What a great discussion.
This point jumped out at me from the original post:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by msnln
I am told there is no maintenance required and my electric bill for next 25 years (expected lifespan) would be $5 (line service charge by utility).
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You have no guarrantee that the utility companies won't raise their line service charge, especially as energy gets more expensive and more and more people switch to alternative sources. Just a thought. I also feel pretty suspicious of the "no maintenance required" promise. Show me the equipment that doesn't need ANY maintenance.
That said, I think it's a great plan. I'm envious that you're going to be able to add panels while the credits and rebates are still around. I don't plan to be in my house more than a couple of years, so it's not worth it for me, and the neighborhood isn't one that can support high-tech home improvements like solar panels. I doubt I'd get any of it back in resale value.
Since solar isn't an option for me, I pay an extra charge every month to replace all my electrical usage with wind energy. I buy my electricity from the regular city power company, and then they turn around and buy however many kilowatts I used from the wind energy company.
I've done some energy efficiency stuff in my home, but could do more. I haven't replaced my light bulbs because fluorescent lights give me migraines sometimes and I don't know if those energy-efficient bulbs will do that too. Anybody know if they're the same as regular fluorescents like we all have in our offices?