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Originally posted by Gustofer:

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Originally posted by frayedends:

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For many, that may be true. However, peace of mind is worth a lot to me. No more worrying about outages, no more worrying about a freezer full of meat going bad, etc....

Whole house generator, about $13K and does add equity to home.

Until you run out of gas.

If Yellowstone blows and covers the sky with ash solar will be rendered useless.

I ran solar on public building roofs. The powers that be love solar for the pats on the back they get. But practical running of the system takes regular cleaning. Not to mention roof safety and wear and tear there.
The system is monitored and data retrievable online. Online data is quite telling of the need to clean panels for best output. Regular cleaning is needed at least quarterly. And additionally after tree pollen season and other times like fires, snow, etc. Cleaning is not that easy considering array size, location, access, water source and hardness. etc. Simple spray down is not adequate to clean. You need brushes and squeegees.

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Originally posted by frayedends:
If Yellowstone blows and covers the sky with ash solar will be rendered useless.

Well, you got me there.

Although, I'd only be alive for about 10 minutes if it blew, so there's that.

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We only plan to be in this house, at most, for six more years.

There’s your answer….nope. Doesn’t matter if it doesn’t lose viability in five, ten or twenty years….you won’t be there.

And you won’t get the money you put into it when you sell it.

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Originally posted by Aeteocles:



There is some neat tech coming out recently that allows grid-free solar installations *without* batteries. It uses microcontrollers that instantly controls solar production so that you only produce exactly as much as you are using and not feeding anything back into the grid.

What do you do if it's dark outside ?

I am certainly no expert on solar panels. However, some years ago when I was considering panels, a friend who is a volunteer firefighter told me that the department he volunteers with will not under any circumstances go on a roof with solar panels to fight a fire. Too dangerous. They will of course spray water, but they won't go on the roof. I am no firefighting expert either, but he told me that there may be some circumstances in a house fire where going on the roof is warranted and relatively safe. However, with solar panels, it's a no go. If you have a fireplace with a chimney, an ember on the roof can be a bigger problem with the panels.

I was leaning against it anyway, but that sealed the deal as a no. Here's more information on solar panels and fighting fires: https://www.firerescue1.com/fi...ts-ioFp2MGuWg0KgCa5/

Have had an 11 kw solar system for some 10-15 years. No backup batteries. Electric meter records my use or my surplus put back into the grid. We cut our electric bill 75%. We do not need to wash our 40 panels. The system is essentially “hands off”. I need to do nothing.
We did get state and federal rebates when we installed it. It is on our pole barn, on top of a metal roof. If I want to watch the panel production, I can see it on our computer, daily production, monthly, etc. Every panel is monitored. We have seen zero degradation of electricity production over time.
It did pay itself off in some 7 - 8 years. It does not produce when covered in snow. It, like your home, is subject to lightening surges. Twice we have had insurance claims that the homeowners policy covered.
I certainly believe the system to be an asset and that, with its documented history, it increases the value of the home. Who wouldn’t want a $10 monthly electric bill for 8 or 9 months of the year?

Solar won’t help you during an outage as the system shuts off so that you’re not re-energizing the grid as they repair it. Having a battery might semi-useful for a small period of time during the outage; If it’s winter you may have to recharge the battery off the grid.

What Fred above is what I have heard from a number of sources,including FFs.

I have asked the solar door knockers if they will help pay for loss from Ffs not willing to go up on the roof and they turn around.

I also let them know that I already have solar, I have paid federal taxes to provide rebates for people who have solar installed.I also tell them the state provide a tax rebate that my tax dollars fund. Finally I pay a renewable adder each month to my electric company so they can offer a rebate.
I own a solar system,it just isn’t on my roof.

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Originally posted by Fed161:
However, some years ago when I was considering panels, a friend who is a volunteer firefighter told me that the department he volunteers with will not under any circumstances go on a roof with solar panels to fight a fire.

I could be wrong, but it would seem to me that this is mostly a nonissue.

If the fire is bad enough that the FD needs to get up on my roof to cut holes in it, I'm going to be tearing the whole damned thing down and rebuilding afterwards anyway. Might as well let it burn to the ground at that point and save some money on the clean-up.

The OP would probably better off putting a few grand into improving the efficiency of the house (insulation, windows, A/C, etc.) Probably better bang for the buck.

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Originally posted by selogic:

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Originally posted by Aeteocles:



There is some neat tech coming out recently that allows grid-free solar installations *without* batteries. It uses microcontrollers that instantly controls solar production so that you only produce exactly as much as you are using and not feeding anything back into the grid.

What do you do if it's dark outside ?

Outside of the intended use scenario. These are small arrays without batteries that are intended to offset your daytime power use.

They have a battery option as well, but that's nothing new. The "neat trick" is being able to tell the inverter to produce power without sending excess back to the grid. When you send excess power back to the grid, you have to play by the rules of the utility provider, including shutting down the solar array during power outages. This circumvents that.

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Originally posted by BBMW:
The OP would probably better off putting a few grand into improving the efficiency of the house (insulation, windows, A/C, etc.) Probably better bang for the buck.

That was done about 4 years ago. New “energy efficient” roof (with added insulation and that foil lining), new HVAC (including converting from electric heat pump to gas furnace), and new triple pane windows in the entire house. Also added an whole-house fan.

What I do need to do is seal up the front door. It is a bit drafty.

Have someone come in and do a blower door test to see how much leakage you get, and where.

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Originally posted by thumperfbc:

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Originally posted by BBMW:
The OP would probably better off putting a few grand into improving the efficiency of the house (insulation, windows, A/C, etc.) Probably better bang for the buck.

That was done about 4 years ago. New “energy efficient” roof (with added insulation and that foil lining), new HVAC (including converting from electric heat pump to gas furnace), and new triple pane windows in the entire house. Also added an whole-house fan.

What I do need to do is seal up the front door. It is a bit drafty.

I looked it over in detail this year, and decided against for many reasons. If you were staying longer, had an outbuilding to put it on or ground space them perhaps, but on your timeline little reason to do so.

do yourself a huge favor and spend $600-1000 in fiberglass insulation blown into your attic, it will pay for itself in months, not years.