We have been working on the curb appeal of our home for just about a year now! Last year we painted the house - and boy is it a fun color - added new windows, new roof, put on a large patio cover on our deck. The only thing we had left was solar panels. We found out, from our contractor/builder, that if we put solar panels on our home the same year as we put a new roof on, we could get an approximate 25% tax write off on the roof. We are purchasing our panels {versus leasing them} and will have a return on investment {ROI} in six years or less.
We also can get a LARGE city rebate for the solar panels as well. Combined, we would only pay about half of the cost of the solar panels by doing these two things. So, we took the plunge and headed into solar. It wasn't as fast as we'd expected, though. The city held us up a bit. We found out they have limited $$$ for rebates and had a lottery system for all applicants who wanted rebates. By the grace of God, we won the lottery and were chosen to receive a large rebate. But, we had to wait several months just for the lottery drawing. Then, our contractor had to do all kinds of steps...well, it's finally done!
I asked my contractor just how solar panels work and generate power. He did a GREAT job describing it to me, so I totally understood. However, I can not do it justice to explain it to you. So, here is a graphic, above, that can help you understand how it works.
We have 32 solar panels on our house. There are 27 on the back of our house, overlooking our deck.
There are another 5 solar panels on the driveway over our kitchen. It's somewhat visible from the street but not on the front of the house. Technically, our system could handle much more than the 32 we have, but the city will only allow this many.
Here are the inverters that convert the energy. We have three of these on the roof, too. I know, I know - you are super excited about all this.
It comes down to the solar panel that is beside our regular electrical panel.
How much will it save us? We're hoping a lot - they say at least 80% off our bill. And, let me tell you, our summer bills are now laughing matter! Have you ever thought about going with solar panels?
We also can get a LARGE city rebate for the solar panels as well. Combined, we would only pay about half of the cost of the solar panels by doing these two things. So, we took the plunge and headed into solar. It wasn't as fast as we'd expected, though. The city held us up a bit. We found out they have limited $$$ for rebates and had a lottery system for all applicants who wanted rebates. By the grace of God, we won the lottery and were chosen to receive a large rebate. But, we had to wait several months just for the lottery drawing. Then, our contractor had to do all kinds of steps...well, it's finally done!
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| Source: Modern Solar |
I asked my contractor just how solar panels work and generate power. He did a GREAT job describing it to me, so I totally understood. However, I can not do it justice to explain it to you. So, here is a graphic, above, that can help you understand how it works.
We have 32 solar panels on our house. There are 27 on the back of our house, overlooking our deck.
There are another 5 solar panels on the driveway over our kitchen. It's somewhat visible from the street but not on the front of the house. Technically, our system could handle much more than the 32 we have, but the city will only allow this many.
Here are the inverters that convert the energy. We have three of these on the roof, too. I know, I know - you are super excited about all this.
It comes down to the solar panel that is beside our regular electrical panel.
How much will it save us? We're hoping a lot - they say at least 80% off our bill. And, let me tell you, our summer bills are now laughing matter! Have you ever thought about going with solar panels?
http://organizingmadefun.blogspot.com/2012/12/new-years-organizing-revolution.html
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