solar power, anyone?

[fmoore200]

So I'm thinking about installing solar panels on my house. Does anyone have experience with solar power, and if so, can you share the positives and negatives?

Do you really save a lot of money?

How long did it take to recoup your initial investment (I.e. in the saving of money - most places I have read say about 10 years)?

Would you do it again?

Does it power the entire house?

Any power failures?

Anything else you care to share will be welcome too

Happy new year!

[colcifer]

Wait a few years and get solar paint!

[MJ5150]

It depends on where you live. When we lived in Washington State, the return for us would have been 20+ years and it wasn't possible for us to be completely off the local electric company year round. But we would be able to sell some back during the summer.

We'll look into solar here if we decide to build a house in a couple years.

-Mike

[Martin89]

It's more about where you live and your roof layout. My dad's house has a flat roof and is in AZ, recoup about 5-7 years. He also made the move because here the electric company has to pays for much of the panels and installation work; Make electric company put money where mouth is basically.

[fmoore200]

Well the house is in Puerto Rico, so I don't think amount of sun will be an issue. They have kiosks in the malls where they sell solar panels, so I figured I'd ask if anybody has had experience...