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Question:

Solar Panels for Home?

Me and my wife just saw an ad on TV about going solar and saw the money we can save every month... any here have solar panels? How much do you save every month on energy bill? Is it true that your energy meter will spin backwards? lol

Answer:

You okorder The notion of spinning a meter backward has a lot of people plugging in their solar panel via an inverter- but this is a very bad idea and illegal as well- the power company requires a lockout device they control to kill power in their powlines for servicing and repairs- a plugged in solar panel and inverter can cause them injury or death. If you have about 30,000 dollars to invest (cost will vary), and you are going to be staying in your home for at least 0 years, contact your electric power utility as they will have the progams in place to do the installation on your site, and install the needed equipment for you to be legally grid tied. They will also have your paperwork prepared for your tax person come tax time. Most are actually seeking people out to do this, I won't go into details why, but by listening carefully to the power company in their presentation they will indirectly tell you why. Any installation that is intended to be grid tied MUST be approved by the power company and meet their specifications. Too many people are ignoring this last detail.
Yes, it can save money, but really depends on your individual situation. There are three main factors - how much sun you get, how much electricity you use, and how much electricity costs locally. We have solar, and the meter does spin backwards. Actually, it's a digital meter, so it counts down instead of up. The system covers essentially all our electrical usage over the year, and our electric bill is about $5 a month, because of minimum charges by the electric company. That shouldn't be used as a comparison to your situation, though, since every house is different.
I have them. Jamie's way of going about it is one way, the other way is to do-it-yourself. I went the DYI way and got off the grid. I bought my panels online along with the batts, they were cheap. I paid cash on the spot, this allowed me to not get into paperwork and possibly financing it. Now I save what I was paying every month. I am not interested in the meter going backwards and selling my power, I am free now!
We just recently had Pursol Solar Systems install some solar panels for our house. We got ours with no money down, found them online, and they happen to be in the same city where we live. Cool thing about switching to renewable energy is that you get tax break... government will actually pay for your solar panels! Also, YES ITS TRUE! You're meter will spin backwards because energy that's being produced that your not using, goes back to your energy provider (like selling it to them during peak hours)....

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