Going Solar.... (2 Viewers)

[Capella]

Into the guts of Florida summer and my bill is about $100 at peak.  Prior to the panels, that would be a $700-$800 bill.  I suspect I get down to under $50 once the 2002 unit goes caput and I replace it.

How much did you pay for your panels? 

 

[The Commish]

How much did you pay for your panels? 

almost $80K to get that sort of production...3 inverters etc.  At that time the company I used (out of Zeypherhills) that was their largest install.  They've done a few around me now at 50-60.

 

[wilked]

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.

Jeez I’ve heard of short housing supplies but only 3 options is pretty extreme 

 

[The Commish]

Jeez I’ve heard of short housing supplies but only 3 options is pretty extreme 

Well, there were many possibilities of those options, but 3/2 wouldn't work for 5 of us and we couldn't afford any of the McMansions so.......

 

[Charlie Steiner]

Forgive me for being late to the party. My FB page has been flooded with solar company ads for a couple of weeks, so between that and my father having made the switch about 4 years ago, I have one company coming by this evening and another one coming by tomorrow. The one coming today called me yesterday and we had a long conversation/sales pitch. On one hand, our yearly electricity consumption can be easily covered with a modest number of panes (~20), which will cut our monthly bill down to just the monthly subscriber fee that keeps us connected to the grid. On the other, our monthly bill isn't so high that we'll see much in monthly savings until X number of years when utility costs go up dramatically enough to show the difference. I think I'm okay with that because I understand the benefit has to be looked at long-term, but this is moving faster than we're comfortable with, especially with the deadline for applying for the tax credit coming up next week.

I'm looking at this strictly from a budget perspective. I know that the real value is down the road where I'll have been paying basically a flat fee for our electricity that becomes more of a value as the utilities raise their rates.

Now that most of you are at least 5+ years into it, are there any other pitfalls to going solar that you've learned that weren't mentioned yet in this thread? TIA.

 

[BlackCrowes]

i´m still happy with mine almost 9 years in. did have one panel broken in a hail storm and just got it replaced as part of the new roof.

what state are you in? i´m assuming you know the situation with net metering and whether/how much credit you get for what you put back on the grid? that´s the biggest factor IMO

 

[Charlie Steiner]

i´m still happy with mine almost 9 years in. did have one panel broken in a hail storm and just got it replaced as part of the new roof.

what state are you in? i´m assuming you know the situation with net metering and whether/how much credit you get for what you put back on the grid? that´s the biggest factor IMO

I'm in MD, and this is what my local utility company's website has to say about net metering:

You are eligible to participate in net metering if you own or operate an eligible, private solar energy system less than or equal to 2,000kW (AC-rated) for your own use. To participate in net metering, your system should be sized to meet some or all your energy needs and cannot produce more than 110% of your most recent 12-months of energy usage. PSC rules state customers can generate up to 200% of baseline usage.
You can participate in net metering after receiving approval of your net metering application and a signed Certificate of Completion from BGE confirming your system has been installed.

Regarding credit for energy put back into the grid, they also say this:

BGE pays customer-generators at the Standard-Offer-of Service (SOS) rate. The dollar value of net excess generation shall be equal to the generation or commodity portion of the rate that the eligible customer-generator would have been charged by BGE averaged over the number of months the account was been net negative.

I'm not sure yet how that will translate to the reality of my situation, but I should get a better idea after this evening. I know our annual kw usage and was told that there would be no problem setting up a system on my roof that can cover that amount at a 'reasonable' cost (FWIW, my house is pretty small and the company I talked to estimated ~20 panels, so financing them over 20 years will hopefully hurt less than our current monthly utility bill).

We're still in a 'bottom line' mindset, in that the biggest question is how much, if any, our monthly utility bill goes down by switching, and what hidden costs there might be that would make solar a bad investment. From what little I've learned in the last few days, looking at it just from a budgetary perspective points to solar being a smart-ish move at worst and a long-term value at best, but until we get solid prices, I can't help but feel uneasy.

That said, this thread is reason #839483876598479 that the FFA is so great. So many topics have been covered here and recalled with a simple forum search.

 

[BlackCrowes]

i´m still happy with mine almost 9 years in. did have one panel broken in a hail storm and just got it replaced as part of the new roof.

what state are you in? i´m assuming you know the situation with net metering and whether/how much credit you get for what you put back on the grid? that´s the biggest factor IMO

I'm in MD, and this is what my local utility company's website has to say about net metering:

You are eligible to participate in net metering if you own or operate an eligible, private solar energy system less than or equal to 2,000kW (AC-rated) for your own use. To participate in net metering, your system should be sized to meet some or all your energy needs and cannot produce more than 110% of your most recent 12-months of energy usage. PSC rules state customers can generate up to 200% of baseline usage.
You can participate in net metering after receiving approval of your net metering application and a signed Certificate of Completion from BGE confirming your system has been installed.

Regarding credit for energy put back into the grid, they also say this:

BGE pays customer-generators at the Standard-Offer-of Service (SOS) rate. The dollar value of net excess generation shall be equal to the generation or commodity portion of the rate that the eligible customer-generator would have been charged by BGE averaged over the number of months the account was been net negative.

I'm not sure yet how that will translate to the reality of my situation, but I should get a better idea after this evening. I know our annual kw usage and was told that there would be no problem setting up a system on my roof that can cover that amount at a 'reasonable' cost (FWIW, my house is pretty small and the company I talked to estimated ~20 panels, so financing them over 20 years will hopefully hurt less than our current monthly utility bill).

We're still in a 'bottom line' mindset, in that the biggest question is how much, if any, our monthly utility bill goes down by switching, and what hidden costs there might be that would make solar a bad investment. From what little I've learned in the last few days, looking at it just from a budgetary perspective points to solar being a smart-ish move at worst and a long-term value at best, but until we get solid prices, I can't help but feel uneasy.

That said, this thread is reason #839483876598479 that the FFA is so great. So many topics have been covered here and recalled with a simple forum search.

what is your annual kW draw? 20 panels would be around 7kW i think, depending on current efficiency numbers. They should try to size your array to cover about 70%-80% of your total usage. if they try to sell you more panels than that, its probably not a good deal.

that net metering language sounds promising. if they are giving you 100% credit for what you put back to the grid, that´s GREAT! I don´t get that good of a deal in TX.

 

[Charlie Steiner]

i´m still happy with mine almost 9 years in. did have one panel broken in a hail storm and just got it replaced as part of the new roof.

what state are you in? i´m assuming you know the situation with net metering and whether/how much credit you get for what you put back on the grid? that´s the biggest factor IMO

I'm in MD, and this is what my local utility company's website has to say about net metering:

You are eligible to participate in net metering if you own or operate an eligible, private solar energy system less than or equal to 2,000kW (AC-rated) for your own use. To participate in net metering, your system should be sized to meet some or all your energy needs and cannot produce more than 110% of your most recent 12-months of energy usage. PSC rules state customers can generate up to 200% of baseline usage.
You can participate in net metering after receiving approval of your net metering application and a signed Certificate of Completion from BGE confirming your system has been installed.

Regarding credit for energy put back into the grid, they also say this:

BGE pays customer-generators at the Standard-Offer-of Service (SOS) rate. The dollar value of net excess generation shall be equal to the generation or commodity portion of the rate that the eligible customer-generator would have been charged by BGE averaged over the number of months the account was been net negative.

I'm not sure yet how that will translate to the reality of my situation, but I should get a better idea after this evening. I know our annual kw usage and was told that there would be no problem setting up a system on my roof that can cover that amount at a 'reasonable' cost (FWIW, my house is pretty small and the company I talked to estimated ~20 panels, so financing them over 20 years will hopefully hurt less than our current monthly utility bill).

We're still in a 'bottom line' mindset, in that the biggest question is how much, if any, our monthly utility bill goes down by switching, and what hidden costs there might be that would make solar a bad investment. From what little I've learned in the last few days, looking at it just from a budgetary perspective points to solar being a smart-ish move at worst and a long-term value at best, but until we get solid prices, I can't help but feel uneasy.

That said, this thread is reason #839483876598479 that the FFA is so great. So many topics have been covered here and recalled with a simple forum search.

what is your annual kW draw? 20 panels would be around 7kW i think, depending on current efficiency numbers. They should try to size your array to cover about 70%-80% of your total usage. if they try to sell you more panels than that, its probably not a good deal.

that net metering language sounds promising. if they are giving you 100% credit for what you put back to the grid, that´s GREAT! I don´t get that good of a deal in TX.

Per our last utility statement, my house uses ~8k kw hours per year, so that lines up with your numbers (they didn't say that arrays don't cover 100% of the total usage).

Regarding the net metering, their FAQs also had language about having to own the system to qualify, which to me adds incentive for buying the panels, even if it means financing them.

 

[Charlie Steiner]

They should try to size your array to cover about 70%-80% of your total usage. if they try to sell you more panels than that, its probably not a good deal.

The first company left just a little while ago so I have a little more clarity. Here's the cost breakdown...

Going with 20 panels with a 30-year warrantee for 100% coverage of our total usage, and after federal, state and county programs, the net cost is ~11k. Initially spreading the payments out over 25 years, the difference between the payment (lessened by monthly srec payments to us) and our utility bill starts at ~$50/month more in our pockets and will grow from there as utility rates go up. I like the relative stability of loan payments as opposed to fluctuating and increasingly rising energy bills, but the best part is my wife is now on board.

Despite your comment above, I don't have any heartburn about getting 100% coverage, as we're still below what we're currently paying and at least the extra coverage will bring in srec income on a monthly basis.

Just have to meet with the other vendor tomorrow to see their offer, but I can't imagine they do any better than what we heard today.

 

[Terminalxylem]

Forgive me for being late to the party. My FB page has been flooded with solar company ads for a couple of weeks, so between that and my father having made the switch about 4 years ago, I have one company coming by this evening and another one coming by tomorrow. The one coming today called me yesterday and we had a long conversation/sales pitch. On one hand, our yearly electricity consumption can be easily covered with a modest number of panes (~20), which will cut our monthly bill down to just the monthly subscriber fee that keeps us connected to the grid. On the other, our monthly bill isn't so high that we'll see much in monthly savings until X number of years when utility costs go up dramatically enough to show the difference. I think I'm okay with that because I understand the benefit has to be looked at long-term, but this is moving faster than we're comfortable with, especially with the deadline for applying for the tax credit coming up next week.

I'm looking at this strictly from a budget perspective. I know that the real value is down the road where I'll have been paying basically a flat fee for our electricity that becomes more of a value as the utilities raise their rates.

Now that most of you are at least 5+ years into it, are there any other pitfalls to going solar that you've learned that weren't mentioned yet in this thread? TIA.

What's up with the bolded? I see nothing about a deadline, just plans to nix the 30% fed tax credit at the end of 2025, followed by a phase-out period, if the BBB makes it through the House unaltered.

To answer your question, I've had PV since 2008, and am upgrading my system later this month. I'd just make sure you time the installation with roof maintenance, as there is additional cost to remove/replace panels when your roof is resurfaced.

I'd also try to plan your power output for future EV use, if applicable.

ETA No regrets on the PV purchase, and my current system is still producing pretty well. I'm upgrading to optimize the tax credit before my inverter fails, as it already has outlived its lifespan. And we just bought an EV, and will likely get a second within a year or two. The panels could last another 5-10 years, but I've already recouped the initial investment.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

are there any other pitfalls to going solar that you've learned that weren't mentioned yet in this thread?

Squirrels. Those little AH's nested under our panels. We had them fixed (the panels, not the squirrels) and varmint mesh installed around our panels. Pretty sure you have varmints. Keep them out.

There are different considerations for getting solar. We love our panels. No more even noticing power outages, no matter how small. We don't have to re-set clocks or whatnot. Mr R works from home, so the uninterrupted power is good stuff.

How is your house only using 8K kw/year? That seems very little.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

I'd also try to plan your power output for future EV use, if applicable.

This a good idea. Our next car will be a hybrid with a charger. We'll need to install another electrical panel with that. Plan ahead.

 

[Charlie Steiner]

What's up with the bolded?

Sorry I didn't specify earlier, it's a state solar incentive program that's going to stop accepting applications next week.

Regarding an EV, I'm sure it's in my future but I hope it doesn't come to that before I'm too feeble to drive.

How is your house only using 8K kw/year? That seems very little.

You answered your own question. Our house is less than 1000 square feet. I tell people it's so small I have to step outside to change my mind.

Also, good call about critters. I'll see what we can do.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Our house is less than 1000 square feet.

Twenty panels should about cover it. Literally.

 

[Charlie Steiner]

Our house is less than 1000 square feet.

twenty panels should about cover it. Literally.

I was surprised when he said they would go on the back side of the roof as that gets more shade than the front.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Our house is less than 1000 square feet.

twenty panels should about cover it. Literally.

I was surprised when he said they would go on the back side of the roof as that gets more shade than the front.

You may have a local ordinance that prohibits them from being that visible from the street.

 

[Charlie Steiner]

Our house is less than 1000 square feet.

twenty panels should about cover it. Literally.

I was surprised when he said they would go on the back side of the roof as that gets more shade than the front.

You may have a local ordinance that prohibits them from being that visible from the street.

We don't have an HOA and there is a house near mine with panels on the front so I'm shuked.

 

[Terminalxylem]

What's up with the bolded?

Sorry I didn't specify earlier, it's a state solar incentive program that's going to stop accepting applications next week.

Regarding an EV, I'm sure it's in my future but I hope it doesn't come to that before I'm too feeble to drive.

How is your house only using 8K kw/year? That seems very little.

You answered your own question. Our house is less than 1000 square feet. I tell people it's so small I have to step outside to change my mind.

Also, good call about critters. I'll see what we can do.

EVs use quite a bit of power, like 3-4K kWh/yr, or more, depending on driving habits.

 

[Instinctive]

What's up with the bolded?

Sorry I didn't specify earlier, it's a state solar incentive program that's going to stop accepting applications next week.

Regarding an EV, I'm sure it's in my future but I hope it doesn't come to that before I'm too feeble to drive.

How is your house only using 8K kw/year? That seems very little.

You answered your own question. Our house is less than 1000 square feet. I tell people it's so small I have to step outside to change my mind.

Also, good call about critters. I'll see what we can do.

EVs use quite a bit of power, like 3-4K kWh/yr, or more, depending on driving habits.

Or less, depending on driving habits. And efficiency of the car.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

What's up with the bolded?

Sorry I didn't specify earlier, it's a state solar incentive program that's going to stop accepting applications next week.

Regarding an EV, I'm sure it's in my future but I hope it doesn't come to that before I'm too feeble to drive.

How is your house only using 8K kw/year? That seems very little.

You answered your own question. Our house is less than 1000 square feet. I tell people it's so small I have to step outside to change my mind.

Also, good call about critters. I'll see what we can do.

EVs use quite a bit of power, like 3-4K kWh/yr, or more, depending on driving habits.

Or less, depending on driving habits. And efficiency of the car.

Also, tech is improving.

 

[Charlie Steiner]

What's up with the bolded?

Sorry I didn't specify earlier, it's a state solar incentive program that's going to stop accepting applications next week.

Regarding an EV, I'm sure it's in my future but I hope it doesn't come to that before I'm too feeble to drive.

How is your house only using 8K kw/year? That seems very little.

You answered your own question. Our house is less than 1000 square feet. I tell people it's so small I have to step outside to change my mind.

Also, good call about critters. I'll see what we can do.

EVs use quite a bit of power, like 3-4K kWh/yr, or more, depending on driving habits.

Or less, depending on driving habits. And efficiency of the car.

If I get to follow my dad's example and not get an EV until after retiring, I'll be able to only have to charge it every other week, if that much.

 

[Sparky Polastri]

The major thing my dad would say to consider is the state you live in. You're on lobbiest away from the state deciding that it's time to allow only 50% charge back or worse/less. You're one lobbiest away from making that monthly "hook up" fee $100

 

[Terminalxylem]

The major thing my dad would say to consider is the state you live in. You're on lobbiest away from the state deciding that it's time to allow only 50% charge back or worse/less. You're one lobbiest away from making that monthly "hook up" fee $100

That why you get a system capable of going off the grid.

 

[Sparky Polastri]

The major thing my dad would say to consider is the state you live in. You're on lobbiest away from the state deciding that it's time to allow only 50% charge back or worse/less. You're one lobbiest away from making that monthly "hook up" fee $100

That why you get a system capable of going off the grid.

That's not an option in most states. Florida is a good example. You are required to be hooked into the grid via state law. Though, I would imagine someone can figure out how to get around this with enough battery capacity until the state governments close whatever loopholes are exploited.

 

[BlackCrowes]

The major thing my dad would say to consider is the state you live in. You're on lobbiest away from the state deciding that it's time to allow only 50% charge back or worse/less. You're one lobbiest away from making that monthly "hook up" fee $100

That why you get a system capable of going off the grid.

That's not an option in most states. Florida is a good example. You are required to be hooked into the grid via state law.

thats weird. why would they care?

i think in TX i could go totally off grid, but it requires a lot of battery storage. One bad thing here, if the grid goes down, i can´t run off my panels. Basically in TX youre jus t putting everything to the grid, and they´re subtracting what you draw from what you produce. anything extra you get partial credit.

 

[Terminalxylem]

The major thing my dad would say to consider is the state you live in. You're on lobbiest away from the state deciding that it's time to allow only 50% charge back or worse/less. You're one lobbiest away from making that monthly "hook up" fee $100

That why you get a system capable of going off the grid.

That's not an option in most states. Florida is a good example. You are required to be hooked into the grid via state law. Though, I would imagine someone can figure out how to get around this with enough battery capacity until the state governments close whatever loopholes are exploited.

On the contrary, I think it is legal in most states, including FL.

 

[Sparky Polastri]

The major thing my dad would say to consider is the state you live in. You're on lobbiest away from the state deciding that it's time to allow only 50% charge back or worse/less. You're one lobbiest away from making that monthly "hook up" fee $100

That why you get a system capable of going off the grid.

That's not an option in most states. Florida is a good example. You are required to be hooked into the grid via state law. Though, I would imagine someone can figure out how to get around this with enough battery capacity until the state governments close whatever loopholes are exploited.

On the contrary, I think it is legal in most states, including FL.

Is this one of those picking nits things where the system being capable of going off grid <> being allowed to go off grid? If so, good one. Its true, in Florida, you can have a system that is capable of being off grid. You just aren't allowed to be off the grid (some very narrow exceptions here of course).

 

[Sparky Polastri]

The major thing my dad would say to consider is the state you live in. You're on lobbiest away from the state deciding that it's time to allow only 50% charge back or worse/less. You're one lobbiest away from making that monthly "hook up" fee $100

That why you get a system capable of going off the grid.

That's not an option in most states. Florida is a good example. You are required to be hooked into the grid via state law.

thats weird. why would they care?

i think in TX i could go totally off grid, but it requires a lot of battery storage. One bad thing here, if the grid goes down, i can´t run off my panels. Basically in TX youre jus t putting everything to the grid, and they´re subtracting what you draw from what you produce. anything extra you get partial credit.

Without getting into the politics of it all,

I think that's all I can say about it and this might be too much.

 

[dkp993]

I’m on year 4 with my 23 panel system. In SoCal in a hot region so it makes a ton of sense. Don’t have the battery backups but am seriously considering it this year.

My only regret is not adding a couple more panels on to start. When we bought the home and installed the system we built it off of 105% of the prior owners usage (the only data we had). Well I guess we use more than them as I end up with 2k-ish in true-up cost at the end of each year.

 

[matttyl]

Our house is less than 1000 square feet.

twenty panels should about cover it. Literally.

I was surprised when he said they would go on the back side of the roof as that gets more shade than the front.

You may have a local ordinance that prohibits them from being that visible from the street.

We don't have an HOA and there is a house near mine with panels on the front so I'm shuked.

You want the panels to be southern facing.

 

[Charlie Steiner]

Our house is less than 1000 square feet.

twenty panels should about cover it. Literally.

I was surprised when he said they would go on the back side of the roof as that gets more shade than the front.

You may have a local ordinance that prohibits them from being that visible from the street.

We don't have an HOA and there is a house near mine with panels on the front so I'm shuked.

You want the panels to be southern facing.

After you said that, I remembered my dad had told me that as well. The back half of my roof faces south, and the southwest corner catches the most sun on that side. Thanks for un-shukeing me.

 

[Terminalxylem]

The major thing my dad would say to consider is the state you live in. You're on lobbiest away from the state deciding that it's time to allow only 50% charge back or worse/less. You're one lobbiest away from making that monthly "hook up" fee $100

That why you get a system capable of going off the grid.

That's not an option in most states. Florida is a good example. You are required to be hooked into the grid via state law. Though, I would imagine someone can figure out how to get around this with enough battery capacity until the state governments close whatever loopholes are exploited.

On the contrary, I think it is legal in most states, including FL.

Is this one of those picking nits things where the system being capable of going off grid <> being allowed to go off grid? If so, good one. Its true, in Florida, you can have a system that is capable of being off grid. You just aren't allowed to be off the grid (some very narrow exceptions here of course).

No. I think you can physically be off the grid in most states. I’m sure there are some administrative/regulatory hoops to leap through, but I’m not arguing semantics.

 

[Sparky Polastri]

The major thing my dad would say to consider is the state you live in. You're on lobbiest away from the state deciding that it's time to allow only 50% charge back or worse/less. You're one lobbiest away from making that monthly "hook up" fee $100

That why you get a system capable of going off the grid.

That's not an option in most states. Florida is a good example. You are required to be hooked into the grid via state law. Though, I would imagine someone can figure out how to get around this with enough battery capacity until the state governments close whatever loopholes are exploited.

On the contrary, I think it is legal in most states, including FL.

Is this one of those picking nits things where the system being capable of going off grid <> being allowed to go off grid? If so, good one. Its true, in Florida, you can have a system that is capable of being off grid. You just aren't allowed to be off the grid (some very narrow exceptions here of course).

No. I think you can physically be off the grid in most states. I’m sure there are some administrative/regulatory hoops to leap through, but I’m not arguing semantics.

Perhaps shouldn't say "most" because I don't know "most" states. I do know net metering is a requirement in NC, SC, GA, FL and OH. Only exception I am aware of in those states is where electricity isn't available. It's not required in TN where I am though.

 

[Charlie Steiner]

Met with vendor #2. Their proposal is 19 panels instead of 20 but they generate .04kw more that the first, and their plan puts 14 panels on the north side and only 5 on the south side, as opposed to the other putting all 20 on the south side.

To further complicate matters, they gave us a lease option that starts lower than yesterday's pay to own option. I didn't want to entertain the lease option, but they threw it out there and it's a lower number than yesterday's, though over time the lease amount will exceed it if we don't pay off the whole thing in 10 years.

Final decision coming tomorrow.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

The major thing my dad would say to consider is the state you live in. You're on lobbiest away from the state deciding that it's time to allow only 50% charge back or worse/less. You're one lobbiest away from making that monthly "hook up" fee $100

That why you get a system capable of going off the grid.

That's not an option in most states. Florida is a good example. You are required to be hooked into the grid via state law. Though, I would imagine someone can figure out how to get around this with enough battery capacity until the state governments close whatever loopholes are exploited.

On the contrary, I think it is legal in most states, including FL.

Is this one of those picking nits things where the system being capable of going off grid <> being allowed to go off grid? If so, good one. Its true, in Florida, you can have a system that is capable of being off grid. You just aren't allowed to be off the grid (some very narrow exceptions here of course).

No. I think you can physically be off the grid in most states. I’m sure there are some administrative/regulatory hoops to leap through, but I’m not arguing semantics.

Pretty sure you can be off grid. I think the deal is that if you are hooked up to the mains in any way, you need to be certified by the local electric company. We did. (Texas)

We planned for hurricanes. The weather after one is generally pretty nice. We can run without anything but our panels/batteries for quite a while, at least the essentials including AC.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

We just got our new contract with the electric company. We have to pay the exorbitant sum of $4.90/month for 36 months. Yikes!

 

[Terminalxylem]

The major thing my dad would say to consider is the state you live in. You're on lobbiest away from the state deciding that it's time to allow only 50% charge back or worse/less. You're one lobbiest away from making that monthly "hook up" fee $100

That why you get a system capable of going off the grid.

That's not an option in most states. Florida is a good example. You are required to be hooked into the grid via state law. Though, I would imagine someone can figure out how to get around this with enough battery capacity until the state governments close whatever loopholes are exploited.

On the contrary, I think it is legal in most states, including FL.

Is this one of those picking nits things where the system being capable of going off grid <> being allowed to go off grid? If so, good one. Its true, in Florida, you can have a system that is capable of being off grid. You just aren't allowed to be off the grid (some very narrow exceptions here of course).

No. I think you can physically be off the grid in most states. I’m sure there are some administrative/regulatory hoops to leap through, but I’m not arguing semantics.

Pretty sure you can be off grid. I think the deal is that if you are hooked up to the mains in any way, you need to be certified by the local electric company. We did. (Texas)

We planned for hurricanes. The weather after one is generally pretty nice. We can run without anything but our panels/batteries for quite a while, at least the essentials including AC.

You definitely can in Hawaii. We’re just about to upgrade our panels and get a battery, so we’ll remain grid-tied for now. If things look good after a year or two, I’ll prob cut the cord.