[cbacba]

Originally Posted by Paradox

Hi Cbacba,

You could actually purchase a unit to run the average home for just under $30,000 (reroofing is not usually necessary) and Uncle Sam and most states provide about $10,000 is credits to offset the costs. So, for $20,000 most people would be up and running and probably adding power to the grid -- depending on their sunny days that is. For someone like me that has a bill closer to twice your estimate the savings are profound. Add to that the increased value it adds to your home, the added security of being that much more self-sufficient and the feel-good tree-hugger aspect and it makes sense.

As you stated, it comes down to economics. It is a clip initially but you can finance it and write off the interest...according to my figures, for most people, it would be a win-win situation...unless it gets unusually cloudy - - which is a possibility.

~Paradox

Actually, reroofing is nominally around a 15 yr cycle (for those buying 20-30yr roofs). Mounting panels on the roof makes for a much more expensive roofing job. You haven't mentioned the size in watts for the panel system or how much power you expect to legitimately from them based on a year's usage. The number I used was just a typical value of what one can find for a single panel - then sized up for a complete system. That was a 50 W panel for about $300 as I recall which is in the ballpark of what I've seen somewhere. Between cloudy and rainy days and the direction of the sun throughout the day and altitude position during the year( as in altitude/azimuth position) one cannot expect full power for 8 hours a day every day.