I hear people say that they can’t afford solar.
Wrong.
It costs more to keep paying the current electric rates at around $0.15/kWh than to get solar electric panels.
However, this past year has been very cloudy.
Lets say, using my approximate numbers, that your electric bill was an average of $80/month and panels to cover your usage would cost $15,000. First deduct the 30 percent Federal incentive. Then, if you have savings in the bank at close to zero percentage (which doesn’t pay for inflation), it is OK to use some of that to save more on something else, like a down payment, you should be able to get a bank loan very close to the $80/mo. Search around for a loan with payments of $75/mo. That means 80 minus 75 equals 5 dollars saved, in the bank, unspent.
The first day I had them I was saving money.
In other words, it is costing you money not to get electric solar, unless global warming causes more clouds.
The Federal incentive goes down each year, it might be 25 percent next year, so call up now. They are guaranteed for 25 years. Cut down the trees that would shade your location. Don’t put them too high on the roof so you can’t use a roof rake to get snow off them. Put a fence around them so the horses don’t kick them.
Then you can consider all the fossil fuel you aren’t burning and causing CO2 .
Then get enough panels to support your electric car and drive for free.
To heat your house there are a lot of things to consider.
Peter Grant
Bristol