Post by jeffolie on Jun 6, 2012 15:59:56 GMT -6
My electricity cost me -$3.31 for the last 12 months
It would have been even more negative because of the many home improvements resulted in my solar panels being off line for 6 six weeks in Feb - March 2012.
My electric utility company, SCE will be sending me a check within 30 days.
The heaviest user in our home of 5 adults remains our now graduated from college son with gaming system and a customer computer he made himself this spring, 2 monitors, beefed up power supplies, etc ... he put our refrigeration to shame. When or if he moves out, then our electricity use will decline resulting in a greater net generation over consumption; and, a larger SCE check.
Determining a return on investment for our home solar electric system varies because one must consider the changing electric consumption as our adult children move out or unfortunately return to live at home. At the time of installation there were 6 adults living at our home with a monthly electric bill of $200 or $2400 per year to value our net after tax credits and net of State of California rebates $10,000 investment, cost, basis. That would be a 24% ROI. However, the electric rates now have increase significantly, 3 times in the last 2 years. So, in theory my ROI is higher than 24% if all 6 lived here and used the same amount of electricity which as you can read is not true because our son, the heaviest user in our home of 5 adults used less back then but now now graduated from college son plays more on his gaming system and a customer computer he made himself this spring, 2 monitors, beefed up power supplies, etc ... until he finds a job or moves out and then pays his own electric bill.
Times have changed making costs lower for solar panels while rebates and tax credits also declined in California. So, my situation can not be immediately compared to a June 2012 home electric solar system costs for a newly installed system. Solar panel prices have declined about 80% in the last 2 years. Rebates have declined from the California authority by 50%. Improvements in the parts constituting the entire system have increased performance. In sum, one can not compare apples with oranges so my ROI would not be the same today compared to when our system was installed. While we were far from being 'first adopters', the changes in just 2 years have significantly reduced costs and increased competition among contractors bidding to install.
It would have been even more negative because of the many home improvements resulted in my solar panels being off line for 6 six weeks in Feb - March 2012.
My electric utility company, SCE will be sending me a check within 30 days.
The heaviest user in our home of 5 adults remains our now graduated from college son with gaming system and a customer computer he made himself this spring, 2 monitors, beefed up power supplies, etc ... he put our refrigeration to shame. When or if he moves out, then our electricity use will decline resulting in a greater net generation over consumption; and, a larger SCE check.
Determining a return on investment for our home solar electric system varies because one must consider the changing electric consumption as our adult children move out or unfortunately return to live at home. At the time of installation there were 6 adults living at our home with a monthly electric bill of $200 or $2400 per year to value our net after tax credits and net of State of California rebates $10,000 investment, cost, basis. That would be a 24% ROI. However, the electric rates now have increase significantly, 3 times in the last 2 years. So, in theory my ROI is higher than 24% if all 6 lived here and used the same amount of electricity which as you can read is not true because our son, the heaviest user in our home of 5 adults used less back then but now now graduated from college son plays more on his gaming system and a customer computer he made himself this spring, 2 monitors, beefed up power supplies, etc ... until he finds a job or moves out and then pays his own electric bill.
Times have changed making costs lower for solar panels while rebates and tax credits also declined in California. So, my situation can not be immediately compared to a June 2012 home electric solar system costs for a newly installed system. Solar panel prices have declined about 80% in the last 2 years. Rebates have declined from the California authority by 50%. Improvements in the parts constituting the entire system have increased performance. In sum, one can not compare apples with oranges so my ROI would not be the same today compared to when our system was installed. While we were far from being 'first adopters', the changes in just 2 years have significantly reduced costs and increased competition among contractors bidding to install.