air conditioning in our living room, never have (not because I don't want to be cool), but my electric bill would be $300 or more a month.

So if anyone has any other ways to add more "going green", I'd love to hear it.

Melody