Monday, September 12, 2005

 

Shingle wiring

I finally got around to making a schematic of how the shingles were wired together in the attic. Here it is:


Click here for larger version.

Comments:
I just found your site today and have been reading with interest. I'm considering a major solar installation at my place soon, in 2006 or 2007, assuming I can afford it. :-)

I looked for but couldn't find a 'total cost' estimate for your installation. Any ideas? Where did you save money with volunteer/personal labor?

Of course, everyone's situation is different. Right now we've got a fairly new roof on our house so I'm not sure I would go with the solar shingles. Seems like there's a lot more labor involved to get them installed than there would be for just a normal panel installation. If I needed a new roof anyway, I would probably consider them.
 
Eventually, I will post details of the cost, but I did a rough check a couple of weeks ago. Figure about $20,000 for materials (including substantial amounts for shipping and taxes), and $3000 to $5000 in labor (depending in part on how much I value my own time). At current utility rates of seven to nine cents per kwh, it will take a very long time for payback. But rates won't be that low for long. And I've got blackout protection and the delightful green smugness of not adding to global warming and such!
 
Thanks! Even the rough estimate is very helpful. I'm still in the early planning stage, so it's very helpful to understand the ballpark cost of any given installation.

Yeah, I agree that it's not quite an instant payback... but IMHO it will clearly pay off over the long run. Even panels from the 70's have had fairly long lifetimes in practice, and modern panels should be even better. Not having to worry about blackouts and rising energy prices, and being green besides, well, that's priceless.

With housing prices $200K and up in a lot of areas, a $10K-20K solar installation doesn't seem so bad. And since I'm in Ohio, I'm hoping to take advantage of energy grant/loan programs here to help abate the cost.

Again, thank you so much for this blog. It's providing a *ton* of very helpful information, the kind of stuff that's hard to find anywhere else!
 
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