Your video helped me commit to getting solar as well as figuring out how large of a system to get. Thank you so much. I would love to see some new content if you have the time...
In many European countries, the generated power during the day will no longer be compensated by power companies. Due to the fact that there is a massive power overcapacity around noon (when power demand is very low) while there is less powersupply and more demand in the evening and morning. That's the thing with solar panels. The supply of power does not match the demand, nearly all of the time. Now batteries may make a difference. But if you factor in the costs of those, and the fact that power companies may not always compensate your generated power. Then it may not be very profitable at all.
I'm in florida also and considering solar. The biggest issue I have the cost between companies. I had one company 4$ per KWh down to 3.50$ KWh. But yet Tesla is 1.50$ KWh.. this needs to be simpler
A few things.. My system is about 10 years old, I live in Virginia, so less sun than Southern Latitudes (like Fla). At the time, high output panels where about 175 watts each and I have 38 panels. During design, I didn't do any math based on what my house uses in electricity, I just wanted as many panels as we could put up given our roof size, exposure, tree cover etc. and that turned out to be 38. Our system has full internet access with solar generation numbers and panel analysis etc..but also INCLUDES live house power usage. If I only had panel output numbers, that would be ok, but having house power usage is critical to figuring things out and improve power usage. Our $$ savings over the years have mostly surrounded the knowledge of electricity usage on top of solar generation. We are able to get charts/graphs/reports.. It is not really hard to make this happen..Takes a black box with some sensors in the electric panels and an internet connection. The portal is via Locus Energy. Our house has many outdoor lights, (2) hot water heaters (electric), (3) HVAC systems, (3) pool pumps. House is 4500 sq feet above ground. Before putting up solar panels our electrical bills were a bit less than $4K/year. Having said this, I have had many conversations with people where I start with "Sure, nice to have the system, but ultimately the math doesn't work in a self sustaining way". Here is why I say that. The math for Modern Dad is different than my math, but I think the math is still less attractive than most think. Important, the way I think about this is.. Can it work without massive (and I mean massive) government intervention? The answer to that currently is a huge NO. Anybody who puts up panels (or wind generators and electric cars) and thinks about the math will always consider the government intervention, and rarely will they put it in the context the system will be obsolete in 20 years and need to be replaced (car batteries less time), so 20 year math is important. Modern Dad thinks his roof will need replacing before that so he will have an interesting concept to think about at that time. I try and think in terms of what if there was NO government intervention, then what. How does green stuff work without it (Panels/Wind/Prius/Tesla etc. not to mention all those panels and batteries heading for the graveyard and all the grid juice needed to charge batteries etc)? When you go solar, there is a booklet/table you can go that will tell you (almost exactly) how much electricity a system of a particular size will generate on an annual basis. It is based on system size, angle to horizon, latitude, exposure (including a statement of surrounding trees) etc. This number in Kilowatt Hours (actually Megawatts) ALMOST tells the whole mathematical story. As Modern Dad stated, the expected life of the panels (at 90%) is about 20 years. I am fairly sure it is a bit less but let's assume that. My system is stated by the book to generate on average 8.1 Megawatt Hours/year (or 8100 Kilowatt Hours/year). Our power company charges a bit more than 10 cents per Kilowatt hour. If my system does in fact generate 8100 KWH per year, that translates to about $810/year "worth" of electricity. Makes no difference if I use it or send it back to the grid, $810/year is $810 no matter where it goes. Next computation is $810 times 20 years. That number is $16,200. So, no matter how you look at it, you can't "break even" unless the system cost $16,200 (all in) when installed, which of course they don't. Remember, even if we broke even, the next system goes in after 20 years (or less) not to mention a roof replacement, panel replacement, inverter exchange etc. If the system does really cost $16,200, then you are actually getting FREE electricity AFTER system is paid for, (less connection fees etc.). My system cost $45K and it generates just $810/year ($16,200 by 20 years which doesn't come close to paying for it). Of course, I currently still pay on average about $200/month in electricity to the grid provider. I am saving another $800 by knowing how the house uses electricity, so in that respect I am saving about $1.6K/year even though the panels only generate about half that. Now, the conversation becomes a bit more confusing when locations (latitudes) are generating more (or less) electricity, more/higher yielding panels etc. For me, my system cost $45K (price of panels and output have changed over the past 10 years). On top of the 30% Fed tax credit, we actually had a State Grant Program that pushed out close to 30% on top of that. Also, we have a thing called renewable energy credits (REC's for short) which have a value as well. For me, there was no way I was going into a $45K investment to HOPEFULLY break even (which was impossible without TONS of government intervention), or worse (as shown above will actually cost substantial money to say I can generate so called "free" electricity). Many systems actually cost much more than one would normally pay the power company. I went forward because all in I was able to pay for the system in about 5 years (all in) but only after massive government intervention. I think that when cost effective Geothermal in conjunction with better solar, like siding and roof shingles that are part of the house construction and hopefully lasts longer, we will we get close to actually going off grid for reasonable cost and hopefully without massive government intervention (guess who pays for that intervention). Maybe a mini nuclear box in our basement will do it. Sorry for being so long..
Hey, I’m from the Pensacola area as well. Was wondering if your opinion has changed any? I’m in the process of building and was debating between Gulf Power, Pensacola Energy or going the Solar route.
Appreciate your videos! Your tweet a few months back made us take the plunge. Things work a little different here in Las Cruces, NM. 1. Excess energy generated goes back to the electric company. However they pay pennies for KW. Can't remember the exact figure but we pay .18/kw and they give us .6/kw. Still worth it. 2. None of our companies mentioned anything about making the home more efficient. 3. Our box isn't nearly as pretty as yours 🤣 4. I am now 2.5 months in and the city is just now coming to inspect this week. Once again, really appreciate your help months ago and the tips you offered.
I also went solar in September. 35 panels. Now I'm looking at my app everyday hoping I can make around 40kwh. My system came out at 35k. Thanks for sharing.
The question I have is this, if you do receive damage from a hurricane or a hail storm, is it covered under the solar panels warranty, or do you have to put that on your homeowners insurance?
I Ilive in Florida too. I think there is a law that prevents you from being “off grid.” Even if you buy enough battery you still must maintain a physical connection to the grid. Thanks FPL and Duke for that!
Pretty sure you have the tax credit wrong. They give you 30% of the cost as a tax credit which means if you paid 30k they'll take 10k off your taxable income it's not a rebate they just reduce your taxable income.
Sure its not a rebate... but if you have enough tax liability it will turn into a check back in your tax return. For example lets say your a W2 employee and when you do your taxes you found out you owed the govt 20k and you paid them 25k. Your tax return would then be 5k. If you had a 10k tax credit what you owed the government reduces to 10k therefore in that same scenario you would get back 15k instead.
Thanks for the video. Always been curious about solar and love the way you construct your videos. Will most likely be doing this to our fifth wheel when we move to a minimalist retirement.
stacey eaton Hey! 👋🏽😊Im from Vision Solar ☀️ If you would like to consider going to solar again, Please contact with me! I can guarantee 💯 satisfaction with our unbeatable prices 💰
How are you liking the setup now that you have had it awhile? I just got mine done from sunfarm- still waiting on gulf power to let me flip the switch. Also have foam-seal here today suckin our insulation.
Nice to see! Would love to hear small updates after a year or longer. What's the maintenance been like has there been any issues. I live in Florida as well and will look into this in the next house I purchase. Thanks for the insight.
Rain takes care of it for the most part. ... Only time I really had to clean things was what you see in the video - pollen was really bad, and it hadn't rained in weeks. Florida, right?
I almost went solar last year, but I guess the amount of the loan scared us, plus some of the solar companies seemed shady and that didn't make me feel good
David Smith hey! Im from Vision Solar ☀️ If you would like to consider going to solar again, Please contact with me! I can guarantee 💯 satisfaction with our unbeatable prices 💰
We got solar last year and it has been nothing but a headache. We still have a power bill it really hasn't dropped the power bill. The inverter has broken multiple times. Just blargh.
Since you said "the inverter has broken", that implies you might be running panels into one inverter, I would say that is your largest issue. Any cloud on one panel and the whole system degrades. Today's systems are done with individual microinverters. so any panel that degrades from a cloud, doesn't take down the whole system. Modern Dad put in micro inverters.
@@hansroland6420 this is literally not true what so ever. Even central inverters these days have power optimizers to avoid this. Panels also come with bypass diodes these days if a panel stops working the rest of the circuit continues to function.
Just finished installing 9.25 KW on my home for $.77/watt after tax credit. Solar companies are charging $3.50-4.00 a watt. This is a ripoff. DIY paying cash is the way to make solar installations profitable for the consumer. My system will pay itself off in 5.5 years while also generating a 17% annual return on my initial $10000 invested. Most professional installations will be lucky to turn a profit within the equipment life cycle due to profit margins being absorbed on the front end by installers and finance companies.
Your video helped me commit to getting solar as well as figuring out how large of a system to get. Thank you so much. I would love to see some new content if you have the time...
In many European countries, the generated power during the day will no longer be compensated by power companies. Due to the fact that there is a massive power overcapacity around noon (when power demand is very low) while there is less powersupply and more demand in the evening and morning.
That's the thing with solar panels. The supply of power does not match the demand, nearly all of the time. Now batteries may make a difference. But if you factor in the costs of those, and the fact that power companies may not always compensate your generated power. Then it may not be very profitable at all.
I'm in florida also and considering solar. The biggest issue I have the cost between companies. I had one company 4$ per KWh down to 3.50$ KWh. But yet Tesla is 1.50$ KWh.. this needs to be simpler
A few things..
My system is about 10 years old, I live in Virginia, so less sun than Southern Latitudes (like Fla). At the time, high output panels where about 175 watts each and I have 38 panels. During design, I didn't do any math based on what my house uses in electricity, I just wanted as many panels as we could put up given our roof size, exposure, tree cover etc. and that turned out to be 38.
Our system has full internet access with solar generation numbers and panel analysis etc..but also INCLUDES live house power usage. If I only had panel output numbers, that would be ok, but having house power usage is critical to figuring things out and improve power usage. Our $$ savings over the years have mostly surrounded the knowledge of electricity usage on top of solar generation. We are able to get charts/graphs/reports.. It is not really hard to make this happen..Takes a black box with some sensors in the electric panels and an internet connection. The portal is via Locus Energy.
Our house has many outdoor lights, (2) hot water heaters (electric), (3) HVAC systems, (3) pool pumps. House is 4500 sq feet above ground.
Before putting up solar panels our electrical bills were a bit less than $4K/year.
Having said this, I have had many conversations with people where I start with "Sure, nice to have the system, but ultimately the math doesn't work in a self sustaining way". Here is why I say that. The math for Modern Dad is different than my math, but I think the math is still less attractive than most think. Important, the way I think about this is.. Can it work without massive (and I mean massive) government intervention? The answer to that currently is a huge NO. Anybody who puts up panels (or wind generators and electric cars) and thinks about the math will always consider the government intervention, and rarely will they put it in the context the system will be obsolete in 20 years and need to be replaced (car batteries less time), so 20 year math is important. Modern Dad thinks his roof will need replacing before that so he will have an interesting concept to think about at that time. I try and think in terms of what if there was NO government intervention, then what. How does green stuff work without it (Panels/Wind/Prius/Tesla etc. not to mention all those panels and batteries heading for the graveyard and all the grid juice needed to charge batteries etc)?
When you go solar, there is a booklet/table you can go that will tell you (almost exactly) how much electricity a system of a particular size will generate on an annual basis. It is based on system size, angle to horizon, latitude, exposure (including a statement of surrounding trees) etc. This number in Kilowatt Hours (actually Megawatts) ALMOST tells the whole mathematical story. As Modern Dad stated, the expected life of the panels (at 90%) is about 20 years. I am fairly sure it is a bit less but let's assume that. My system is stated by the book to generate on average 8.1 Megawatt Hours/year (or 8100 Kilowatt Hours/year). Our power company charges a bit more than 10 cents per Kilowatt hour. If my system does in fact generate 8100 KWH per year, that translates to about $810/year "worth" of electricity. Makes no difference if I use it or send it back to the grid, $810/year is $810 no matter where it goes.
Next computation is $810 times 20 years. That number is $16,200. So, no matter how you look at it, you can't "break even" unless the system cost $16,200 (all in) when installed, which of course they don't. Remember, even if we broke even, the next system goes in after 20 years (or less) not to mention a roof replacement, panel replacement, inverter exchange etc. If the system does really cost $16,200, then you are actually getting FREE electricity AFTER system is paid for, (less connection fees etc.). My system cost $45K and it generates just $810/year ($16,200 by 20 years which doesn't come close to paying for it). Of course, I currently still pay on average about $200/month in electricity to the grid provider. I am saving another $800 by knowing how the house uses electricity, so in that respect I am saving about $1.6K/year even though the panels only generate about half that.
Now, the conversation becomes a bit more confusing when locations (latitudes) are generating more (or less) electricity, more/higher yielding panels etc. For me, my system cost $45K (price of panels and output have changed over the past 10 years). On top of the 30% Fed tax credit, we actually had a State Grant Program that pushed out close to 30% on top of that. Also, we have a thing called renewable energy credits (REC's for short) which have a value as well. For me, there was no way I was going into a $45K investment to HOPEFULLY break even (which was impossible without TONS of government intervention), or worse (as shown above will actually cost substantial money to say I can generate so called "free" electricity). Many systems actually cost much more than one would normally pay the power company.
I went forward because all in I was able to pay for the system in about 5 years (all in) but only after massive government intervention.
I think that when cost effective Geothermal in conjunction with better solar, like siding and roof shingles that are part of the house construction and hopefully lasts longer, we will we get close to actually going off grid for reasonable cost and hopefully without massive government intervention (guess who pays for that intervention). Maybe a mini nuclear box in our basement will do it.
Sorry for being so long..
Hey, I’m from the Pensacola area as well. Was wondering if your opinion has changed any? I’m in the process of building and was debating between Gulf Power, Pensacola Energy or going the Solar route.
Appreciate your videos! Your tweet a few months back made us take the plunge. Things work a little different here in Las Cruces, NM.
1. Excess energy generated goes back to the electric company. However they pay pennies for KW. Can't remember the exact figure but we pay .18/kw and they give us .6/kw. Still worth it.
2. None of our companies mentioned anything about making the home more efficient.
3. Our box isn't nearly as pretty as yours 🤣
4. I am now 2.5 months in and the city is just now coming to inspect this week.
Once again, really appreciate your help months ago and the tips you offered.
I also went solar in September. 35 panels. Now I'm looking at my app everyday hoping I can make around 40kwh. My system came out at 35k. Thanks for sharing.
Heh. ... Yeah, I've finally stopped looking every few hours.
What was the cost without the foam spraying? TIA
The question I have is this, if you do receive damage from a hurricane or a hail storm, is it covered under the solar panels warranty, or do you have to put that on your homeowners insurance?
And, how durable are they if you do suffer a hail storm?
I Ilive in Florida too. I think there is a law that prevents you from being “off grid.” Even if you buy enough battery you still must maintain a physical connection to the grid. Thanks FPL and Duke for that!
Pretty sure you have the tax credit wrong.
They give you 30% of the cost as a tax credit which means if you paid 30k they'll take 10k off your taxable income it's not a rebate they just reduce your taxable income.
Sure its not a rebate... but if you have enough tax liability it will turn into a check back in your tax return. For example lets say your a W2 employee and when you do your taxes you found out you owed the govt 20k and you paid them 25k. Your tax return would then be 5k. If you had a 10k tax credit what you owed the government reduces to 10k therefore in that same scenario you would get back 15k instead.
Awesome! Thanks for the explanation and your openness on costs! And congrats on your successful conversion to solar!
Thanks!
Thanks for the video. Always been curious about solar and love the way you construct your videos. Will most likely be doing this to our fifth wheel when we move to a minimalist retirement.
Thanks!
stacey eaton Hey! 👋🏽😊Im from Vision Solar ☀️
If you would like to consider going to solar again,
Please contact with me! I can guarantee 💯 satisfaction with our unbeatable prices 💰
How are you liking the setup now that you have had it awhile? I just got mine done from sunfarm- still waiting on gulf power to let me flip the switch. Also have foam-seal here today suckin our insulation.
Nice to see! Would love to hear small updates after a year or longer. What's the maintenance been like has there been any issues. I live in Florida as well and will look into this in the next house I purchase. Thanks for the insight.
Rain takes care of it for the most part. ... Only time I really had to clean things was what you see in the video - pollen was really bad, and it hadn't rained in weeks. Florida, right?
I almost went solar last year, but I guess the amount of the loan scared us, plus some of the solar companies seemed shady and that didn't make me feel good
David Smith hey! Im from Vision Solar ☀️
If you would like to consider going to solar again,
Please contact with me! I can guarantee 💯 satisfaction with our unbeatable prices 💰
We got solar last year and it has been nothing but a headache. We still have a power bill it really hasn't dropped the power bill. The inverter has broken multiple times. Just blargh.
Well that's no good!
Since you said "the inverter has broken", that implies you might be running panels into one inverter, I would say that is your largest issue. Any cloud on one panel and the whole system degrades. Today's systems are done with individual microinverters. so any panel that degrades from a cloud, doesn't take down the whole system. Modern Dad put in micro inverters.
Hans Roland depends on what the installer uses, but yeah.
@@hansroland6420 this is literally not true what so ever. Even central inverters these days have power optimizers to avoid this. Panels also come with bypass diodes these days if a panel stops working the rest of the circuit continues to function.
What is the estimated lifespan of the system? Longer than the loan term hopefully?
Depends on how you structure the loan, but yeah. Expecting 90%+ efficiency for 20 years or so.
@@Moderndad Do I see an iPhone at 7:22 lol? Switched to the dark side Phil? lol :) Happy Thanksgiving!
Respect...
Dude get some batteries
Just finished installing 9.25 KW on my home for $.77/watt after tax credit. Solar companies are charging $3.50-4.00 a watt. This is a ripoff. DIY paying cash is the way to make solar installations profitable for the consumer. My system will pay itself off in 5.5 years while also generating a 17% annual return on my initial $10000 invested. Most professional installations will be lucky to turn a profit within the equipment life cycle due to profit margins being absorbed on the front end by installers and finance companies.
Ok modern boomer