Window, Solar, or Insulation

[Bill]

I had my old windows replaced with LowE, more energy efficient windows. Now I like to have solar panels installed on my roof to generate my own electricity. A friend said that I should consider to insulate my home first. Any comments?

[boblee]

Solar PV is a generally a good choice for renewable electric energy. While prices have come down and there are still rebate and tax credit incentives, PV systems still cost some money to implement. The best way to make sure you do not oversize the installation. To do that you should first take all measures to reduce wasted energy. Seal your house well to reduce conditioned air (hot or cold) from leaking out, then insulate the house, particularly the attic. Then have an energy professional do a calculation of your expected energy usage before deciding on how many solar panels to install. Doing this upfront work will save you money.

[Bill]

I haven't checked out the price yet. I'm not sure the prices of solar panels have gone down. I know the rebate in California is down to $.25/w. That's not much left.

[eins]

There is a surplus of solar panels on the market since the Italy government had problem starting the feed in tariff and Spain does not have the incentive program. The solar panels has gone down quite a bit. The price is more reasonable than a few years back. With the 30% federal tax credit and the small rebate I think it is time to have a PV system. Be sure you air seal and insulate before installing the PV system.

[Bill]

If I have PV system installed, it would take 10-20 years (I guess) for my return on investment which is fine because I plan to stay in our house for a long time. That is good that the value of my house increased but the problem is my property tax would go up too.

[eins]

California law prohibits city/county to increase property tax for the installation of your solar panels. The CEC (California Energy Commission) encourage homeowners to use renewable energy.

[Tosca]

According to California law, you can ask your neighbors to cut/crown their trees if their trees are shading your south-facing roof.

[jkee]

Study has shown that houses with PV system sold for more than the purchase price of the PV system itself. In order to get to zero net energy, PV system works well.

[HoS]

Solar installations are really great for the market value of your home. The price to install solar panels has really come down in the last few years, with new technologies coming to the market at a lower cost. Depending on the energy rates in your area this is usually a good investment if you have the money to install them.

[Stanleys]

This is very useful in getting much in ways to handle in dealing the best views to manage in creating the good ventilation of the home.