HI, Neighbors - Interested in Solar Energy? [This is a slightly edited repost of a message I sent to the Yahoo listserve yesterday. Sorry if you are on both groups and get it twice.] Im writing to find out if there are any other people in the Greentree neighborhood who like me, are interested in the possibility of installing solar panels on their property, or people who have solar panels and would be willing to share their experiences? The price of solar panels has dropped a good bit over the last five years, and with available rebates and incentives though West Penn Power and the huge 30% federal *tax credit* still in place through 2016, professional on-roof solar installations in our area can now have simple payback times of as little as about 10 years (depending on size, usage patterns, complexity of the installation, choice of panels, etc.) Although Central PA doesnt get as much sun as a lot of other places, panels these days are pretty efficient, and they do not need sunny days to produce a good amount of electricity. The panels DO need an unobstructed sky view, either from your roof or a yard. Installs can be done to roofs on the front of the house that leave the solar panel flush with the roof line if needed. The power company which offers several incentives in addition to the 30% will install a net metering system that allows you to sell your energy back to the grid for times when you are making more than you are using. These systems have lifespans typically exceeding 25 years, so there could be considerable longterm savings for a solar panel system bought at todays prices. The thought occurred to me that several of us in Greentree might be thinking along the same lines after this cold winter and high winter heating costs. In some other cities, groups of neighbors have been able to lower their installed cost considerably by negotiating a group discount for a number of installations in the same area. Maybe we could do that, too. I asked two of our local companies who are experienced in solar panel installations and all of the permitting and both enthusiastically responded that having a number of installations in a neighborhood would help them bring the price down a good bit. Is anyone else interested in learning more? If anyone has any experiences to share, companies to recommend, warnings to share, it would be great to hear from you too! Best regards, Claude ps - Im new on Facebook and the Greentree group, so Im not entirely sure that I will do it all correctly. Apologies in advance for any mistakes....
Posted on: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 19:47:41 +0000
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