April
2010
Can someone give me a ball park figure on home solar panel system install after rebates?
estimated cost of complete install and size
What im wondering, is if i can get a solar panel system installed on my home in sunny nevada for around $10,000?
system on the smaller size; for one person in 3br/2ba newer home.
You get a 30% federal tax credit (if your taxes are enough), so that’s a $14,000 system that you’re talking about. Possibly Nevada has some incentive dollars, too - I don’t know. That will buy a 2 kW, maybe 3 kW system. If you have A/C, it will probably not keep up.
The best way to get an idea of costs is to contact a professional installer in your area. Be ready with your electric bills for the past year if you can.
If you’re construction oriented, you could put up a system yourself, getting a kit from a place like http://partsonsale.com/solarhomekits.html - but it’s not a project to be taken lightly. If you’re the kind of person that would re-roof their own house, or add a branch circuit to a room, then it might be for you.
We put up our own in 2006, and it’s still working fine. The cost breakdowns are at http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/roderick/solar/photovoltaic.html
The cost for an average size home (2000 sq ft) is at least 30,000 and can be quite a bit more depending on certain factors. You will get 1/3 of that back as a tax rebate from the federal government. The state incentives vary. You can look up yours here: http://www.dsireusa.org/
The cost of the panels is based on the size of the house and your location. You can get more info on different levels of solar energy installation as well as the factors that increase cots by going to this website:
http://www.costhelper.com/cost/home-garden/solar-panels.html
Currently, it takes quite a long time for solar installation to break even, so this is an investment in the environment and the future vs. now.
References :
Hornedfish, I’m glad you have taken some interest in investing in solar energy, but, really, if you have gone this far, you should make contact with the local pros in your area, as they are better suited to answer your questions, from what is locally available product-wise (panels vary in quality, size and locale, among other factors), what permitting process is entailed locally to what grants/rebates are locally offered (both by your local government and local electrical utility) in addition to the state and federal financial incentives out there. So, my guess is to seek the advice of local electrical contractors, as I bet they increasingly are in the field installing more and more solar panels ultimately down to electric meters as they have been known to install the traditional electrical outlet–it’s becoming that common.
What is good for you is that there are plenty of local electrical contractors seeking to give free estimates with no obligation, and taking advantage of this is the consumer-smart way to go about finding an accurate answer to your question. It’s important that you get a local estimate and not rely on guesses found here on Yah, as a lot of factors really bear on the cost of such a project, including the following: The cost of material and labor greatly varies by location.
Also, as to the cost, if you negotiate well with the contractor and he buys the panels, etc. for you, you may try to have him pass the discounted cost of the materials to you, as usually contractors get discounts (called "contractor’s discounts" / "contractor’s price") when buying from home improvement stores because of the many purchases they make as required by their jobs..
So, yeah, to start, getting free estimates from local electrical contractors is the key to your success in this home improvement project of yours. Here’s a great link to a handyman site that offers free very resourceful information to assist you in determining the cost of your project, and, ultimately, selecting a local electrical contractor in an effort to get the best deal for you:
Info on electrical contractor:
http://yourhandymanzone.com/Your_Handyman_Zone_Free_Estimates_Electrical.htm
I’m sure you’ll find the information you need, specifically the tips, useful as it relates to being treated fairly by contractors and exploring the consumer-wise approach of getting free written estimates to find the best contractor in your area.
Oh, also, incidentally, here’s an article on alternative energies, solar panels to windmills:
http://yourhandymanzone.com/Your_Handyman_Zone_How_To_Pages_Home_Improvement_Zone_Alternative_Energy_Systems.htm
Hope this helps as well.
.
Source(s):
My mind and really what is available online, as posted above. Through trial and error of searching online, having developed better search techniques to find what I’m looking for, and through my development of sites like the one above, I try to help direct people to what they are seeking.
References :
You might take a look at some recent issues of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics. New , cheaper systems are on the cusp of arrival into the market place that will reduce the cost of solar.
References :
You get a 30% federal tax credit (if your taxes are enough), so that’s a $14,000 system that you’re talking about. Possibly Nevada has some incentive dollars, too - I don’t know. That will buy a 2 kW, maybe 3 kW system. If you have A/C, it will probably not keep up.
The best way to get an idea of costs is to contact a professional installer in your area. Be ready with your electric bills for the past year if you can.
If you’re construction oriented, you could put up a system yourself, getting a kit from a place like http://partsonsale.com/solarhomekits.html - but it’s not a project to be taken lightly. If you’re the kind of person that would re-roof their own house, or add a branch circuit to a room, then it might be for you.
We put up our own in 2006, and it’s still working fine. The cost breakdowns are at http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/roderick/solar/photovoltaic.html
References :