Residential Solar - drawbacks, OMGs, thoughts? (1 Viewer)

[Tapxe]

If you're not 100% on solar, just saw this...

DOE Announces Intent to Release $13 Million to Support Community Geothermal Projects

To help reduce energy burden—the percentage of gross household income spent on energy costs—and fossil fuel dependence for American communities, DOE intends to issue the Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling Design and Deployment Funding Opportunity

www.energy.gov

 

[Tapxe]

Yeah the battery is an expensive option but its not required to operate a solar system. I haven't been tracking the price but I'm sure they have been going up in demand since the pandemic, supply chain issues and competition for batteries going to the EV car market.

Ford is marketing it's Lightning with a kit to supply from it back to a home in outage situations. Might be an option to consider.

 

[GeauxWhoDats]

If you are thinking about doing this and you live in a neighboorhood, CHECK WITH YOUR HOA before doing anything else.

 

[FL_Saint]

If you are thinking about doing this and you live in a neighboorhood, CHECK WITH YOUR HOA before doing anything else.

HOAs cannot say no to residents that want to get solar.

 

[SUGrad03]

Yeah our bylaws prohibit solar…. but I don’t think it has any teeth. Especially if the state is offering tax breaks. Our sales person said their legal team would handle it if we signed up.

 

[BooBirdSaint]

HOAs cannot say no to residents that want to get solar.

I think that really depends on the State in which you live. I know in Texas there was a bill which forced HOA's to allow for Solar and flag poles (of all things). Before that the HOA's in Texas had the authority to restrict or deny Solar cells. When I attempted to get my HOA to approve my first unit they refused because it was going to be on the front facing roofline (because that is the South side). So, I had to wait for two years for the bill to get approved before I could install and the HOA was powerless to stop it. And let me tell you they were not happy.
You can see from the photos my old house and new house. That 1st unit was right in the Nabors faces.

 

[FL_Saint]

I think that really depends on the State in which you live. I know in Texas there was a bill which forced HOA's to allow for Solar and flag poles (of all things). Before that the HOA's in Texas had the authority to restrict or deny Solar cells. When I attempted to get my HOA to approve my first unit they refused because it was going to be on the front facing roofline (because that is the South side). So, I had to wait for two years for the bill to get approved before I could install and the HOA was powerless to stop it. And let me tell you they were not happy.
You can see from the photos my old house and new house. That 1st unit was right in the Nabors faces.

Gotcha, you are right, I was being Florida-centric.

 

[bigdaddysaints]

I think that really depends on the State in which you live. I know in Texas there was a bill which forced HOA's to allow for Solar and flag poles (of all things). Before that the HOA's in Texas had the authority to restrict or deny Solar cells. When I attempted to get my HOA to approve my first unit they refused because it was going to be on the front facing roofline (because that is the South side). So, I had to wait for two years for the bill to get approved before I could install and the HOA was powerless to stop it. And let me tell you they were not happy.
You can see from the photos my old house and new house. That 1st unit was right in the Nabors faces.

I just don't understand why HOAa wouldn't allow solar. It is not like they are an eyesore or anything. I don't see how how it could affect property value. I am glad i don't have to deal with one, but my In Laws do, and its terrible. But i guess thats a conversation for another day..

 

[Rickboy]

I'm assuming the solar company has a good idea of the geometry of your roof, and not just your house footprint? Any complexity in the roof (eaves, dormers, chimneys, etc) can really take a chunk out of the system size. They need to have 3' of clearance around the edges of the panels on the roof, and when there are lots of edges on your roof, those clearances will really add up. I had what I thought was a great candidate for solar but the estimate came in at 2.8 kW, which would would barely cover my power on days I'm not using heat/AC.

This is the problem with my house. The south facing side has a lot of angles that greatly impacts how may PV panels I can install.

I’m going to look into these solar shingles. I’ll need to replace my shingles in the next 5 years anyways so this may make sense for me.

How the world’s largest roofing company rolled out solar shingles for your home

The solar shingles from GAF Energy—a winner of Fast Company’s 2022 World Changing Ideas Awards—can be nailed directly to a roof.

www.fastcompany.com

 

[Bleu Raeder]

We just purchased a house and it came with a whole home generator, which we have already found to be useful during a storm a couple of days ago.

I am just now starting my research on solar. I do not see it on any of the houses in the neighborhood (I've only done some limited driving around) but the HOA has no restrictions against it. It will be interesting to see how a solar company would do things because the house faces East.

The single largest problem I see in my initial research is finding a company that doesn't seem shady or seems to hide behind anonymous ads on Youtube and other social media. No one we know here has solar, so none of them has a recommendation we can contact.

 

[jrdbrn]

I work for one of the country's largest electrical construction companies and was told recently at a conference that the electrical grid won't be ready for the load of electrical cars until 2035 at it's current pace. It will be interesting what happens.

 

[FL_Saint]

. . .
The single largest problem I see in my initial research is finding a company that doesn't seem shady or seems to hide behind anonymous ads on Youtube and other social media. No one we know here has solar, so none of them has a recommendation we can contact.

That is/was my concern. I am in contact with one company through Costco, national company and some added incentives through Costco.

Second company that has done 5 or 6 installs in my neighborhood. I've talked to most of them and they have nothing but good to say about him. But, his company does not have a long history that I can find.

 

[Rickboy]

I work for one of the country's largest electrical construction companies and was told recently at a conference that the electrical grid won't be ready for the load of electrical cars until 2035 at it's current pace. It will be interesting what happens.

I totally agree with that. Even with the recent infrastructure bill, we're going to spend only a fraction of what will be needed. It's one reason I'm looking to do solar for my house. I figure it'll help when I buy an EV truck.

 

[GeauxWhoDats]

HOAs cannot say no to residents that want to get solar.

It doesn't mean they can't file to put a lien on your house for non-compliance to the "Similar or Like Construction" clause in the HOA By-Laws that every homeowner agrees too. I know someone that took them 5 years of court battles to get the lien removed so they could sell their house.

 

[FL_Saint]

It doesn't mean they can't file to put a lien on your house for non-compliance to the "Similar or Like Construction" clause in the HOA By-Laws that every homeowner agrees too. I know someone that took them 5 years of court battles to get the lien removed so they could sell their house.

I can't speak to every area and situation. Anyone with an HOA should do their own research. I am covered. Any other conversation regarding HOAs (yes, they suck) is a different topic that what this thread is about.