I’m giving serious consideration to obtaining Solar Panels. I’m open to hearing discussions about points of consideration, regarding this potential effort. Leveraging the Sense product is baseline and your comments are greatly appreciated!
My Sense Monitor has identified my top energy consumers and I wish to have their consumption covered by solar. Here is an actual monthly kWh usage, for your consideration (Hyperlink).
We added solar in September of last year, PTO was given on 9/26. System is 11.7 kW, largest tier 1 for Duke Energy in. Florida. It should cover 90% or better of out usage. Payback is just under 7 years.
Sense identified our heavy users of power, HVAC (air conditioning), pool pump and Always On.
We replaced the single pool pump last March with a variable speed. Significant savings.
With the insight of Sense we tweaked our Ecobee t-stat to reduce the HVAC usage. The compressor is a two stage Trane and when we replace it we’ll go with a variable speed Trane using. Will also be adding additional insulation in the attic this winter.
Always On is an on going battle for me. I don’t trust the numbers Sense is showing. My Other usage is not being logged.
So far we are very pleased with our decision to go solar. The price was right, our production has been great, when the sun is actually out. And we wanted to do our part in helping the planet.
I just installed solar and Sense at the same time. I wish I had Sense installed prior as you do. You have a much better handle on your actual usage. I’m curious how you came up with the system specifications - did you do this yourself or did an installer provide it?
As for going solar, it’s pretty much a no brainer as long as you do your homework and find a reputable installer.
System specifications were derived by an online calculator. After digesting community comments, I’ll begin interviewing three Solar providers, determining the most appropriate for the effort. The actual specifications will be determined, based upon finalization of provider selection.
I have a variable speed Trane. Keep in mind if you go with Trane, you are locked into a specific thermostat because nothing is compatible with their “communicating system”. I really really hate this thermostat and wish I could switch to an Ecobee. I don’t know if other variable speed systems have this same limitation or not, but it’s something to be aware of because I was not before we purchased.
Yeah, I know Ecobee, Nest and others are no go with Trane variable speeds. Other manufactures are as well. My brother is a Trane dealer, so that kind of helps with my decision. No rush to replace, so maybe in the future this won’t be an issue.
Thanks for the feedback. Did you notice much reduction in power usage after your installation?
We replaced it the first summer after we bought the house. It was about 14 years old, 8 SEER unit that was sized to small so it ran practically 24/7 and didn’t even keep the house very cool during the Florida summer. The new unit is 18 SEER, variable, and can push more air.
I don’t have the data available since we didn’t own the house the previous summer, but I bet there was significant savings.
Note that the US federal tax credit changed for installation of solar starting January 1. It was 30% through the end of 2019, but it’s now 26% (and drops further next January 1). That changes the payback math a bit: that 4% difference would have been about a 6-month difference for my setup.
I don’t want to overlook any long-term considerations… Anyone with information regarding sub-panel configurations, periodic maintenance, roof/shingle replacement, etc…
Summary: Excellent feedback, thus far - thanks everyone!
@ken2 - Despite ongoing “Always On” & “Other” issues, finds a positive Solar experience
@keef71 - Emphasized importance of knowing actual usage, prior to Solar installation
@qrnef - Identified potential impact to Property Tax charges
Our homeowners insurance went you a little when we added the panels to our policy.
If Florida there is a liability insurance requirement: not required for Tier 1 (≤10 kW), $1 million for Tier 2 (>10 kW and ≤100 kW) and $2 million for Tier 3 (>100 kW and ≤2 MW)
Regarding Insurance, according to my MI Farm Bureau agent, ground mounted is covered via other structures coverage, and roof mounted by the house coverage. So you will have to increase one of those as appropriate. No additional solar rider required or offered. Also, some insurance companies will only rate other structures as a percentage of the main structure. Ran into this when trying to insure a large pole barn, and solar would be the same.
If you can shift your load to run during good solar hours, you might be able to bypass some of the net metering restrictions in your area with a product like what Legion Solar offers. I don’t know anything about them other than what’s on their website (https://legionsolar.com/), but it looks like it’s a good idea: have CTs around your mains so you know what consumption is and make sure the panels only produce that much (or, alternatively, store the extra in batteries). Has anyone had any experience with them?
Where do you live, approximately? We’re on the MA/NH border & snow raking is a winter sport I enjoy. Physical placement can aid this. A smooth continuous rectangle with the bottom edge placed so rain goes into the gutters is best. Move anything that interrupts ( plumbing stack). Just a few inches of asphalt shingles will make a snow berm that can cause days of lost production.
Inverter in garage.
Shadow tolerant panels needed?
Remove trees.
Electrify everything & future proof the specifications as much as possible. 1-2 car chargers? 12.2kW on 10K inverter for us.
Gas water heater & stove replaced with AO Smith Heat Pump & Induction.
As far as “long term considerations” go I would consider:
A substantial part of a solar install is the install itself … i.e. You could well double the size of generation without coming close to doubling the cost. Meaning, bigger is better.
For the above reason, the primary determining and limiting factor is likely your maximum usable roof or land area + financing.
Even in the short term it’s likely that batteries will become a significant factor in determining solar scale. They are already. e.g. $20K on solar-alone; $15K solar + $5K battery; $10K solar + $10K battery etc.
Solar-powered EV use is probably the best way of load-shifting solar to fully exploit generation and avoid sending energy excess to the grid. When you combine that with “PowerWall” decisions (also key to load-shifting), the calculus is quite complex but I think is less about what your Sense might tell you right now regarding your usage and more about what combining all of the above and Sense will get you.
Thank you everyone for your highly informative points, regarding Solar Panel ownership! I leveraged each of them, throughout a long 3-month deliberation period.
I’ve decided not to persue a Solar installation… This is mainly due to our existing low energy consumption patterns and imposed HOA restrictions!