The panels were the least expensive part tbh. My area is sunny much of the year but we have had several power outages in winter and what I was originally seeking was redundancy, so I overspec’d the battery (the largest cost.) I also got a larger inverter than I strictly needed. So, if my goal was purely economic I could have reduced the spend by more than half. But for transparency 16kw of solar panels + 20kw inverter + 60kwh of batteries+ labor ran about €30k. This buys me assurance of being able to withstand significant outages to the grid any time of year. Since early June when the installation completed we’ve been totally off-grid. Ironically it has made me way more stingy with limiting my energy waste having a more detailed awareness of the impact various activities and appliances use. Ive got things automated so that it charges the car only during peaks when we have abundant excess production.
My advice would be to find a way to track your power usage. If you can monitor and graph it then you’ll notice things like running the dishwasher takes close to 1kw. The more you know about your use the better you can determine how much solar you need to offset it, and also (the expensive part)'how much battery storage matters for you (for example overnight load.)
Not the OP, but I can share my experience after having solar for about four years.
I have a 33-panel system that cost around $28k after tax credits and rebates. I financed it for 12 years at 4%.
Before solar, my electric bill was around $260/month, and my solar loan payment ended up being about the same. The difference is that electricity rates have gone up over the last four years while my loan payment has stayed the same. During that time, I haven’t paid for electricity consumed, but I do still pay monthly grid fees and service charges, which are around $6/month.
My utility doesn’t pay for excess generation, but they credit the electricity I put back onto the grid against my usage. I have an EV that is driven about 20 miles a day, plus normal household electricity (AC, range+oven, etc). Charging at home every night only added about $10/month to my electric bill.
So for me, solar has been a good investment. New installations won’t have the same tax incentives that I had, but depending financing and local utility generation policies, solar could still be break-even or better for some.
Filled my roof with solar panels this spring and now my car is effectively solar powered…
What was the cost of the panels, if you don’t mind me asking
The panels were the least expensive part tbh. My area is sunny much of the year but we have had several power outages in winter and what I was originally seeking was redundancy, so I overspec’d the battery (the largest cost.) I also got a larger inverter than I strictly needed. So, if my goal was purely economic I could have reduced the spend by more than half. But for transparency 16kw of solar panels + 20kw inverter + 60kwh of batteries+ labor ran about €30k. This buys me assurance of being able to withstand significant outages to the grid any time of year. Since early June when the installation completed we’ve been totally off-grid. Ironically it has made me way more stingy with limiting my energy waste having a more detailed awareness of the impact various activities and appliances use. Ive got things automated so that it charges the car only during peaks when we have abundant excess production.
My advice would be to find a way to track your power usage. If you can monitor and graph it then you’ll notice things like running the dishwasher takes close to 1kw. The more you know about your use the better you can determine how much solar you need to offset it, and also (the expensive part)'how much battery storage matters for you (for example overnight load.)
Not the OP, but I can share my experience after having solar for about four years.
I have a 33-panel system that cost around $28k after tax credits and rebates. I financed it for 12 years at 4%.
Before solar, my electric bill was around $260/month, and my solar loan payment ended up being about the same. The difference is that electricity rates have gone up over the last four years while my loan payment has stayed the same. During that time, I haven’t paid for electricity consumed, but I do still pay monthly grid fees and service charges, which are around $6/month.
My utility doesn’t pay for excess generation, but they credit the electricity I put back onto the grid against my usage. I have an EV that is driven about 20 miles a day, plus normal household electricity (AC, range+oven, etc). Charging at home every night only added about $10/month to my electric bill.
So for me, solar has been a good investment. New installations won’t have the same tax incentives that I had, but depending financing and local utility generation policies, solar could still be break-even or better for some.