Burgundy Goes Green

[Ron Burgundy]

Me and Mrs. Burgundy are having solar panels installed on our house sometime this summer.
Our average electric bill is $150/mo, good ol' Duquesne Light and I don't even have whole house A/C, solar company is guaranteeing us $125/mo for 25 years, by then I will be dead anyway.
This was greatly helped by the fact that we just got a new roof a year and a half ago.
Panels will only be on the back side of the house which catches so much sun that on a hot day you can hardly touch the inside door knob on the back door.
I just wanna know why I have all sorts of mandated energy saving appliances and light bulbs, yet my electric bill keeps going up.

 

[ZonaBurgh]

My concern with these panels is what happens when a new roof is needed? Freak hailstorm could wreak havoc.

Good that your roof is new.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

My concern with these panels is what happens when a new roof is needed? Freak hailstorm could wreak havoc.

Good that your roof is new.

We have a 25 year guarantee on the solar panels and the roof both.
If your roof is over so many years old they won't install solar panels unless they do the roof too.
They said the solar panels will void the roof warranty, we had 30 years, but they give you 25 years on the roof.

 

[madinsomniac]

Honestly roof panels are a great idea... no idea what they will do with all the toxic cells when the things finally wear out, but on a personal basis, it makes sense...
there are all kinds of issues with the larger scale stuff, but house by house its good in most areas.. just dont get cheaply installed ones, lol...

With data centers eating up all the generated power and obsolete fossil fuel plants being shuttered rather than refurbished or replaced, the cost of power is only going to climb

 

[Confluence]

Can you route the power thru your house or does it all go to grid?

 

[Ron Burgundy]

Can you route the power thru your house or does it all go to grid?

Powers my house during the day and the excess goes to the grid and I get credit for it. Then at night I get power from the grid that uses up the credits.
I'll get a two-way electric meter that measures what comes in and goes out.
My next-door neighbors got solar panels three years ago and they like them. I'm thinking it's a prudent move with all the AI data centers that will be built and jack our electric rates. We just lost western PA's only road race track, Pitt Race, to become a data center. They made the owner an offer he couldn't refuse.

 

[IndySteel]

Powers my house during the day and the excess goes to the grid and I get credit for it. Then at night I get power from the grid that uses up the credits.
I'll get a two-way electric meter that measures what comes in and goes out.
My next-door neighbors got solar panels three years ago and they like them. I'm thinking it's a prudent move with all the AI data centers that will be built and jack our electric rates. We just lost western PA's only road race track, Pitt Race, to become a data center. They made the owner an offer he couldn't refuse.

A legit offer or the old school offer?

 

[Djfan]

Out here, law suits are flying around because the solar companies are all going under, so the warrantees and such are useless. Also, some people have been paying money for coverage to companies that no longer exist, and now some are wondering where those funds have ended up.

 

[Confluence]

Powers my house during the day and the excess goes to the grid and I get credit for it. Then at night I get power from the grid that uses up the credits.
I'll get a two-way electric meter that measures what comes in and goes out.
My next-door neighbors got solar panels three years ago and they like them. I'm thinking it's a prudent move with all the AI data centers that will be built and jack our electric rates. We just lost western PA's only road race track, Pitt Race, to become a data center. They made the owner an offer he couldn't refuse.

That'd be great....you could install some in house battery backup in case they decide to rate you because of more power to the race track.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

That'd be great....you could install some in house battery backup in case they decide to rate you because of more power to the race track.

I asked, the battery backup cost over $10,000.

 

[Confluence]

I asked, the battery backup cost over $10,000.

Yikes.

I think you can get some of Elon's batteries, and similar, cheaper in the future. Maybe you can add it later.

 

[Stainless]

I've considered looking into this as the backside of my house pretty much faces due west and gets all kinds of sun. I think my big concern would be leaks in my roof, but I have no clue how the panels can actually be mounted.

 

[ZonaBurgh]

I've considered looking into this as the backside of my house pretty much faces due west and gets all kinds of sun. I think my big concern would be leaks in my roof, but I have no clue how the panels can actually be mounted.

No doubt the technology has improved, but 40 years ago I placed solar panels on my roof strictly for the hot water tank. Scalding water in the summer months. Big, enclosed copper tanks that looked like scuba tanks when I took them off about 10 years ago. The roof did suffer, but the new panels are pretty light from what I understand.
Good news is the copper tanks recycled for a chunk of change.

 

[Djfan]

No doubt the technology has improved, but 40 years ago I placed solar panels on my roof strictly for the hot water tank. Scalding water in the summer months. Big, enclosed copper tanks that looked like scuba tanks when I took them off about 10 years ago. The roof did suffer, but the new panels are pretty light from what I understand.
Good news is the copper tanks recycled for a chunk of change.

There are also pretty good free-standing options now, if you have the room.