Let The Sunshine In

 In 2019 we installed a solar electric system for our home in Milton, Delaware. The total cost was $26,000. We paid for this ourselves. We didn't seek financing.

We own our home and have no debt. Our home is 2126 square feet. There's a 36x40 pole barn next to it. We installed 36 Q.Peak Duo, 325 watt cells on the roof of the pole barn.  

A Fronius PRIMO 10.0 inverter is in our basement. The total output power is 11.7kWs.

We are connected to the grid and that costs us $14.90 a month.

We also have a 20kW whole house generator that automatically kicks on if the grid is down. We do not have a battery in our system to store power.

In 2109, we got a $7,800 tax credit that brought our net cost down to $18,200.

We get a credit on our electric bill each month from our electric company. We also get a payment from the state each month for the electricity we produce.

I've waited until 2020 to report on the system. 2020 is the first full year of service and I can compare it to 2018 for the sake of this discussion.

Total electric bill for 2018 was $1,825.80.

Total electric bill for 2020 was $704.39. Total payment from the state in 2020 was $820.91. Our total 2020 cost for electricity was -$116.52.

The only other energy cost for us in 2020 was $329.25. We use propane for our stove, fireplace and hot water heater. In 2018, that cost was $416.47.

Other things worth noting.

We haven't had any problems with our system. It requires no maintenance - no cleaning - no shit.

At this rate, we should completely recoup our investment in 9 years from installation. The panels are warrantied for 25 years. Our installation is warranted for 10 years.

Once the system we have recaptured our cost, we will be making pure profit. In the meantime, we are not contributing to pollution.

The house has a geo-thermal heat pump for heating and air conditioning. The pole barn has 2 ductless mini-split systems for heating and air conditioning. Both our house and barn are well insulated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxonNvuCFRY

Holy Moly!