close 2 argument with wife solar panels residentia

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Mar 13, 2009
Messages
203
Location
CA
I said her friend is cheap; count pennies. Her friends can afford a half a million home with close to 4000 Sq ft. But install solar panels to save electricity bills. Main purpose is to save money. If trying to be GREEN, i admire. But [censored].. if you can buy such a nice house; why count on the electricity usage. Just want to vent.
We just spend 10k to put a new roof, i am like no f way to drill holes to take a chance to save money! Like 25 bucks a month? Rill holes is going to leak, no matter what. Thanks for listening.
 
The only thing that has kept me from installing solar panels is that the pay back period is not quite equal to the expected life span. So......Most of these folks are not saving money......Yet!
 
It's their business, not yours. If they choose to live in a "half a million home", and choose to work to save money on their utilities, then it's their choice. Why would you even be "close 2 argument with wife" over something like that?

We live in a ~4400 square foot home that has a great deal of value. We also do things to reduce our utility bills. If solar energy (or residential wind energy) becomes financially worthwhile, I'll be one of the first to install it. And on a side note, there are a lot of holes in any roof, even your new one (assuming it's correctly installed). Attic vents, plumbing vents, HVAC vents and skylights are all holes in the roof. Rooftop solar panels, if done correctly, won't cause leaks or issues.
 
A half-million $ home is a lower end 2br condo here. Who cares.
What type of cars do they drive, "to save money"? I'm guessing they're making payments.

Oh and have you been drinking already or just posting from a phone?
 
I'm with you 2008. Seems like they'd do that to make themselves "feel" better by saying they are being energy conscious. Bunch of bull. If you can afford that much, obviously utilities were not a mere thought, fore or aft. Then you add the PMI stuff, it gets expensive quick.
 
I just sold a 1.5 million dollar fixer upper is Millbrae Ca. few months ago. I have for the past 20 years pondered solar panels. To be green? You gots to be kidding. Nope to save money and so far I haven't signed the check.
 
Originally Posted By: 4wheeldog
The only thing that has kept me from installing solar panels is that the pay back period is not quite equal to the expected life span. So......Most of these folks are not saving money......Yet!


Or Ever. One busted panel or controller would wipe out any "savings". And over 25 years you can assume some maintenance or repairs.
 
Last edited:
My uncle put in hot water solar panels in the early 1970s during an oil crunch. A friend got new-fangled evacuated tube style. He's in a $80k half of a duplex. I touched his copper pipe going into the storage tank. 165'F. Burned my thumb! All from sunshine. Eureka moment.

Electricity? That's crazy! If you want to save power get a new, efficient fridge and dry your clothes on the line or on a drying rack.
 
Is the power company there Pacific Gas & Electric? I believe much of their energy is clean - or at least non coal - which includes geothermal. So the ecological angle of having solar panels is weak.

But, as said, if they want to have solar panels on their home, it's their business.

There are many entities working on home solar panels, including one outfit that wants to make roofing tiles out of solar panels. If it was economically viable, we'd be seeing solar panels installed on a wholesale basis.

Don't try to bother reasoning with the wives using facts. Some friends support each other by whipping themselves up in a frenzy about how wonderful something is. They don't want a wet rag thrown into their "feel good" discussion.
 
Why get upset over what someone else spends their money on?
Plus does OP know every single detail about the reasons for installing these panels? I highly doubt it.

- Maybe those panels add significant value to the home in their neighborhood on top of saving money on electricity.
- Maybe they received a generous state/federal subsidy for the installation, making it viable from the ROI point of view.
- Maybe they can sell the "green" electricity back to the electric company at an inflated rate, thus making money.
- Or maybe it was simply their bloody decision to do what they want with their money and property even if it makes no sense what so ever.
 
I don't understand what's wrong with solar electricity / heating. It's a small step towards sovereignty, and technology gets cheaper and better every day.
 
When solar makes sense is when you buy the panels outright and not make payments on them or lease them.

Also, it depends on the area. In Phoenix with a 4000 square foot house, your electric bill in the summer is guaranteed to be a MINIMUM $600 a month, likely way more than that.

A family member of mine has a 1,500-2,000 square foot house with solar he paid cash for, the break even point is 6 years for them. Their electric bills are $0 a month.
 
The houses in my development are quite nice at around 2500-3200 sq ft. and would cost half million easy if they were located 20 miles further north. I choose to commute longer rather than pay more for the house. Quite a few houses in the neighborhood have solar panels.

If I was younger and planned to stay in the house another 20-30 years, I'd consider the solar panels. I think they're pretty cool.
 
Originally Posted By: 4wheeldog
The only thing that has kept me from installing solar panels is that the pay back period is not quite equal to the expected life span. So......Most of these folks are not saving money......Yet!

When I told solar companies that my monthly bill is about $40-50 they said "Thank you" and hang up.
 
Our bill might hit $90 or even $100 in the summer, so I have to think solar is going to have a long payback for me, what with my northern climate. I also fear what would happen if I were to sell my house in few years--lease or not on the cells, would the potential buyer see the solar panels as an upgrade?
 
My brother-in-law is in the business of power generation. (He worked for World Bank before he retired.) He says that most Americans install solar panels not for the return in investment, but rather for the reason of going green.
 
i have no idea about the cost for the solar panels package and did not even think about the maintenance of those panels. Well. Between me and wife was just a hot discussion about her friends comments " i want to install solar panels, because i want to save $ on electricity bill". Yet always tell people how much disposable money they have... if you are really so rich, why do all these.
 
Originally Posted By: 2008wrx
i have no idea about the cost for the solar panels package and did not even think about the maintenance of those panels. Well. Between me and wife was just a hot discussion about her friends comments " i want to install solar panels, because i want to save $ on electricity bill". Yet always tell people how much disposable money they have... if you are really so rich, why do all these.


Save money on electricity so you have more money to spend on vacations.
 
Originally Posted By: 2008wrx
i have no idea about the cost for the solar panels package and did not even think about the maintenance of those panels. Well. Between me and wife was just a hot discussion about her friends comments " i want to install solar panels, because i want to save $ on electricity bill". Yet always tell people how much disposable money they have... if you are really so rich, why do all these.


You're yanking our chain, right? What sane person would get in a heated discussion with his loving wife over the subject of what the neighbors are or are not doing? Don't you have more important thinks to worry about? As long as it doesn't have any effect on you, how or where others choose to spend their earnings really is none of your business.

That said, my co-worker just put solar panels on his house. they are generating enough solar panel to totally cover the payments for the panels. Energy company incentives and tax credits were enough to make it so he can pay the panels off in 7 years, with payments that are only slightly more than his current electric bill.

Whether he did it to save money or to be more green, or to increase property value, or only because he loves technology, that's totally up to him and his wife. He likes it. It didn't hurt me one way or another. I'm glad that he is happy with it. All is cool
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top