solar energy question

[2moretrees]

Does anyone here use solar energy? With energy prices getting so high, I was wondering if solar energy would start making sense. What are the initial costs and how long does it take for a system to pay for itself? Are there any major disadvantages to solar energy systems?

[Tree0164]

I had solar hot water until our solar hot water heater decided to blow a fuse. It couldn't be fixed and would have cost us about $5k to remove the old one and replace it with a new one. Needless to say we didn't because of the outlay of costs. We also have huge solar panels on our roof that came with the house and I am sure were a huge expense.

We are in Boston and could only use the solar hot water from April to October/November. It saved us about 25% on our electricity bill.

[Bruce Wayne]

This environmental discussion forum might be of interest to you guys. I think they had an American lady sign up recently offering free quotes for solar energy panels.