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At all? I don't feel so bad then. It's a crock of #### IMO, but we can at least partially run. Do you have the generator too then?joffer said:my utility doesn't allow this. i can't run off the panels if the grid is down. don't know if its a TX state law or not. of course in a Walking Dead scenario i could figure out how to do it
That seems so strange. I'm in FL as well. How do they stop you from using them?The Commish said:
I think it's the way the inverter is setup. If it's a GTI (Grid Tied Inverter) most of the time your panel has become part of the closed loop grid, and you aren't really supplying your own power for your house as much as just adding onto the grid. So grid goes down, you are RIP.
I could see this being the case, but then I wouldn't be able to draw anything while they were down. That's not what I was told. I was told I'd be able to draw a % while they were down but I couldn't be fully self sufficient while they were down. I haven't asked what that % was yet.
yes, this is how mine is set up. the reason i was told was that the utility didn't want anyone electrifying the grid when it was down because people would be working on it. seems like you could get around that with some relays, but that adds cost.
There are three main flavors of inverters. The differences are what are needed to meet the grid hook-ups by region. Everything is going to be super region specific and across the street could be a totally different thing.
about half of what i draw, and i only have 2400 square feet, although i'm in TX. Depends on your utility's rules. if its like Commish and you get full credit for everything you produce, could still be worth it.
Yes, but this issue (safety) has been mostly regulated now to the point where this is no longer a problem.
ETA: max allowed is 2 blocks per household ($40/month)
There's a little math involved here. You'd want to compare the Kw price they charge you today against the $40 they are charging you for access. If they are charging you $5 per Kw today and that $40 for access to five panels is a charge of $4 per Kw, then it makes sense (as long as they don't have any other fees etc). Make sense? The toughest part is cutting through all the marketing and getting to the real costs.
Hey man, been a minute. Living in Rock Vegas as much of a slice as I imagine it to be?The Commish said:
Dude....I moved to Florida a year and a half ago!!!!Hey man, been a minute. Living in Rock Vegas as much of a slice as I imagine it to be?
So here's my question, given where we live you bring up two key points that would trouble me about this investment. It gets hot down here...Africa hot sometimes. When the power goes out you have plenty of power except to run your AC? That's kinda important for us 60% of the year. Then you follow it with your hot water tank will be inoperable as well. So no AC and no hot water? Those would be two key things I would expect from the system. I know there isn't a good solution for the hot water tank but the AC would be a negative for me. You still need a generator for that. And once the sun goes down your out of power? I thought there were batteries associated with these systems to store power for these down times?
Not knocking it because I've thought about it as well but it's the devil in the details that keep me from giving it serious consideration. I literally just got a 3500 watt inverter generator yesterday. It's plenty for running the fridge and few other essentials. It won't cover me for the Walking Dead scenario but it will get me through the upcoming Snowpocolypse that will hit this weekend and devastate our area for the next week
LOL, #### I gotta update my notebook more often! No issues with the hurricanes I hope?Dude....I moved to Florida a year and a half ago!!!!
I asked all these questions too. What you'd want at your home and what I'd get if I were still there is a whole home generator that runs off propane/natural gas. There are battery solutions but they are SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive right now than the generator solution. The tech in batteries just isn't where it needs to be yet. Once it's there, I may end up retro fitting batteries in.
The primary reason I made this decision on this house was for stability and longevity of our savings. We've had months where our bill is $150 then during the summer it's $700. This system is going to cost us $300 a month until we pay it off, then we don't have a bill anymore. Energy down here is way more than it was up there where you're at. If you're still part of York electric, I don't think this sort of move makes sense. And FWIW, I did look into solar while I was there and the companies I talked to said hooking into the co-ops was a PITA and they didn't give a great return.
Thinking moving into a cave is looking better & better.
Other than Irma just after moving in, we've been goodLOL, #### I gotta update my notebook more often! No issues with the hurricanes I hope?
I hear you on batteries, some of the systems my company is looking at are stupid expensive for not a lot of return. Cool tech but not for the everyday guy. Our utilities have gone up pretty significantly since the company decided to pass along the cost of the $8 billion dollar failed nuclear reactor build to the consumers
We ended up in a bit of a fixer so it's kept us busy.
I agree. There are a decent number of power wall / batteries on/entering the market. The warranties are 10 years iirc.
I hear you
I would also suspect part of it is a matter of what’s “normal”. The area of So-Cal I live 90+% of houses have solar (I do too) so it’s normal and doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb.
I mean, whenever I walk or drive up to my house, yeah, I see the roof. It’s also curb appeal. If it’s ugly, it may be hard to sell it one day.
I forgot to come back to this. So I'm up and running now for a few months. Each inverter has an outlet with a switch attached to it. So when the powers put the inverter directs the electricity to those outlets and i can use them like id use a generator..... will during the day anyway. Mystery solved
Yeah....we have a two story house in central Florida...little over 4000 sq and two units that are over 10 years old each. They run all the time when it's 95+. On top of that, we need a good layer of insulation in our second floor attic. I will say, after putting the panels on the roof, it has helped the AC upstairs...deflects a lot of that heat.
70....on that particular surface there's about 15...during "down" time, I expect some rather large checks from them
It was a fixer upper...still working on it. It was either this house, a 2 bed 3 bath or a McMansion on a postage stamp lot that cost double what we paid for this one. I think my problem is magnified by the fact it's two story...all the hot air rises to upstairs.cap'n grunge said:
For a roof tile a 15 x 20 shed through Alibaba they wanted $4050 and 1900 for shipping. For 2700 watt hour. So their panels are cheaper so might go with panels instead.
. Gonna have to call those fools Monday 
