PV Gap

Alma Said:

Solar Paneling - How good is it? Worth the set up costs?

We Answered:

It depends a lot on where you live for two reasons - how much sun you get, and the financials - price of electricity and possible incentives.

I'd suggest solar hot water first - cheaper to put in, quicker payback.

We put up solar electric in 2006. It's not a big moneymaker in our location, and also, I unfortunately oversized our system. Still, it's comparable to the electric company, maybe a slight savings over time. Pretty much no maintenance, no problems.

What you can do is get a local solar installer to quote you on a system, then compare that to your possible electric bills over the life of the system. It will likely last 20-25 years - that's the standard warranty on panels.