Going Solar?

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Anyone gone solar already in upstate NY? I'm looking into it now while I've got my house torn apart, before I start moving my stuff back in from storage. Finding out Monday if I can afford it, but it sounds very promising! Would love to tell NYSEG to go pound salt...

 

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Mods, is this ok here or should it be in Off Topic? Wasn't really sure...

 

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OK, belongs here in Off Topic. Anyone? I did look for previous threads, nothing active at all recently...

 

[tombowlus]

I am in Ohio, but I am in the process of going solar. For my scenario (fairly high usage, fairly high rates), it's a no-brainer. It should pay for itself in just over six years, and it comes with a 25-year production warranty. Ohio is a net metering state (meaning you pay for electricity at the same rate that the utility pays you when you overproduce). The goal isn't to be "off the grid," but rather just to dramatically reduce your overall net paid usage.

 

[bholder]

I am in Ohio, but I am in the process of going solar. For my scenario (fairly high usage, fairly high rates), it's a no-brainer. It should pay for itself in just over six years, and it comes with a 25-year production warranty. Ohio is a net metering state (meaning you pay for electricity at the same rate that the utility pays you when you overproduce). The goal isn't to be "off the grid," but rather just to dramatically reduce your overall net paid usage.

Exactly. If you're not on the grid, you can't sell off your excess! And I hope to have excess.

 

[T_Bone_TL]

Check the Applicable Local to YOU rules with care. In many areas you can only "get paid" for basically knocking your bill back to the monthly service charge (what you pay even if you use no power for being connected.) So if you produce 10,000 kWh and use 10,000kWh (typically over a year) you get to pay just the service charge. If you produce 9,000 and use 10,000, you get to pay the service charge and for 1,000. If you produce 11,000 and use 10,000, you...still...get to pay just the service charge, and NYSEG gets 1,000 kWh for free.


But what about those solar farms? They are operating under a different ruleset (and tariff) than you as a consumer/user/producer. In most areas. I think there are a few places where consumer producers can actually get paid, but they are the exception, not the rule.

Basically the grid makes for a mostly reliable (but not during storms) battery without the maintenance hassle of physical batteries when all the way off-grid. Two of my friends have Powerwalls and panels under a program where the utility leases them and has control so they can use them for peaking power - for the most recent 2-3 day outage, the utility saw the storm coming and drained their powerwalls just in time for the power to go out and leave them hosed...

 

[tombowlus]

Check the Applicable Local to YOU rules with care. In many areas you can only "get paid" for basically knocking your bill back to the monthly service charge (what you pay even if you use no power for being connected.) So if you produce 10,000 kWh and use 10,000kWh (typically over a year) you get to pay just the service charge. If you produce 9,000 and use 10,000, you get to pay the service charge and for 1,000. If you produce 11,000 and use 10,000, you...still...get to pay just the service charge, and NYSEG gets 1,000 kWh for free.


But what about those solar farms? They are operating under a different ruleset (and tariff) than you as a consumer/user/producer. In most areas. I think there are a few places where consumer producers can actually get paid, but they are the exception, not the rule.

Basically the grid makes for a mostly reliable (but not during storms) battery without the maintenance hassle of physical batteries when all the way off-grid. Two of my friends have Powerwalls and panels under a program where the utility leases them and has control so they can use them for peaking power - for the most recent 2-3 day outage, the utility saw the storm coming and drained their powerwalls just in time for the power to go out and leave them hosed...

Yep. I had hoped to overproduce (I have a large, flat roof, and great LIDAR report), until I realized that the residential production is statutorily hamstrung to prevent this. It still makes sense for me to go solar, even if I pay some (significantly smaller) fee to my utility provider.

 

[T_Bone_TL]

Yep. I had hoped to overproduce (I have a large, flat roof, and great LIDAR report), until I realized that the residential production is statutorily hamstrung to prevent this. It still makes sense for me to go solar, even if I pay some (significantly smaller) fee to my utility provider.

You could possibly (I don't get into this stuff much, so how much is real money .vs. how much is male-bovine-food-byproduct, I don't know) do something like make more power to run your suite of crypto-mining rigs that you run enough to bring your net use to zero, and get paid for what they produce. Or run your home aluminum smelter, or some other way of using more power to do more things, the result of which you could get paid for.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

Just now waiting for the utility company to flip the switch. Took a year to get here, ended up writing my congresscritter about how despite all the claims, the utility company has the last word. Had to cough up a few thousand bucks for infrastructure that should have been their expense, but there was no way to move the project forward without doing it. When the installers connected it to the grid to test it, they said we had plenty of power to run everything in the house, and were already trickling power back into the grid. If things keep going as they're going, we'll reach breakeven in six or seven years. Very happy!

 

[tombowlus]

You could possibly (I don't get into this stuff much, so how much is real money .vs. how much is male-bovine-food-byproduct, I don't know) do something like make more power to run your suite of crypto-mining rigs that you run enough to bring your net use to zero, and get paid for what they produce. Or run your home aluminum smelter, or some other way of using more power to do more things, the result of which you could get paid for.

Or - hear me out! - power up all of my bass amps!

 

[mapleglo]

We have solar, but we live just outside of Phoenix, AZ.

Not enough panels to cover the entire electric bill, but enough to help mitigate the summer A/C bills.

 

[bholder]

Just signed a contract for 8.5 kWh on my roof! Asked them to max it out, as their competitor (who was pricier) thought they could fit almost 9.5 kWh up there - I need all the help I can get!

So take THAT, NYSEG!!! hehe Net ongoing electric bill after both heat pumps and solar ought to be maybe 1/4 of what it is now.

Still trying to minimize costs during retirement, while I still have some coming in. Used that argument to justify starting to burn my 401K a little early...

 

[bassdude51]

Do lots of research! Nothing is cracked up to what it is supposed to be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[bholder]

Do lots of research! Nothing is cracked up to what it is supposed to be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Already did lots of research, thanks. This is the real stuff.

 

[CallMeAl]

Just signed a contract for 8.5 kWh on my roof! Asked them to max it out, as their competitor (who was pricier) thought they could fit almost 9.5 kWh up there - I need all the help I can get!

So take THAT, NYSEG!!! hehe Net ongoing electric bill after both heat pumps and solar ought to be maybe 1/4 of what it is now.

Still trying to minimize costs during retirement, while I still have some coming in. Used that argument to justify starting to burn my 401K a little early...

Mind sharing who you went with? I’m in NY and looking. I filled out a few “more info” sheets but all the call backs sounded a little scammy.

 

[bholder]

Mind sharing who you went with? I’m in NY and looking. I filled out a few “more info” sheets but all the call backs sounded a little scammy.

Not at all - the company is local, My Solar Grid in Endicott NY, the panels are Solar 4 America, a US-made brand. Did a little history checking, Solar 4 Amerirca's parent company went bankrupt during Covid, but the company itself got bought out and separated into what it is now. Apparently a decent rep. I also got an estimate from Solar Liberty, using SunPower panels - their price per kWh capacity installed was about $0.25 higher. I went with the more local company and the lower price.

 

[CallMeAl]

Not at all - the company is local, My Solar Grid in Endicott NY, the panels are Solar 4 America, a US-made brand. Did a little history checking, Solar 4 Amerirca's parent company went bankrupt during Covid, but the company itself got bought out and separated into what it is now. Apparently a decent rep. I also got an estimate from Solar Liberty, using SunPower panels - their price per kWh capacity installed was about $0.25 higher. I went with the more local company and the lower price.

Thanks! I’m in ithaca so they might even come to me. Or know a company here. I’ll definitely give them a call!

 

[bholder]

Thanks! I’m in ithaca so they might even come to me. Or know a company here. I’ll definitely give them a call!

Yes, they definitely do business in Ithaca - the appointment before my tech visit next Tuesday is in Ithaca.

 

[Ostie]

I haven’t seen a solar panel yet that improved the appearance of a house. I get that thats not their purpose, but I don’t want to look at those things. I guess that’s why my HOA prohibits them.

 

[mapleglo]

I haven’t seen a solar panel yet that improved the appearance of a house. I get that thats not their purpose, but I don’t want to look at those things. I guess that’s why my HOA prohibits them.

That may be, but I sure like the look of my electric bills. Even with the A/C going this month, I think we are paying $2 a day, the rest is covered by the panels.