[upstatedoc]

Anyone converted to solar to power their home? Just got an email from Acura saying they have partnered with Solarcity and will give discounts to acura owners. I imagine switching would cost a small fortune and you wouldn't see any real savings for years.

[amanda hor$t]

at my old house i got a quote once and it was something like 10k (which would have been ~15 yrs in electricity bills)

[will.c]

there used to be a gov't subsidy program that gave 30% off to all costs related to solar installation, but that ended last year.

I don't think there's any special program in NY right now, so that might discourage people to buy and own solar at this time.

That said, solar can actually be a good investment without any subsidies nowadays due to their cost drop in the past year or two, but that depends on how much you pay for electricity. If you pay above 20 cents/kWh, and you have some money ($10-20k) to invest, I'd say it makes good sense. I mean, afterall, solar is basically a one-time fee within several decades, and electricity cost will only rise at a faster rate as time goes.

However, you don't have to buy a solar system to see its benefits. There are now a lot of solar PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) providers who can "use" your roof space to install solar and get their end of the benefit in terms of gov't/state subsidies, for which, in return, they provide you a cheaper rate of electricity produced by solar without any money invested by yourself.

There probably are other types of programs out there as well

[DSB335d]

What about wind power? I was recently in Cleveland, OH and I noticed there are wind turbines all over; even in residential areas. There have been some pretty cool designs over the traditional 3-blade like a vertical triple helix. No idea the cost to setup vs the amount of power that could be generated.

[Comet]

we use solar at home for garden lights and water heating.
within the year, we've saved money already. (it heats the pool)

As convenient as it is, it is not very reliable in the winter time, which is why we opted for the ones with the wind mill on top (see attached). I can imagine that in places with bad winters, solar is not very effective as the ONLY source of power (from my experience).

[Bartman619]

Our home came with 6 solar panels and and inverter built in. The builder was KB Home, here in socal they are building lots of homes with solar power. My monthly electric bill in winter is about $5-$10 dollars a month. In summer my electric bill running the A/C 24/7 from July to about early October is about $40 to $50. The solar came with a $7,000 tax credit also and a 25year Mfg warranty. I think this thing will pay for itself in about 10-15 years time or so. Worth every penny in any hot weather area.

[amanda hor$t]

i think i'll just wait for the diy personal nuclear power plant

[infinitekidM2C]

Originally Posted by R Grubba Balls

i think i'll just wait for the diy personal nuclear power plant

[Maestro]

Also keep in mind that those panel are only good for about 10 years, yes they still work buy their efficiency begins to drop off. The panel they put on a house are not like the ones that go on satellites. From what I read and hear the ones that you put in your roof never pay back, it mostly a feel good thing to do.

Now if you have enough land and can afford to put in the better panels which last longer and then install a large array of panel which generate more than you use and you can sell the energy back to the power companies than it may be cost effective.

The last time I was in CA i hear an add where some company will come out and install panel on your home and sell you the power at a lower cost than the utilities. When ever power you do not use, they sell back to the utilities and share the profits. This may be an option over buying and owning it all yourself.

[KingOfJericho]

A coworker of mine just put a solar system on his house. The system was $31k and the power company was offering a $10k rebate and there's a 30% of your net cost tax incentive during the year of instal. His elec bill for April of 2012 was $219, this year it was $93. At this rate, he's looking at around a 5-8yr payback.

[infinitekidM2C]

$220 for an elec bill KOJ? What's he growing weed in the basement?

[06E90Rostik]

By the time they will start paying for themselves (10+) years, they will start degrading as well (performance goes down) and need to be replaced completely at around 20 years.

Unless you get a really good deal I wouldn't do it now.