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Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

mattbruenig.com

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Re: Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

#51

Post by scarby2 »

jjeaff wrote: post #26
jackmott42 wrote: post #17

My parents had panels installed on their house, it is a large single story house in Austin, Texas, which is pretty ideal (more surface area for panels, less volume inside vs two story). No trees in the way either. They haven't had to pay anything for electricity yet. And that is with an EV charging in the garage. We have panels on our roof, a two story house, also in Austin Texas, not so lucky as my parents. With the…

It sounds like they have a good net energy metering plan that is crediting them for their solar being put back to the grid. (So they don't have to pay for charging the electric car in the evening when solar stops working) I wonder if Texas is working to walk that back like California is right now.

almost certainly. Net metering is ultimately unsustainable. Realistically we should be paying homeowners wholesale electricity rates + an amount to cover transmission savings + whatever incentive we decide on for the energy they produce (along with time of use based consumption charges).

This would likely incentivize storage, and could be extremely valuable with V2G technologies that are incoming.

Re: Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

#52

Post by asdff »

perfectstorm wrote: post #25
bushbaba wrote: post #13

I paid ~15k to install solar in 2019. After tax rebates it was ~11k. I’m generating ~12MWh per year. My break even period is less than 5 years. I’m based out of California, and generate excess energy. My electric bill is now just ~$100/year.

if you generate excess energy, can you store it for a later time when you need more energy (presumably summer time)?

While you wait decades for home battery storage technology to improve, you can make a water battery in the meantime with a few things from the hardware store.

https://hackaday.com/2021/10/08/power-your-home-with-a-water...

Re: Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

#53

Post by CorrectHorseBat »

r00fus wrote: post #31
CorrectHorseBat wrote: post #14

I'm always surprised about the price of solar panels in the US, I think we paid about €1.2/W. It's not like labor is cheap in Belgium.

Is that the subsidized (ie, including tax rebates) price, or the raw cost?

There are no tax rebates here, cost including tax and labor.

Re: Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

#54

Post by malfist »

frankfrankfrank wrote: post #27
swagasaurus-rex wrote: post #3

> The unsubsidized all-in price for buying and installing the panels was $25,525.43... after counting this $6,636.61 tax credit, the subsidized price was $18,888.82 Looks like a 7 year return on investment after subsidies, 10 years without.

That is technically true, but why is no one asking how and why his electricity bill is $223 at minimum, plied higher since the bill was only reduced by that amount. Also, “subsidies” are really just a quaint term for “made the working and lower middle class that can’t pay for such exorbitant luxuries pay for it through taxes and inflation”. I’m always a bit confused if seemingly otherwise smart people simply don’t un…

Perhaps instead of being angry that people are using taxes that come from the working class, instead you should ask why the wealthy aren't paying their share of the taxes?

And nobody pays for anything with inflation. That's not how inflation works.

Re: Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

#55

Post by alexose »

mg wrote: post #34

It's surprising that it's possible to produce electricity at home for a lower cost than the wholesale price. I can't think of any other commodity for which this is possible. You couldn't make your own steel, bread or printer paper at home and beat manufacturing at scale. Why is electricity different?

The short answer is delivery costs. And that's what makes this current era of solar power so exciting, in my opinion! The market is practically begging us for microgrids.

Re: Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

#56

Post by atonalfreerider »

swagasaurus-rex wrote: post #3

> The unsubsidized all-in price for buying and installing the panels was $25,525.43... after counting this $6,636.61 tax credit, the subsidized price was $18,888.82 Looks like a 7 year return on investment after subsidies, 10 years without.

I'm not affiliated, but Solar Wholesale is a DIY that can be 1/4 the cost of hiring a contractor: https://www.solarwholesale.com

Even the wiring is DIY. Most people think this requires a lot of skill, but you are just adding an input to your panel board on your house.

Re: Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

#57

Post by nightfly »

mg wrote: post #34

It's surprising that it's possible to produce electricity at home for a lower cost than the wholesale price. I can't think of any other commodity for which this is possible. You couldn't make your own steel, bread or printer paper at home and beat manufacturing at scale. Why is electricity different?

The equipment needed is hardly cheap though.

And bread is a bad example, you can easily make that cheaper than retail price at home.

Re: Solar panels reduced my electric bill in 2022

#60

Post by whycombagator »

swagasaurus-rex wrote: post #3

> The unsubsidized all-in price for buying and installing the panels was $25,525.43... after counting this $6,636.61 tax credit, the subsidized price was $18,888.82 Looks like a 7 year return on investment after subsidies, 10 years without.

I never usually see it factored in as a cost but if a roof is replaced or a leak forms under the panels (or a panel) then the cost of removing/re-installing the panel(s) surely isn’t free. So that cost should also be included
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