Need Advice on Going Solar

[AmyPJ]

Anyone have it? Feedback? Now that we are in a home we should be able to stay in for a pretty long time, we think it might be worth the investment. We were contacted by Blue Raven Solar who came by and gave us their speil, and I have to say, I was pretty impressed and love the thought of the money we spend on power instead going toward essentially an investment for us. But I'd love to hear some pros and cons.

One big con for us is that the south-facing aspect of our house is the front.

 

[SBrown]

Our south-facing roof:

So yeah, I think we'll be going that way, too. What I want to do, for aesthetics, is a metal roof with the flat solar laminated stuff.

So probably won't do this until we need a new roof, and hopefully the laminates (or some other technology) will have improved by then. (I guess they only produce about half as much as standard solar panels. But ... we got a whole lotta roof there...)

 

[AmyPJ]

I wish we could go with some panels like that. HOA prohibits metal roofs. If you wait, you'll miss the fed tax benefit (which is HUGE) which is set to expire at the end of 2016.

 

[SBrown]

I wish we could go with some panels like that. HOA prohibits metal roofs. If you wait, you'll miss the fed tax benefit (which is HUGE) which is set to expire at the end of 2016.

Well, yeah, but hopefully it will be extended. In any case, rushing to replace a roof that doesn't need it yet, well, that doesn't seem environmentally friendly, either.

 

[AmyPJ]

I do hope they'll extend the benefit. Rocky Mountain Power was trying to push a bill through allowing them to charge solar customers more...surprisingly, it didn't pass (surprised, since this is Utah.)

 

[kimmyt]

We have... 30? Panels on top of our house. Standard panels, I guess they were installed about 6 years ago before we bought the place and lucky for us the previous owners paid off the lease in full so now we just get to reap the benefits. We pay nothing for electricity, well ok we pay like $9 a month service charge to the power company or something. At the end of the year the power company actually ends up paying us $50 back because we use less energy than we collect, so we still spend some money each year, but it's not bad at all. We run most of our stuff off electricity, rechargeable electric lawn devices (mower, edger, trimmer), electric range etc.

As I said, we have the standard panels on the front of our roof as we are also southwest facing. I don't honestly mind the way they look, our roof line is not super prominent/peaked and the panels are fairly flush to the roof, they are maybe raised 3-4" off the roof. One thing to consider is if you have trees that may reduce the sunlight you will receive. We don't have anything in our front yard, but if we were to landscape we would have to make sure anything we planted wouldn't get as tall as the house.

@SBrown you had me scratching my head there with the picture of your south facing roof until I realized that was probably your new place huh

 

[AmyPJ]

We have... 30? Panels on top of our house. Standard panels, I guess they were installed about 6 years ago before we bought the place and lucky for us the previous owners paid off the lease in full so now we just get to reap the benefits. We pay nothing for electricity, well ok we pay like $9 a month service charge to the power company or something. At the end of the year the power company actually ends up paying us $50 back because we use less energy than we collect, so we still spend some money each year, but it's not bad at all. We run most of our stuff off electricity, rechargeable electric lawn devices (mower, edger, trimmer), electric range etc.

As I said, we have the standard panels on the front of our roof as we are also southwest facing. I don't honestly mind the way they look, our roof line is not super prominent/peaked and the panels are fairly flush to the roof, they are maybe raised 3-4" off the roof. One thing to consider is if you have trees that may reduce the sunlight you will receive. We don't have anything in our front yard, but if we were to landscape we would have to make sure anything we planted wouldn't get as tall as the house.

@SBrown you had me scratching my head there with the picture of your south facing roof until I realized that was probably your new place huh

Any maintenance issues yet? How is your roof holding up BENEATH the panels? We have zero trees except a couple of tiny pear trees that are on the park strip in front so shouldn't shade that high on the house ever.

This is a side-front view of our house. I just don't know how the panels, which will be going every which way up there, will look:

 

[crgildart]

I'd be scared to put panels over shingles. I'd be afraid that moisture would be trapped between the panels and shingles causing them to rot quicker leading to more frequent and more costly roofing jobs. I asked a friend that just added panels about that, he said they are supposed to come remove and replace the panels every time the roof materials need replacing for free, but still doesn't answer the question about space between the panels and shingles being wet for longer periods than if not covered.

 

[AmyPJ]

I'd be scared to put panels over shingles. I'd be afraid that moisture would be trapped between the panels and shingles causing them to rot quicker leading to more frequent and more costly roofing jobs. I asked a friend that just added panels about that, he said they are supposed to come remove and replace the panels every time the roof materials need replacing for free, but still doesn't answer the question about space between the panels and shingles being wet for longer periods than if not covered.

Yes, it seems a big unknown. Of course, the solar guy says it PRESERVES the shingles because it blocks the sun from hitting them. I can see both trains of thought...My other concern is snow building up on them. We get a LOT of snow up here that tends to stay for several weeks.

 

[crgildart]

I'm leaning towards metal for our next roof replacement.. still a ways off hopefully, but no HOA here than God! Wonder about lightning, satellite dish reception, and noise during heavy rain or hail but if it lasts a lot longer and only costs a little more, why the hell not go with metal?

 

[BullofTheWoods]

Anyone have it? Feedback? Now that we are in a home we should be able to stay in for a pretty long time, we think it might be worth the investment. We were contacted by Blue Raven Solar who came by and gave us their speil, and I have to say, I was pretty impressed and love the thought of the money we spend on power instead going toward essentially an investment for us. But I'd love to hear some pros and cons.

One big con for us is that the south-facing aspect of our house is the front.

Joined just to reply. Just do it, well actually it depends somewhat upon what the deal from your power company is. I installed 1800 watts about seven years ago. I'm about 2-3 years from payoff and zero problems so far. Seems very reliable but I can't say more than my own experience. At the time I purchased, I got 30% from the fed, and 10% from New Mexico. Prices were much higher back then, but so was the utility REC credit. I'm getting 13 cents per KWH REC plus the meter spins backwards. I have a 12 year contract with 5 years remaining. After that I think the deal less lucrative. So far I've found myself at near break even on my power bill. Sometimes I get a small rebate check back. Next year, PNM will have a 14% price increase which makes my investment look even better. I had the bucks to do this at the time, and the investment seems at least as good if not better than any of my other investments.
Without a doubt, the panels do shade the roof keeping my garage nice and cool in the summer. The 5/12 roof pitch is slightly biased towards summer production.

 

[kimmyt]

Any maintenance issues yet? How is your roof holding up BENEATH the panels?

Our roof is holding up just fine, as far as I can tell anyway. As I mentioned, the panels are raised. I live in CO, so we tend towards a dryer climate, and I feel that there is plenty of air circulation under the panels (there is a mesh lining on the edges to prevent leaves from getting up under there and squirrels from chewing and such. I mean, in my house I can hang a soaking wet piece of wool clothing in my laundry room, without any airflow, and it dries in about 2 hours without any mildew effects. So Im not super concerned about the roof under my exterior solar panels that have ventilation under them, you know? We had been meaning to get the panels inspected to make sure they are are running efficiently but havne't gotten around to it yet this year, maybe this summer.

I just don't know how the panels, which will be going every which way up there, will look

I dunno, I'm a pretty aesthetically minded person, and I don't really ever mind the look of solar panels. They're everywhere out here, kind of a status symbol if you will in my little fancypants town. Are you considering putting them on all the angles of your roof? Maybe you could get someone to do a quick photoshop of a picture of your place to help you visualize where you want them and how it would look?

Yes, it seems a big unknown. Of course, the solar guy says it PRESERVES the shingles because it blocks the sun from hitting them. I can see both trains of thought...My other concern is snow building up on them. We get a LOT of snow up here that tends to stay for several weeks.

Snow buildup is one thing to be concerned about. If your house is south facing then the snow will melt off within a few days unless its exceptionally snowy and cloudy. If your panesl come down to the bottom edge of your roofline, and you have any shrubs in the 'slide zone' you need to be aware that the solar panels WILL avalanche after a big dump. It's actually quite impressive, in fact, the sound of being under a slide and watching it come down in front of your windows. You obviously will want to consider panel placement around things like doors, valuable and delicate trees that are close to the house etc. If you were to just put some panels up on the top line of the roof and not have them come all the way down, I'm not sure if the snow would slide all the way off onto the ground.

 

[kimmyt]

A picture of our house with a view of the panels. The collection box with a reading of how much energy we are getting is on the back side of the house by the patio.

 

[AmyPJ]

Thanks, Kimmy! That is all good feedback. We are also in quite a dry climate here in UT. And I guess the snow would melt off pretty quickly since our driveway melts off in a hurry, too.

Part of the aesthetics issue is our front and roofline is such a huge part of the charm and architecture of our house. I just really need to think whether or not I want to mess it up! I've asked about putting them on the hill in our back yard, but I guess the cost of putting them there is a lot more. I'll have to ask more about that.

@BullofTheWoods, thanks for the reply, too!

 

[BullofTheWoods]

Thanks, Kimmy! That is all good feedback. We are also in quite a dry climate here in UT. And I guess the snow would melt off pretty quickly since our driveway melts off in a hurry, too.

Part of the aesthetics issue is our front and roofline is such a huge part of the charm and architecture of our house. I just really need to think whether or not I want to mess it up! I've asked about putting them on the hill in our back yard, but I guess the cost of putting them there is a lot more. I'll have to ask more about that.

@BullofTheWoods, thanks for the reply, too!

Your roof line looks as though you could get quite a few panels near the top edge. Not sure how many you want, but when I installed, the fabulous REC credit was only available for a limited wattage total (something like 5000 watts or ~24 panels).
Pole mounted solar should be less expensive. It is also much simpler to adjust the angle for maximum solar insolation. For winter steep angle, for summer upward facing.

 

[AmyPJ]

Yep, we haven't gotten the exact layout map for the roof yet, but we do know it'll require 22 panels.

I really do like the idea of paying ourselves vs. Warren Buffett. I also like the idea of putting my money where my mouth is as far as the environment goes. Somebody's got to start that train of thought here in UT...

 

[cantunamunch]

I'm leaning towards metal for our next roof replacement.. still a ways off hopefully, but no HOA here than God! Wonder about lightning, satellite dish reception, and noise during heavy rain or hail but if it lasts a lot longer and only costs a little more, why the hell not go with metal?

Funny you mention storms. Do you remember the derecho we had back 2012ish? That storm is exactly why I hate current solar panel installation methods.

And not just for the ones that came off (which was primarily the western-tilted ones, because they weren't parallel to the respective roofs), but also the ones rendered absolutely completely useless to the owners during the following power outage. Because of course there was only one inverter per installation and it had an anti-islanding circuit. So yeah, the overwhelming majority of solar cell installations just sat there baking while the owners rented gas generators to run their sump pumps.

Anyway, satellite is *less* likely to be affected by a metal roof than OTA antenna reception, because satellite is on a far shorter wavelength that doesn't diffract around large-sized metal objects, and because the directional sensitivity of satellite antennas allows you to block most spurious reflections.

Oh and the noise is dependent on the backing, no?

 

[Xela]

How much time do you spend looking at your own roof? How much do you want to look good for the neighbors? I agree your roof line isn't "made for solar".

 

[AmyPJ]

How much time do you spend looking at your own roof? How much do you want to look good for the neighbors? I agree your roof line isn't "made for solar".

What you can't see is the 3rd bay of the garage which has a lot of space for more panels, both south and west facing. We're hoping they can put the majority of them on that section.

 

[x10003q]

The panels should be installed according to architectural standards designed to work with your particular roof and location. I would not worry about the roof.

Make sure you know all the details - here in NJ you are only paid the wholesale rate for any excess electricity. The size of the array in NJ is limited to your previous pattern of electrical usage with some room for error. Do not lease a system.

We looked at solar a few years ago, but there were a few reasons why we passed. The payback was too long as we do not use much electricity. We also have a line of six 50 foot cedar trees on the western line of our property that shades our roof in the afternoon (depending on the season). Our house is an 1935 Sears house with a steep roof and the front of the house faces south. We really did not want the panels on the front of the house.