Figuring out solar panels....

Andee

Andee

Chameleon Enthusiast
So because I have figured out the permanent of my inverts (including feeders) I am trying to figure out how to save money since we are already probably spending around 120 dollars a month on just my electricity for my animals. When I move the inverts their numbers will increase 10 fold if not more so i am trying figure out best way to do solar paneling for saving money over all and on installation?
 
If you’re talking about solar panels for your house, it’s a big investment. I just purchased my system (3 kilowatt), and the total cost was $17000! I’m sure there are better deals, but I doubt they’re more than 25% or so less. You can always lease the system too, but you won’t see the full savings ever.
 
Its been a number of years since I crunched the numbers but here is what I found to the best of my memory. Prices have likely come down and we have cheap electricity where we live compared to the rest of the country.

Off grid system. At the time, replacing the batteries was more than my accumulative electric bills for that time period. I only see this as a viable option for someone who has no other option or someone who just wants to produce some back up electric with a small kit... More as a backup for long term power outage. I have looked into a small system that could run my freezer during the day, keep my reptiles warm and a few light bulbs at night. Never could figure it out.

Grid tie-in (electric meter spins backwards during the day and forward during the night). The panels cost a good bit. I want to say like 20 grand (including tax rebates) which would require a loan. At the time 6.5% was a rate offered by the local bank for home equity loans. The interest on the loan worked out to being almost as much as my average electric bill. Plus I needed a rider on my insurance and be prepared for repairs on panels. The payoff where I started to save money was... never.

Grid tie-in leasing. Such as Solar City. Probably the most affordable. They charge you what you would have paid the electric company per Kw hour. I would have gone with one of these places, but if for some reason, you no longer wanted to do business with them, too bad. The buy out option is to buy the panels (they told me roughly $30,000). otherwise you are stuck with them for 20 years. I dont sign a 20 year contract with anybody. If they had a buy out option that said for a grand or whatever, we will take them off your roof and let you out of the contract, I would sign. Most of the systems don't work when the main power goes out because they could run backward and electrocute someone working on the lines. Solar city was working on a unit that could run when the power is out, with a small battery backup. Not nearly a big enough battery to supply normal operations, but during the day you would have power direct from the panels and at night, a bit of electricity from the batteries.

My suggestion, wait 2 - 5 years. It should become much more affordable.
 
A solar system will pay for itself in about 20 years. If you use $120 worth of electricity at .12 cents a kilowatt that would be about 1 mega watt of electricity a month. You can buy a grid tied system from wholesale solar for about $7500 that produces about 604kw a month. That leaves you to pay for 396kw which at 12 cents a kw would be about $47 a month. Cost of instillation will be a few thousand dollars to. I did not include the savings of the 30% tax deduction.

I myself am waiting for a few quotes from some solar companies to put solar on a warehouse that is going to be built here at the Tomah VA. I wouldn't be surprised if that system is over $100,000. Its 36 kilowatt 600v system with Modbus metering.
 
I don't think I need a lot of panels? Right? I am just checking to how many people think I will need in general so I know. I think even if it increases to two hundred I only need like 3 smaller panels?
 
Andee said:
I don't think I need a lot of panels? Right? I am just checking to how many people think I will need in general so I know. I think even if it increases to two hundred I only need like 3 smaller panels?
Click to expand...
Its not just panels. Its panels, inverter, disconnects, wire, and if you wanted batteries. If I were to do it I would get a few panels and a bigger inverter so I could add more panels latter on without having to upgrade anything else.
 
I am not going to do off the grid I don't think. It's not what would work best. And the batteries would just make more waste right? There aren't rechargeable ones? I think I only need 2-4 panels to cover the cost of my electricity bill. I am not worried so much about the price I am spending on it because it will save me in the long run, my electricity for my animals alone will be shooting up to 200+once I get the shed. So I'd like to have an idea of how much I need to save for the solar panels. But what I am also worried about, is figuring a way to set them up? Are there installers that I don't have to lease from? Can I buy my panels and have them install them?
 
Here's your option of the day.

As I type this my solar panels are being reinstalled after being removed for a new roof to go on.

I used Vivint solar. This company has a business model I like in that I paid zero for the panels.

The reason for that is that the panels don't belong to me. Essentially they use my roof to generate electricity and sell me the juice for .15 per kw. Anything extra generated goes into the local grid and is applied to my regular electric bill. On average I pay $200 to Vivint Solar and about $40 to Edison. (You have two electric bills with this system). They monitor the system and maintain the panels. I can check everything by internet and know what electricity is being generated.

For comparison I used to spend over $300-400 a month with just Edison. I don't get bumped into higher tiers where they charge me more per kw. I tend to stay in tier 1 now with the panels where before I could easily hit tier 3 or even 4 in the summer.

It was a much better way to go than buying solar panels which would take twenty years to pay off and see a real $$$ benefit
 
OldChamKeeper said:
Here's your option of the day.

As I type this my solar panels are being reinstalled after being removed for a new roof to go on.

I used Vivint solar. This company has a business model I like in that I paid zero for the panels.

The reason for that is that the panels don't belong to me. Essentially they use my roof to generate electricity and sell me the juice for .15 per kw. Anything extra generated goes into the local grid and is applied to my regular electric bill. On average I pay $200 to Vivint Solar and about $40 to Edison. (You have two electric bills with this system). They monitor the system and maintain the panels. I can check everything by internet and know what electricity is being generated.

For comparison I used to spend over $300-400 a month with just Edison. I don't get bumped into higher tiers where they charge me more per kw. I tend to stay in tier 1 now with the panels where before I could easily hit tier 3 or even 4 in the summer.

It was a much better way to go than buying solar panels which would take twenty years to pay off and see a real $$$ benefit
Click to expand...
You pay 15 cents a kw out there!
 
I gotta say I love all these ideas and opinions that people are giving me, I likely won't be able to get the solar power until later in this year at the soonest but I am so excited. And I really have no idea what I'd do without the forum, even though I have been more quiet lately I come on multiple times a day to surf to see if there is anything I can answer. I am looking at things everyone has suggested and hopefully will come up with the best plan for myself in a bit! So excited XD
 
Ill throw a monkey into the wrench. Some breeders just use normal house bulbs and supplement 100% D3. Their chams do just fine (eggs and all) with no UV.

So if you do your home work you could switch to leds and a good D3 supliment.

Your other option is to switch to T5HO's 10.0/12%. Switching from T8 to T5 style increases efficiency 33%, so you need 25% less electricity. And since its 10.0/12% vs 5.0/6%, you again need half the light output. So doing the math, you could go from 100 watts of 5.0/6% T8 bulbs, down to 25 watts of T5HO 10.0/12% bulbs, and still get the same UVB output.
 
nightanole said:
Ill throw a monkey into the wrench. Some breeders just use normal house bulbs and supplement 100% D3. Their chams do just fine (eggs and all) with no UV.

So if you do your home work you could switch to leds and a good D3 supliment.

Your other option is to switch to T5HO's 10.0/12%. Switching from T8 to T5 style increases efficiency 33%, so you need 25% less electricity. And since its 10.0/12% vs 5.0/6%, you again need half the light output. So doing the math, you could go from 100 watts of 5.0/6% T8 bulbs, down to 25 watts of T5HO 10.0/12% bulbs, and still get the same UVB output.
Click to expand...

These aren't for my reptiles. I actually only use one UVB for all my herps. I live in Cali so I do repashy caclium plus three times a week, and every other week do a reptivite with D3 and then the rest of the supplementing is plain calcium. They UV source is a minimum of 4 hours a week for each herp of unfiltered sunlight all through out the year. I usually get more around 10 hours though.

The lighting would be for my insects which I only use UVB for my jumpers and specific arachnids. Otherwise everyone just has basking lights or heat tape/pads.
 
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