Submitted by ChromeVandium11 t3_11ddnum in Washington
I see ads all the time while on YouTube or just browsing the web about how Washington residents can go solar for no cost. Before I reach out to the companies in these ads, has anyone successfully gone solar in Washington and what are your experiences? Is it really no cost and does it save you money or are there hidden fees that you weren't expecting? If it helps, I live in Cowlitz County. Thanks for any tips or advice!
Good point. I'm reluctant to call or give them any info as I don't want to feel harassed by their sales team
There are solar lead generation companies where their sole purpose is to collect your information through those YouTube ads and sell over and over and over to solar companies
You make your money back over time in reduced electric costs and tax incentives. There is in fact, a very large cost. Not to discourage you from going solar, I would if I had the money.
The "paid to go solar" claim is likely a reference to the net metering programs with your utility. This means you need to get an array big enough to overproduce in the summer months. The utility then buys the overage from you at a set rate and then credits you back in the darker months to offset your bills.
I've looked into it a fair bit but haven't pulled the trigger yet.
So I had solar panels installed in March of last year. It has worked out well so far. The catch is that you only make interest-only payments for the first year. Then you have principal plus interest for the next 10. Not a bad deal. My installation cost around 25k. And you should have a North/South facing roof as the south side would be facing the sun for 90% of the day unless you have trees around your house. I ran AC most of the summer and was still able to get enough credit so that I had the minimum $8 charge from May thru December. My first bill after installing was around $45 whereas my usual electric bill was about $125. This was April last year. My highest bill so far after the installation was $48 in January.
What’s the warranty or expected lifetime of the system/solar panels? If you saved $120/mo on your electric bill, it looks like it will take a little over 17 years to break even on the installation costs.
I’m just curious because I talked to a solar company and they told me the break even point in Washington is around 10 years (based on their math, which is probably biased) because our weather isn’t great for generating solar power.
20-25 year warranty. Functional longer.
Who did you go with for installation?
Solgen their HQ is in the Tri Cities
I would check with your local utility company if you are really interested. They will know all the rules and costs and probably know the right installers.
This is a great idea that I never considered. Thank you!
These folks seem quite aggressive on YT. Any idea how much it costs them per ad?
I put up a cheap panel/controller/battery as a test system. I confirmed that, in my location, I just don't get enough hours per day of sun to be cost-effective.
You're almost certainly not going to produce enough power most of the year to make an off-grid system with batteries cost effective. The claims in the commercials are about net metering, which can work if you size it correctly.
In my case, even net metering was a no-go (shading issues), also it seems like the net metering rates are plummeting (in CA, OR, and ?).
Yeah, California recently slashed the rate quite a bit. I hadn't heard about Oregon. I believe I read something recently about 2023 being a year to watch for WA net metering policy but can't recall where I found that. Would be great if someone could add to this.
I see the ads all the time, so I know it's not cheap. That's my reluctance on reaching out as I know there are costs somewhere that will be paid by someone.
My reaction with anything like this is that whatever the cost is to buy all that ad space is going to come out of your pocket if you choose them. Also, don't EVER let ads dictate your shopping experience. Do your own research, compare features and prices, and decide for yourself who provides the best product and services.
Keep in mind that solar panels only have a life span of 20 years. Then you have to replace them.
This is untrue. Solar panels don't have to be replaced after 20 years. If you buy a quality panel, (like SilFab, which are made in Bellingham) it will come with a warranty guaranteeing the the conversion efficiency after 30 years will still be at 97% of what it was when new. The typical conversion efficiency for a new panel is 21-22% these days. So, after 30 years, your panels will still be cranking out plenty of power. In fact, they'll still be cranking out plenty of power after 40 years.
Well alrightie then...I stand to be corrected.
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Classic_Living6204 t1_ja81m86 wrote
This is not the answer and I didn’t do any research, but I would never trust so aggressive commercials. Just think that the running the ads is not free or even cheap, so the company must have a way to cover those expenses by money they earn on the installing the solar panels. So who does actual pay for this? You or “government “???