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[On It]

Does anyone have solar panels on your home? Are they simple enough for someone technologically challenged to operate? Do they store energy that is available at night and during a blackout? Are they worth the expense? Any responses would be greatly appreciated. We know nothing about them.

[SilleeMee]

They are worth it if you plan on staying in your house for at least the next decade when the payback period ends. My neighbor just had panels put up and she showed me the guts of the system. Not much to it inside the house and you don't need to do anything special to have it work. Everything is automatic. In my state of Colorado there are huge incentives to get them installed. Rebates, tax exemptions and tax credits are all part of the deal when you go with solar here. I want them on my house but there is too much shade from trees on my property to have them work for me.

ETA- I found out about most of the solar panel info by contacting my utilities company. They explained everything.

[millieshops]

@On It   I don't personally have them--  can't because the HOA owns my roof.   But I do know people who have them and yes, they do save dollars, and no, once they are properly installed and working, you don't need to be a technological genius to use them.

You do need to research locally because you need to know if your power company offers rebates for installation, if they will buy your excess power, etc.  You also need to know your own roof is appropriate for solar - condition and orientation to the sun.  

One last thought--   The homes I have seen most often with solar panels are all in areas where electric rates are on the high side of national averages, so be careful about using claims based on national average savings if you live in a low cost electric area.

I

[drizzellla]

Let me start out by saying we do not have solar panels. In fact no one in our immediate area have solar panels.

There are $ incentives to install them.

BUT there is a reason that has stopped my neighbors from getting them. The house down the street was a total lose when they had a fire. They had solar panels on their roof and a fireplace chimney fire. And the old saying "Water and electricity do not mix well". Holds true.

[SilleeMee]

Solar panels don't increase the resale value of your home all that much. Property taxes here are exempted from any increase in value if there is one. Check with your county about that regarding increased property tax due to home value w/solar.

[deeva]

We've had solar panels for ten years. And yes, they are worth it. Depending on where you live and the amount of sun you get.

Here in the desert, the cost savings are huge since we have over 300 days of  sunshine a year.

We got ours free as an upgrade when we built our home. 

Once they're professionally installed by a reputable company that installs enough panels, there's no maintenance.

[jackthebear]

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@On It wrote:

Does anyone have solar panels on your home? Are they simple enough for someone technologically challenged to operate? Do they store energy that is available at night and during a blackout? Are they worth the expense? Any responses would be greatly appreciated. We know nothing about them.

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there is nothing to do

our power goes back to the grid and we get reduced bill

it is not cheap 

[Kachina624]

We had a company come through our area several years ago and they installed solar panels at no cost.  I talked to their rep a long time and never figured out what was in it for them.  I signed up then changed my mind.  I had a brand new roof and didn't want holes in it, I was suspicious of legal ramifications and my electric bill only averaged $50-60/mo, so it wasn't a major expense.  Not worth it.

Many people in my neighborhood do have solar as we have plentiful sunshine.

[Icegoddess]

If you install them hooked into the grid, aka the Utility Co., such that you can sell your excess back to them, the Utiilty Co. has control over it.  So, in a time of need, they could divert your power to some other entity which they deem needs it more.  

I have some friends that got solar power and that was a point they mentioned about it.  I don't remember, but since they are preppers, I have a feeling they chose to keep theirs off the grid. They're also both engineers, so I imagine they wouldn't have any problem maintaining/troubleshooting their system should the need arise.

[CAcableGirl2]

I don't have them, but many do in my area, and on the nextdoor site, there are always complaints about them truing up the bill at the end of the year, so you may end up with a large bill annually.  

My bill isn't large enough to warrant putting them in, but someone in my department did and told me his cost was $160 per month, and once done complained that he didn't get enough of them.  I don't think he is very happy about it.

Also, many get them on a lease or payment plan, and then when they try to sell the home, the person has to qualify to take over that loan too, and I've read that many Realtors don't like to deal with them since possible purchasers can't or don't want to take over the loan payments for the system along with the mortgage.   Others have complained that the company they got them for went out of business and when something needed fixing, they were left out in the cold.  

I would have to have a very large monthly bill for electric service, and then do lots and lots of research before I decided to get them.