FYI, when installing solar panels make sure is raised above the roof by at least 5" to allow solar panel cooling. Having solar as close to the roof as possible looks the best (esthetic look) but you will lose 15-20% of power output from the solar system during hot summers.
Nice overview- just be aware that rules vary considerably state-to-state and even between electric utilities. Our power company limits home power production to our average consumption but 200 feet from here a different utility has no limit. Both give a yearly billing credit at wholesale power rate for over production. Also: - make sure that monitoring notifications go to you. I learned the hard way when my installer went out of business and my system went down a couple years later without me knowing. - look into panel cooling strategies because panel output drops significantly as temperature rises and you can harvest significantly thermal energy while cooling the panels. - just be aware that power company will still charge for being connected to the grid. Mine charges $360 per year while the other electric utility in the area charges $60.
Just my $0.02 on the value of solar: to me it's more about peace of mind than saving money in the short term. If the grid goes down I won't freeze to death in the Maine winter, my food won't spoil in my freezers, and I can still run my well and sump pumps
The only issue is if you just go grid-tie, which most people do. It is, however, also significantly cheaper to go grid tie than with a battery backup. For the cost of going battery backup, you could buy a really nice hybrid generator and keep it stocked with propane for years.
@@Akdale777 Do you mean how long will my batteries power the house with no grid? I have 20kW of panels and 110kWh of battery bank. Assuming zero solar if we have a stretch of bad weather, the batteries will power the house for a couple weeks if we're careful. During the winter here, assuming we get 4 hours of sunlight a day, I should still generate enough power to keep my battery bank charged. So I guess the answer is indefinitely. I only still have a grid connection for backup.
Good tech review but no financial analysis. What was the solar total initial cost and forecast costs (washing, repair,, roof, inverter, insurance, etc.) over 20 years? What is the net savings per year vs your past grid usage? At .0.12 kwh rate I doubt this makes a good financial decision.
Homeowners insurance go up or in some cases canceled if too much power produced? Property taxes increase? Lien on property till paid in full or while under lease?
Here in New Hampshire, I paid $28K (after tax credit) for a system that generates $4K of electricity a year. So the payback is reasonable. But we have 1 to 1 net metering, so batteries aren’t needed like they would be in California. If you believe in the 4% rule for retirement, cutting an expensive by $4K, is like having an extra $100K in your retirement account.
of course, omitting the opportunity cost of capital on $28K cash outlay and failing to mention that that what you get is a "tax credit" (strings attached) not a cash rebate
@@deltasquared7777 Your correct. It's a one year tax credit and cannot be spread over multiple years. Most people do not pay enough federal tax to use the whole tax credit. And yes people act like they don't pay the whole cost of the system and then apply the tax rebate (if they can).
1-to-1 net metering won't help you in a grid down situation. Grid tied solar systems are shutdown if the grid goes off rendering you out of power like everyone else. I learned this the hard way and have since added two Tesla Powerwalls. When the eye of hurricane Beryl went over my home our solar and battery system kept us with power for days while the grid was repaired.
The solar panels are cooler than the roof because they have airflow on the top and bottom of the panels. Something else that you need to worry about when adding solar power to any electrical panel is the 120% rule. The 120% rule states that the main service breaker rating plus 125% of the max continuous AC inverter output in amps should not exceed 120% of the main service panel busbar rating. 200A Busbar * 120% = 240A - 200A Main Break = 40A Back Feed / 125% of max continuous inverter output = 32A safe back feed amount(IE 7,680Watts) This is to ensure that 1) you do not over heat your panel busbars and supply more power than they can handle potentially causing things to melt inside your panel box and 2) makes sure that you're not pushing 100% power through your back-feed breaker for 3-4 hours a day which can cause it it over heat and melt as well. If your house doesn't have it already installed, you should add a radiant barrier across the underside of the roof rafters. They can help reduce HVAC loads by double percentage points. For instance if you have an under-insulated attic, a radiant barrier can help save 10-40% on HVAC costs. Whereas, if you have a properly insulated attic you can save 5-10% on HVAC costs.
100% agree on radiant barrier. I'm in a hot/humid climate and installed under the rafters myself this summer. I monitored before/after for several weeks to collect data. The radiant barrier dropped the top of my attic insulation temperature during peak hours from 10-15 above outside air temp to 2-3 degrees below outside air temp. AND I already had a metal roof with 3/4" of polyiso board under the metal so I was not extremely hot to begin with. If I had a regular shingle roof the results would be substantially more drastic. I see a lot of folks trying to determine effect of radiant barrier by measuring air temperature. It does not work that way. Radiant heat does not directly heat the air, it heats objects then the objects slowly release that heat to the surrounding air. My attic air temperature remains substantially below ambient until afternoon now, remains below outside air temp, and drops temperature twice as fast as before during the evening.
I worked in an attic one summer installing electrical wiring and it was at least 150 deg's. Then the attic ceiling was spray foamed and the attic felt air conditioned!
You have the space between each rafter that pulls airflow through the soffit vents at the roofs bottom edge. The space between the rood and the radiant barrier will be hot.
@@Kansas-Paul Use perforated radiant barrier and hang it loosely. Atticfoil has very helpful videos which will increase your understand of exactly what radiant heat is. You are not trying to block or redirect airflow, you want air to flow freely thru and around the foil
Yeah right, one hail storm, one arty round, one bad wind storm and gg solar panels. You can have a natural gas hookup and a generator for cheap, or get a gas generator and buy a few barrels of gas or a in ground or above ground tank and just wait for the gas prices to drop and fill up. If your generator breaks it's easy to have common spare parts on hand. If the solar system goes down good luck getting it fixed under warranty or them making you a priority.
Since you don’t have a separate Tesla gateway that means you’ve got a meter collar (teslas backup switch). No need for a separate critical loads panel. That’s such a clean and the quick installation when they use it in the utilities that currently allow it.
I live in Florida so Solar and Battery backup makes sense here because when Hurricanes hit, we are guaranteed to lose grid power for at least a few days and longer. My sister at her home lost power for 21 days after a hurricane a few years back. If you have the ability in Florida to have Solar, Batteries and a backup generator to recharge your batteries I think will be great.
It probably is here in Maine, where electricity costs $0.35 per kWh. I designed my system, built the batteries from bare LFP cells, installed everything, and still spent $65k. If I had bought it from one of the solar companies up here they would have charged 3x that, and I'd be stuck with microinverters and overall crappier equipment.
There is a big upside to microinverters though, in that if one fails and you have 20 panels with 1 a piece you lose 1/20 of your solar production, spend $300 to replace it, and spend a couple man hours to get it changed out. But if one of your standard inverters fails you have no solar at all, you'll spend $2000-$5000 or more on the inverter and could miss several days of solar production, but only spend 1-1.5 hours replacing it.
What type of system and size of system did you build for 65K? That's what installers want for a 16KWH system with 30kwh worth of batteries. All of the equipment and parts by itself with 45KWH worth of batteries will cost me about 24K before the tax credits.
@@christopherfoote3395 41x 455W Solarever panels, 2x Victron 10kVA inverters, 8x Seplos 15.4 kWH DIY 48V LFP batteries, 2x Victron RRS 100A charge controllers, a couple Lynx distributors, power ins, smart shunt, cerbo go brain/screen, Iron Ridge racking, etc. Just the cost of the panels and batteries was ~$30k
Hi! I learn a lot watching all of your excellent video!. Concerning this video, you did not mention when and how one should clean the solar panels. My neighbors have solar panels and they look very dust covered. Is their efficiency reduced, and when should one clean the solar panels to make sure they are producing an optimum amount of energy? Again, great learning videos! Thanks so much for all the effort you put into revealing all your secrets!!!!!
I want to add some solar as back up. I live in an earthquake-prone area where we are prone to 9.0+ magnitude quakes. Having at least some solar so that I am somewhat functional should the power go out for a month or more is sensible, climate change issues or otherwise. Think emergency preparedness is always sensible for most people. Add to that the practicality of having it reduce overall electrical costs in the meantime is a huge plus. I would have a bifacial panel set up where the panels are vertically oriented so they last longer...
@@29kideas Can't buy gas after a quake. The electricity is knocked out and the pumps don't run. Will take months to restore power. How do you figure panels will get destroyed?
Thanks for the Info on your newly installed Energy System. Interesting.... I'm sure that a lot of viewers would like to know your Total Rough cost of your Solar Energy/Battery System out of Pocket
@@mxbadboy263 Can I claim a solar tax credit next year? You can claim the federal tax credit once for the year you install a solar system. However, if the credit is more than the taxes you owe, it will roll over to the next tax year for up to five years.
Battery for your solar system is only going to make financial sense if you live off grid. Otherwise a propane/gasoline and generator for backup will beat it in cost and reliability. 1. Batteries lose energy, you're probably looking at a 20% loss in solar production right off the bat if you are continuously using your batteries. 2. If you want an equivalent backup to a generator with its own fuel in terms of days/weeks of reliable backup, you have to presume there will be no overcast days OR have significantly more batteries as backup - like $40-50k (or more) to have that same level of backup. Solar in general will only be worth it financially if you 1. Get it at a cost of say $2/watt 2. Have a 1:1 net metering guarantee by your state and energy provider. 3. Get a 3rd party 30 year insurance like solarinsure. That one in particular has a very large network of solar crews all over the country. 4. Have a roof with at least 20 years of life in it. Probably the biggest scam in solar (like much of HVAC) is the ridiculous commission the sales person will pocket, something to the tune of 25% to 50% is going to the sales person. Much like the comfort specialist or whatever from the local HVAC company. Much like HVAC, very common for someone to get 25% for the equipment and materials, 25% for the labor+permitting, rest goes to overhead and sales person. There are good no- commission installer network companies out there like Project Solar or Mona Lee that won't take you to the ringer on the sales commissions.
Solar is a good idea in 99% of peoples power needs. Backup power availability, you can start small and grow your system if you plan ahead. And grid power is only going to go up. When you buy solar you essentially have locked in your power rates; immune to hyper-inflation.
Would be interesting to hear what make/model of solar panel, inverter, racking, and mounts your system uses. Our 7 year old system uses LG panels, Enphase microinverters, Iron Ridge racks and FlashFoot2 mounts. We needed a new roof at the same time so got a 50-year roof. Is your system a microgrid when the power is out, in other words the solar can charge the battery when the power is out? Our electricity when we started was 10.8 cents per kWh and they forecasted a 9 year breakeven with a 4% per year increase in electrical rate. And a net cost of $1.20/watt installed with federal/state/utility incentives. But rates here have really rocketed, up 40% in the last 3 years, now 18 cents/kWh. Glad we installed when we did. Oh yeah, make sure you have a whole house surge suppressor to protect your inverter or microinverters.
As to answering the question if it is worth it in 2025 you need to cost out the breakeven and factor in the net metering etc. The current Enphase systems can provide power during daylight hours in a power outage without a battery or you can have a very small battery like 5 kWh.
I Enjoy your Channel. This question is off topic. I have a gas-in-floor radiant heating system for my home. We also have an AC system separate with a air handler for our AC needs. They were installed in our new home in 2007. No problems. My question is, when I need to replace my AC should I consider a Heat Pump AC unit system, Also, would I be able to use the heat in the winter as a supplementary source for those mild days where turning on the in floor heating doesn't make sense? There is not much information on the internet about this. Thanks Stu
I bought a home with solar panels installed. If I was having them installed I would not have gone with battery backup. In fact I would not have installed solar at all. The only reason I have them is because they came with the house. I don't have battery backup. Way too expensive. So I have a Generac whole house generator and that has been the best for me. I have a neighbor with the battery backup and he's not happy with it. The batteries don't do a good job of keeping his home going during many days of power outages. He is also having a whole house generator installed. I am in far northern Illinois and had an ice storm knock out all of our power for days. The whole house generator was awesome. When my roof needs work or replacing I will have the solar panels permanently removed. For me they are a waste of time and money. They are mostly dead during the dark cold days of winter.
If he has a hybrid inverter there is a space for a generator hookup which can be used to power the house and charge the batteries when there is no solar. If he doesn't have an hybrid inverter, I would spend that money on one and get a portable generator.
Many of these systems support operation when the grid is down, may only need a small battery. While your generator can run the whole home, and that’s great, it depends on having natural gas. I’ve seen where a blackout on a very cold day will cause gas shortages. In such a case if you have solar you’ll still be able to power critical loads in your home - lighting, space heater, the auger on a pellet stove, etc.
I am a retired electrician and my jaw dropped when I saw the MC cables just drooping in your attic. It’s a code violation and safety hazard, they should have been supported. I’m also shocked the building inspector approved it being done that way.
Working in there it install the new heat pump, I fastened them so they weren’t dropping. Not a huge deal but yea they could have easily made that look better
I believe all power meter are import and export power. New power meter have lcd indicator which direction power flow, old power meter just turn backwards. You forgot to mention Tesla meter collar there, that is the big part of power wall 3!
I just paid my electric bill, it was a check for $600.00 and change. I've checked before and I didn't see anyone installing Tesla in southeast Louisiana.
So, have you done away with the tri-fuel generator and manual backfeed transfer switch? I would think it would be good to be able to run the generator and use the excess power it makes to full charge the batteries or to supplement the batteries at night.
You should definitely consult a real estate agent before doing this, especially if you're financing the panel system. They can tell you how it would impact your ability to sell your house in the future since the panel debt would have to be transferred to the seller (they won't go for that) or you pay it off, taking away from your profit.
It’s way better to not grid tie, Most states don’t require permits up to 10kwh+ those solar installations are not done always correctly, example they always leak, tons of roof leaks because of solar installations. You should have someone hose down those panels with water just like it would rain all over the roof and another person inside the attic looking for any water leaks. It’ll save you major headaches down the road, use walkie-talkies to communicate so the person can shut off the water when you find a leak.. if there isn’t any leaks, then you got quality install except for the cables not being secured. It just seems like anything that has to do with Roofing needs to have your own eyes on quality control go in the attic and see how many shiners which we call nail penetrations that never hit the stud there are and you’ll find out why there’s a ton of roof leaks poor installations. With solar you want to use high-quality panels at the highest efficiency rate at least 25 to 30 year warranty? Off grid and zero battery backup saves the most. Your system looks to be decent, huge investment for most. Hard to make the switch with kWh prices you have.
I got my Solar system in 4/2022 before NEM changed to 3.0. NEM 2.0 means any extra power produced by my solar system the Grid pays me the same amount as if buying the per kWh. I have no batt bckup but used the grid as my batt bckup which they buy my excess during the day (same price as if buying from the grid) and I buy back or credit used during peak hours. I have highly efficient solar panels with 30% offset power that I use annually (in case EV cars, etc). I had the top Enphase microinverters and enphase combiner box. For the past two years, I have not paid electric bills but got paid ($100-$200) at the end of the year for my excess power total per year. With NEM 3.0 the grid buys your excess just pennies (not the same price as if buying) and would be wise to have a batt bckup for non-solar production hours. I had my solar 100% financed at .1.49% interest for 20 years and with a 30% rebate, I paid that towards my solar loan. For the past two years, my Solar system has been worth the cost and paying itself for the money I save not paying the grid $250 on average per month and $350-$500 during summer months due to the dual HAVC system.
@@lgroves336 Modern LFP cells are guaranteed between 5000 and 8000 cycles. Meaning they’ll have 80%+ capacity after those cycles. Similar concept for panels. My panels, for example, have a 25 year guarantee for 80%+ output
That'd wild, PGE serving most of oregon is getting wild, they just filed for another 10.5% increase. If it goes through they will have increased prices 42% in the last 2.5 years
I didn’t even get a minute in before realising it’s a giant add for the solar company I mean when you start out promoting how good they are obviously the summary of the video without even watching is yes it’s worth it and it’s great and you should do it through the solar company I just promoted . Shill is all I have to say -Shill
Should have done it yourself. Even with the tax credit you got ripped off IMO. Solar panels are 30 cents a watt batteries $75 per kwh for good lithium ion. Whatever you spend you could have gotten it done for less than half probably...
You still get the tax credit if you DIY it. Regarding batteries and panels, a realistic price for panels is a little over $0.50 per W when you include shipping. For batteries, a Seplos kit with enclosure, BMS, etc. is about $700 shipped. 280AH LFP cells are ~ $85 shipped from a reputable suppier (docan power, goebel, etc). Assuming you get lucky and you're assembled 48V battery is 15.4 kWh, that works out to about $140 / kWh. I've built 8 of these batteries so far and the prices on cells has dropped 30% in the past year or two.
What is "overproduction" of solar panel output? Does the electric utility company limit how much power you may supply to their grid, so that "overproduction" means producing more power than their limit plus the amount your household consumes?
No, they do not limit it but they buy back un used energy at a certain cent per kw, but it resets every year. So you don’t want to way overproduce or you are just throwing money away
>diyhvacguy : What parameter is "reset" each year? If there's no limit so they buy all the unused power you produce, it doesn't seem possible to "overproduce."
My bills average $200 a month and I wouldn't bother either. Also, my roof's facing EW so I would need more panels to generate similar output facing S. Plus, every winter I see roof covered with snow 4 months out of the year here in MN. Solar only makes sense in off grid scenario without infrastructure or high electricity costs states.
@@29kideas I, like the presenter, live in Utah (low electricity rates). I've had a similar priced solar setup for 7 years and it started saving me money from day one. My average electric bill was a tick over $200 back then and my payment and connection fee combined was $15 a month cheaper back then. Now comes the main point I always make when people ask about solar. I tell them to not think of it as eliminating their electric bill, to think of it as locking-in their current rate instead. For example, my $200 average bill would likely be around $270-280 now (I'm basing that on about the average 30% increase in utility rates during that time, I obviously don't have a true comparison to make since I don't see a real bill). My costs have stayed the same. One think I will concede, in Utah we get snow but it generally doesn't last long on rooftops in winter so I do have more generation time than you would. I mainly just wanted to offer an angle of thought that a lot of people don't consider.
@@phonebem If you account for util price hike, you should also consider equipment degradation and depreciation over time. Also, say your initial investment was $20k, if you put that money in some financial asset and make money, you could also offset your savings with that.
WEll winters are mostly dark can go days wiot no sun, SO no good. a good hail storm, Breaks like glass, How is that covered? If you need to re roof house? that not going to go well
i live in FL and solar does not and cannot make sense in any regard, even with a $0.12 cents per kwh full credit rebate for power back to the grid. roof shingles must be replaced every 10 years as per insurance company rules to maintain full non-prorated coverage on your home. so, it would involve a removal and reinstallation of solar panels at about a $3k cost every 10 years. also, solar panels lose quite a bit of efficiency over time, so there's that as well...making it nearly impossible to even break even. solar in FL just does not make sense, but don't try to argue that point with a salesperson.
It’s not worth it if you or your neighbors have trees that are blocking the sun. After the first year I didn’t get what I was supposed too and they told me I would have to ask my neighbors to trim their trees 😳 and trim my own 😮
An off-grid transfer switch setup is definitely worth it when it's sunny and hot and everyone overloads the grid in my area with their HVAC's kicking on and I've still got power via my solar generator.
Maybe….its more complicated than that. What’s the average return? 10%? Other factors to consider are tax implications as well. Then you have the option for this system to be off grid when power outage and still be powering the home which I’m sure is very attractive for him in that part of the country.
I wouldn't take the pandemics effects on the stock market into account though. Because that is, hopefully, a once in a lifetime thing. So you shouldn't base those returns on investment over something so unlikely to happen. Solar adds equity to your home. Solar reduces your power bill in two ways like he talked about in the video. Solar reduces your tax liability for a few years depending on how much you spend on it, but solar can be done cheaper than $15,000 for 8-10Kw systems if you do it yourself if you don't go with a battery back up solution.
No electric company in TX gives U back money & the surplus produce will expire w/ most companies. Also it is cap & the credit is exclusive of any monthly base charge, any advanced meter surcharge, applicable taxes and fees, or other charges (such as late fees, special meter reading fees, and fees related to the disconnection or connection of service.
It’s cheap now. But I guess at the end of the day I’m the electrician selling it so no but your average 13 kW system here in Canada now is around 28,000 for good stuff.
Batteries are not worth it UNLESS your power goes out all the time...otherwise those batteries are a ripoff...I would rather have a backup generator...besides I wouldn't support Tesla
The only positive with Tesla is, you know they will be there for awhile should you need warranty work. Buddy O mine put solar on his house, company went under. Now he's screwed if anything fails. It's hard to tell who will have the longevity in this market with it still being somewhat new.
Unfortunately I’m a disabled person. Being I done make much money to be taxed. The discount irrelevant. Sad but true. So anyone disabled or on social security will not benefit.
This episode became unlistenable to me after way too many bings, bonks, boinks and other such annoying needless sounds accompanying the visuals. All these noises are taking away from your message!
FYI, when installing solar panels make sure is raised above the roof by at least 5" to allow solar panel cooling. Having solar as close to the roof as possible looks the best (esthetic look) but you will lose 15-20% of power output from the solar system during hot summers.
Nice overview- just be aware that rules vary considerably state-to-state and even between electric utilities. Our power company limits home power production to our average consumption but 200 feet from here a different utility has no limit. Both give a yearly billing credit at wholesale power rate for over production.
Also:
- make sure that monitoring notifications go to you. I learned the hard way when my installer went out of business and my system went down a couple years later without me knowing.
- look into panel cooling strategies because panel output drops significantly as temperature rises and you can harvest significantly thermal energy while cooling the panels.
- just be aware that power company will still charge for being connected to the grid. Mine charges $360 per year while the other electric utility in the area charges $60.
Just my $0.02 on the value of solar: to me it's more about peace of mind than saving money in the short term. If the grid goes down I won't freeze to death in the Maine winter, my food won't spoil in my freezers, and I can still run my well and sump pumps
The only issue is if you just go grid-tie, which most people do. It is, however, also significantly cheaper to go grid tie than with a battery backup. For the cost of going battery backup, you could buy a really nice hybrid generator and keep it stocked with propane for years.
For how long? How many batteries? 48v?
@@Akdale777 Until the sun burns out :) The batteries recharge every day.
@@KilerChese My system is not grid tied. CMP can kiss my @ss
@@Akdale777 Do you mean how long will my batteries power the house with no grid? I have 20kW of panels and 110kWh of battery bank. Assuming zero solar if we have a stretch of bad weather, the batteries will power the house for a couple weeks if we're careful. During the winter here, assuming we get 4 hours of sunlight a day, I should still generate enough power to keep my battery bank charged. So I guess the answer is indefinitely. I only still have a grid connection for backup.
Always learn something new watching your videos! Thanks!! Can't wait for the next one.
Good tech review but no financial analysis. What was the solar total initial cost and forecast costs (washing, repair,, roof, inverter, insurance, etc.) over 20 years? What is the net savings per year vs your past grid usage? At .0.12 kwh rate I doubt this makes a good financial decision.
Homeowners insurance go up or in some cases canceled if too much power produced? Property taxes increase? Lien on property till paid in full or while under lease?
Here in New Hampshire, I paid $28K (after tax credit) for a system that generates $4K of electricity a year. So the payback is reasonable. But we have 1 to 1 net metering, so batteries aren’t needed like they would be in California.
If you believe in the 4% rule for retirement, cutting an expensive by $4K, is like having an extra $100K in your retirement account.
of course, omitting the opportunity cost of capital on $28K cash outlay and failing to mention that that what you get is a "tax credit" (strings attached) not a cash rebate
@@deltasquared7777 Your correct. It's a one year tax credit and cannot be spread over multiple years. Most people do not pay enough federal tax to use the whole tax credit. And yes people act like they don't pay the whole cost of the system and then apply the tax rebate (if they can).
1-to-1 net metering won't help you in a grid down situation. Grid tied solar systems are shutdown if the grid goes off rendering you out of power like everyone else. I learned this the hard way and have since added two Tesla Powerwalls. When the eye of hurricane Beryl went over my home our solar and battery system kept us with power for days while the grid was repaired.
The solar panels are cooler than the roof because they have airflow on the top and bottom of the panels.
Something else that you need to worry about when adding solar power to any electrical panel is the 120% rule. The 120% rule states that the main service breaker rating plus 125% of the max continuous AC inverter output in amps should not exceed 120% of the main service panel busbar rating.
200A Busbar * 120% = 240A - 200A Main Break = 40A Back Feed / 125% of max continuous inverter output = 32A safe back feed amount(IE 7,680Watts)
This is to ensure that 1) you do not over heat your panel busbars and supply more power than they can handle potentially causing things to melt inside your panel box and 2) makes sure that you're not pushing 100% power through your back-feed breaker for 3-4 hours a day which can cause it it over heat and melt as well.
If your house doesn't have it already installed, you should add a radiant barrier across the underside of the roof rafters. They can help reduce HVAC loads by double percentage points. For instance if you have an under-insulated attic, a radiant barrier can help save 10-40% on HVAC costs. Whereas, if you have a properly insulated attic you can save 5-10% on HVAC costs.
100% agree on radiant barrier. I'm in a hot/humid climate and installed under the rafters myself this summer. I monitored before/after for several weeks to collect data. The radiant barrier dropped the top of my attic insulation temperature during peak hours from 10-15 above outside air temp to 2-3 degrees below outside air temp. AND I already had a metal roof with 3/4" of polyiso board under the metal so I was not extremely hot to begin with. If I had a regular shingle roof the results would be substantially more drastic. I see a lot of folks trying to determine effect of radiant barrier by measuring air temperature. It does not work that way. Radiant heat does not directly heat the air, it heats objects then the objects slowly release that heat to the surrounding air. My attic air temperature remains substantially below ambient until afternoon now, remains below outside air temp, and drops temperature twice as fast as before during the evening.
I worked in an attic one summer installing electrical wiring and it was at least 150 deg's. Then the attic ceiling was spray foamed and the attic felt air conditioned!
@@KilerChese wouldn’t adding the radiant barrier act as a vapor barrier and trap moisture leading to black mold and wood rot?
You have the space between each rafter that pulls airflow through the soffit vents at the roofs bottom edge. The space between the rood and the radiant barrier will be hot.
@@Kansas-Paul Use perforated radiant barrier and hang it loosely. Atticfoil has very helpful videos which will increase your understand of exactly what radiant heat is. You are not trying to block or redirect airflow, you want air to flow freely thru and around the foil
Yeah right, one hail storm, one arty round, one bad wind storm and gg solar panels. You can have a natural gas hookup and a generator for cheap, or get a gas generator and buy a few barrels of gas or a in ground or above ground tank and just wait for the gas prices to drop and fill up. If your generator breaks it's easy to have common spare parts on hand. If the solar system goes down good luck getting it fixed under warranty or them making you a priority.
Since you don’t have a separate Tesla gateway that means you’ve got a meter collar (teslas backup switch). No need for a separate critical loads panel.
That’s such a clean and the quick installation when they use it in the utilities that currently allow it.
Good to know about the difference in temperature on the roof. Didn’t even consider this and down here in the south that can be huge in summer time.
Spray foam your attic ceiling is the way to go. It's like turning on the AC!
@@mxbadboy263 ah no….
I live in Florida so Solar and Battery backup makes sense here because when Hurricanes hit, we are guaranteed to lose grid power for at least a few days and longer. My sister at her home lost power for 21 days after a hurricane a few years back. If you have the ability in Florida to have Solar, Batteries and a backup generator to recharge your batteries I think will be great.
If electricity is cheap in your local area, I would just go with generator backup.
It probably is here in Maine, where electricity costs $0.35 per kWh. I designed my system, built the batteries from bare LFP cells, installed everything, and still spent $65k. If I had bought it from one of the solar companies up here they would have charged 3x that, and I'd be stuck with microinverters and overall crappier equipment.
There is a big upside to microinverters though, in that if one fails and you have 20 panels with 1 a piece you lose 1/20 of your solar production, spend $300 to replace it, and spend a couple man hours to get it changed out. But if one of your standard inverters fails you have no solar at all, you'll spend $2000-$5000 or more on the inverter and could miss several days of solar production, but only spend 1-1.5 hours replacing it.
@@KilerChese Yes, but then I have a potential point of failure on every single panel. And I have to remove panels to replace it.
What type of system and size of system did you build for 65K? That's what installers want for a 16KWH system with 30kwh worth of batteries. All of the equipment and parts by itself with 45KWH worth of batteries will cost me about 24K before the tax credits.
@@christopherfoote3395 41x 455W Solarever panels, 2x Victron 10kVA inverters, 8x Seplos 15.4 kWH DIY 48V LFP batteries, 2x Victron RRS 100A charge controllers, a couple Lynx distributors, power ins, smart shunt, cerbo go brain/screen, Iron Ridge racking, etc. Just the cost of the panels and batteries was ~$30k
@@christopherfoote3395 and the price of lfp cells has dropped significantly since I built my batteries
Hi! I learn a lot watching all of your excellent video!. Concerning this video, you did not mention when and how one should clean the solar panels. My neighbors have solar panels and they look very dust covered. Is their efficiency reduced, and when should one clean the solar panels to make sure they are producing an optimum amount of energy? Again, great learning videos! Thanks so much for all the effort you put into revealing all your secrets!!!!!
Yes it effects the output of the panels.
I want to add some solar as back up. I live in an earthquake-prone area where we are prone to 9.0+ magnitude quakes. Having at least some solar so that I am somewhat functional should the power go out for a month or more is sensible, climate change issues or otherwise.
Think emergency preparedness is always sensible for most people. Add to that the practicality of having it reduce overall electrical costs in the meantime is a huge plus.
I would have a bifacial panel set up where the panels are vertically oriented so they last longer...
your panels will get destroyed in an earthquake. Get generator.
@@29kideas
Can't buy gas after a quake. The electricity is knocked out and the pumps don't run. Will take months to restore power.
How do you figure panels will get destroyed?
@@29kideas
You can get antiseismic stuff to keep the panels secure and buffered from each other...
@@29kideas
And avoid installing panels on weak roofs.
Thanks for the Info on your newly installed Energy System. Interesting....
I'm sure that a lot of viewers would like to know your Total Rough cost of your Solar Energy/Battery System out of Pocket
30k minus 30% tax credit so 20k out of pocket.
@@diyhvacguy Thanks for replying... Ouch... Still at $20K USD out of pocket it will take a while for the ROI with $0.12 / KWh Grid Cost.
@@diyhvacguy That tax credit is a one year credit only. They don't send you a check. If you only paid $5000 in federal taxes that's all you get.
@@mxbadboy263 Can I claim a solar tax credit next year?
You can claim the federal tax credit once for the year you install a solar system. However, if the credit is more than the taxes you owe, it will roll over to the next tax year for up to five years.
Another great video. Thank you!
Battery for your solar system is only going to make financial sense if you live off grid. Otherwise a propane/gasoline and generator for backup will beat it in cost and reliability.
1. Batteries lose energy, you're probably looking at a 20% loss in solar production right off the bat if you are continuously using your batteries.
2. If you want an equivalent backup to a generator with its own fuel in terms of days/weeks of reliable backup, you have to presume there will be no overcast days OR have significantly more batteries as backup - like $40-50k (or more) to have that same level of backup.
Solar in general will only be worth it financially if you 1. Get it at a cost of say $2/watt 2. Have a 1:1 net metering guarantee by your state and energy provider. 3. Get a 3rd party 30 year insurance like solarinsure. That one in particular has a very large network of solar crews all over the country. 4. Have a roof with at least 20 years of life in it.
Probably the biggest scam in solar (like much of HVAC) is the ridiculous commission the sales person will pocket, something to the tune of 25% to 50% is going to the sales person. Much like the comfort specialist or whatever from the local HVAC company. Much like HVAC, very common for someone to get 25% for the equipment and materials, 25% for the labor+permitting, rest goes to overhead and sales person.
There are good no- commission installer network companies out there like Project Solar or Mona Lee that won't take you to the ringer on the sales commissions.
what is the ROI for your system? including rebates, tax incentives, and selling back energy to the grid
Solar is a good idea in 99% of peoples power needs. Backup power availability, you can start small and grow your system if you plan ahead. And grid power is only going to go up. When you buy solar you essentially have locked in your power rates; immune to hyper-inflation.
Would be interesting to hear what make/model of solar panel, inverter, racking, and mounts your system uses. Our 7 year old system uses LG panels, Enphase microinverters, Iron Ridge racks and FlashFoot2 mounts. We needed a new roof at the same time so got a 50-year roof.
Is your system a microgrid when the power is out, in other words the solar can charge the battery when the power is out?
Our electricity when we started was 10.8 cents per kWh and they forecasted a 9 year breakeven with a 4% per year increase in electrical rate. And a net cost of $1.20/watt installed with federal/state/utility incentives. But rates here have really rocketed, up 40% in the last 3 years, now 18 cents/kWh. Glad we installed when we did.
Oh yeah, make sure you have a whole house surge suppressor to protect your inverter or microinverters.
As to answering the question if it is worth it in 2025 you need to cost out the breakeven and factor in the net metering etc. The current Enphase systems can provide power during daylight hours in a power outage without a battery or you can have a very small battery like 5 kWh.
I Enjoy your Channel. This question is off topic. I have a gas-in-floor radiant heating system for my home. We also have an AC system separate with a air handler for our AC needs. They were installed in our new home in 2007. No problems. My question is, when I need to replace my AC should I consider a Heat Pump AC unit system, Also, would I be able to use the heat in the winter as a supplementary source for those mild days where turning on the in floor heating doesn't make sense? There is not much information on the internet about this. Thanks Stu
I bought a home with solar panels installed. If I was having them installed I would not have gone with battery backup. In fact I would not have installed solar at all. The only reason I have them is because they came with the house. I don't have battery backup. Way too expensive. So I have a Generac whole house generator and that has been the best for me. I have a neighbor with the battery backup and he's not happy with it. The batteries don't do a good job of keeping his home going during many days of power outages. He is also having a whole house generator installed. I am in far northern Illinois and had an ice storm knock out all of our power for days. The whole house generator was awesome. When my roof needs work or replacing I will have the solar panels permanently removed. For me they are a waste of time and money. They are mostly dead during the dark cold days of winter.
If he has a hybrid inverter there is a space for a generator hookup which can be used to power the house and charge the batteries when there is no solar. If he doesn't have an hybrid inverter, I would spend that money on one and get a portable generator.
And I guarantee you at least one of the roof penetrations for the mounting rails has been leaking.
Many of these systems support operation when the grid is down, may only need a small battery. While your generator can run the whole home, and that’s great, it depends on having natural gas. I’ve seen where a blackout on a very cold day will cause gas shortages. In such a case if you have solar you’ll still be able to power critical loads in your home - lighting, space heater, the auger on a pellet stove, etc.
Id rather have a natural gas generator im not for new green deal.
What is the life expectancy of the solar panels and of the battery?
Do you have to replace everything in 10 years?
Depends on the quality but so far high-end is 80% degradation after 10 years on average.
80% of new output at 20-25 years is what most are guaranteed to produce.
I am a retired electrician and my jaw dropped when I saw the MC cables just drooping in your attic. It’s a code violation and safety hazard, they should have been supported. I’m also shocked the building inspector approved it being done that way.
Working in there it install the new heat pump, I fastened them so they weren’t dropping. Not a huge deal but yea they could have easily made that look better
The chances that the inspector never checked that attic is over 100%
I thought the same thing. Easy fix though, just throw up a 1x2 or 2x4 and strap the MC cable to it.
Net difference between cost of panels/total installation and electric bill? What’s the payback term
I believe all power meter are import and export power. New power meter have lcd indicator which direction power flow, old power meter just turn backwards. You forgot to mention Tesla meter collar there, that is the big part of power wall 3!
I just paid my electric bill, it was a check for $600.00 and change. I've checked before and I didn't see anyone installing Tesla in southeast Louisiana.
Thanks Dave.
So, have you done away with the tri-fuel generator and manual backfeed transfer switch? I would think it would be good to be able to run the generator and use the excess power it makes to full charge the batteries or to supplement the batteries at night.
You should definitely consult a real estate agent before doing this, especially if you're financing the panel system. They can tell you how it would impact your ability to sell your house in the future since the panel debt would have to be transferred to the seller (they won't go for that) or you pay it off, taking away from your profit.
The money would be better spent on making your home more energy efficient. Spray foam the attic ceiling, new windows and insulation.
It’s way better to not grid tie, Most states don’t require permits up to 10kwh+ those solar installations are not done always correctly, example they always leak, tons of roof leaks because of solar installations.
You should have someone hose down those panels with water just like it would rain all over the roof and another person inside the attic looking for any water leaks.
It’ll save you major headaches down the road, use walkie-talkies to communicate so the person can shut off the water when you find a leak.. if there isn’t any leaks, then you got quality install except for the cables not being secured.
It just seems like anything that has to do with Roofing needs to have your own eyes on quality control go in the attic and see how many shiners which we call nail penetrations that never hit the stud there are and you’ll find out why there’s a ton of roof leaks poor installations.
With solar you want to use high-quality panels at the highest efficiency rate at least 25 to 30 year warranty? Off grid and zero battery backup saves the most.
Your system looks to be decent, huge investment for most. Hard to make the switch with kWh prices you have.
I got my Solar system in 4/2022 before NEM changed to 3.0. NEM 2.0 means any extra power produced by my solar system the Grid pays me the same amount as if buying the per kWh. I have no batt bckup but used the grid as my batt bckup which they buy my excess during the day (same price as if buying from the grid) and I buy back or credit used during peak hours. I have highly efficient solar panels with 30% offset power that I use annually (in case EV cars, etc). I had the top Enphase microinverters and enphase combiner box. For the past two years, I have not paid electric bills but got paid ($100-$200) at the end of the year for my excess power total per year. With NEM 3.0 the grid buys your excess just pennies (not the same price as if buying) and would be wise to have a batt bckup for non-solar production hours. I had my solar 100% financed at .1.49% interest for 20 years and with a 30% rebate, I paid that towards my solar loan. For the past two years, my Solar system has been worth the cost and paying itself for the money I save not paying the grid $250 on average per month and $350-$500 during summer months due to the dual HAVC system.
What are you going to do if you need to replace your shingles ?
You tube is full of video's with just that being done. Very costly. All those roof penetrations are bad news at some point.
Look into state of CT suing solar companies for leaking roofs .
Nice informative video! 👏👏👏
How long do battery packs last ? Cost to replace them? Life span of the panels ?
Batteries never die, they just lose total capacity. Same with panels. You can own your first set for a lifetime.
@@s9josh778 Own something that no longer works after 10 years you mean?
@@billiamc1969 My dewalt is 15 years old and my Tesla is 6 years old. The batteries in both still work great.
@@lgroves336 Modern LFP cells are guaranteed between 5000 and 8000 cycles. Meaning they’ll have 80%+ capacity after those cycles. Similar concept for panels. My panels, for example, have a 25 year guarantee for 80%+ output
$0.68 per Kwh here in central California.
I thought my $0.08 per Kwh was too high in Northern Illinois.
Holy makrel!!!
That'd wild, PGE serving most of oregon is getting wild, they just filed for another 10.5% increase. If it goes through they will have increased prices 42% in the last 2.5 years
Net metering is also being reduced there as they have too much solar roofing.
then i would do cost break down & find breakeven and most likely do it even to run certain loads off the grid.
I didn’t even get a minute in before realising it’s a giant add for the solar company I mean when you start out promoting how good they are obviously the summary of the video without even watching is yes it’s worth it and it’s great and you should do it through the solar company I just promoted . Shill is all I have to say -Shill
Yep, too bad this guy started with sample videos and now he’s another UA-camr who’s selling his trust…
Unsubscribed
I’m in 0:01 second and read a few comments and left a comment plus this one. Tuning out now lol
Should have done it yourself. Even with the tax credit you got ripped off IMO. Solar panels are 30 cents a watt batteries $75 per kwh for good lithium ion. Whatever you spend you could have gotten it done for less than half probably...
You still get the tax credit if you DIY it. Regarding batteries and panels, a realistic price for panels is a little over $0.50 per W when you include shipping. For batteries, a Seplos kit with enclosure, BMS, etc. is about $700 shipped. 280AH LFP cells are ~ $85 shipped from a reputable suppier (docan power, goebel, etc). Assuming you get lucky and you're assembled 48V battery is 15.4 kWh, that works out to about $140 / kWh. I've built 8 of these batteries so far and the prices on cells has dropped 30% in the past year or two.
great video.
What is "overproduction" of solar panel output? Does the electric utility company limit how much power you may supply to their grid, so that "overproduction" means producing more power than their limit plus the amount your household consumes?
No, they do not limit it but they buy back un used energy at a certain cent per kw, but it resets every year. So you don’t want to way overproduce or you are just throwing money away
>diyhvacguy : What parameter is "reset" each year? If there's no limit so they buy all the unused power you produce, it doesn't seem possible to "overproduce."
If you only pay 100.00 per month for electricity. Why would you bother with solar?
My bills average $200 a month and I wouldn't bother either. Also, my roof's facing EW so I would need more panels to generate similar output facing S. Plus, every winter I see roof covered with snow 4 months out of the year here in MN. Solar only makes sense in off grid scenario without infrastructure or high electricity costs states.
@@29kideas I, like the presenter, live in Utah (low electricity rates). I've had a similar priced solar setup for 7 years and it started saving me money from day one. My average electric bill was a tick over $200 back then and my payment and connection fee combined was $15 a month cheaper back then.
Now comes the main point I always make when people ask about solar. I tell them to not think of it as eliminating their electric bill, to think of it as locking-in their current rate instead. For example, my $200 average bill would likely be around $270-280 now (I'm basing that on about the average 30% increase in utility rates during that time, I obviously don't have a true comparison to make since I don't see a real bill). My costs have stayed the same.
One think I will concede, in Utah we get snow but it generally doesn't last long on rooftops in winter so I do have more generation time than you would. I mainly just wanted to offer an angle of thought that a lot of people don't consider.
@@phonebem If you account for util price hike, you should also consider equipment degradation and depreciation over time. Also, say your initial investment was $20k, if you put that money in some financial asset and make money, you could also offset your savings with that.
Great video.
WEll winters are mostly dark can go days wiot no sun, SO no good. a good hail storm, Breaks like glass, How is that covered? If you need to re roof house? that not going to go well
great video !!!
I want to see how the powerwall does in the cold.
How much was the increase in your homeowners insurance, mine ate my savings so passed on it
Damn good question. He has to pay off the system if he would want to sell the home.
WOW, really? Ours didn't go up and were with State Farm in southern California.
Hi Dave do you service the Syracuse Utah area? I would love to have you come out for an ac/furnace/solar estimate but I’m not sure how to contact you
The government will need to find ways to tax people for renewable energy to offset the loss of taxes from non renewables.
i live in FL and solar does not and cannot make sense in any regard, even with a $0.12 cents per kwh full credit rebate for power back to the grid. roof shingles must be replaced every 10 years as per insurance company rules to maintain full non-prorated coverage on your home. so, it would involve a removal and reinstallation of solar panels at about a $3k cost every 10 years. also, solar panels lose quite a bit of efficiency over time, so there's that as well...making it nearly impossible to even break even. solar in FL just does not make sense, but don't try to argue that point with a salesperson.
Hmm maybe buy some cheapo solar or some kind of metal shielding on the roof to reflect sun
I have owned a 5kw solar system for 10 years. Solar is NOT WORTH the money....
Why do you say that?
@@diyhvacguy math
Yeah 10 years ago you probably were paying double per kwh. As time goes on the math will continue to change
its crazy your amp/breakers are outside.
I've heard of insurance companies dropping people that have solar installed on the roof.
It’s not worth it if you or your neighbors have trees that are blocking the sun. After the first year I didn’t get what I was supposed too and they told me I would have to ask my neighbors to trim their trees 😳 and trim my own 😮
An off-grid transfer switch setup is definitely worth it when it's sunny and hot and everyone overloads the grid in my area with their HVAC's kicking on and I've still got power via my solar generator.
He has a Tesla Backup Switch installed behind his meter which is a transfer switch.
Talk about prebuying your electric. If you put that $30K in a good ETF like VGT you would be way ahead in years to come.
Maybe….its more complicated than that. What’s the average return? 10%?
Other factors to consider are tax implications as well. Then you have the option for this system to be off grid when power outage and still be powering the home which I’m sure is very attractive for him in that part of the country.
IMO the market, in any capacity, is a fool's gambit right now. These are not 'normal' times.
@@scallywag1716 VGT has returned 19.8% over the past 12 years on average. Solar can't come close to that.
I wouldn't take the pandemics effects on the stock market into account though. Because that is, hopefully, a once in a lifetime thing. So you shouldn't base those returns on investment over something so unlikely to happen.
Solar adds equity to your home. Solar reduces your power bill in two ways like he talked about in the video. Solar reduces your tax liability for a few years depending on how much you spend on it, but solar can be done cheaper than $15,000 for 8-10Kw systems if you do it yourself if you don't go with a battery back up solution.
When the company goes under ur warranty goes bye bye lol
No electric company in TX gives U back money & the surplus produce will expire w/ most companies. Also it is cap & the credit is exclusive of any monthly base charge, any advanced meter surcharge, applicable taxes and fees, or other charges (such as late fees, special meter reading fees, and fees related to the disconnection or connection of service.
This guy is so amazing he came from the future to make this video.
Actually he came from government 🫢
What happened to 2024??
It’s cheap now. But I guess at the end of the day I’m the electrician selling it so no but your average 13 kW system here in Canada now is around 28,000 for good stuff.
You pay per kWh......sigh.
Batteries are not worth it UNLESS your power goes out all the time...otherwise those batteries are a ripoff...I would rather have a backup generator...besides I wouldn't support Tesla
The only positive with Tesla is, you know they will be there for awhile should you need warranty work. Buddy O mine put solar on his house, company went under. Now he's screwed if anything fails. It's hard to tell who will have the longevity in this market with it still being somewhat new.
You can only use the tax credit for taxes due the year of the purchase. If you don't owe any taxes it's worthless.
Unfortunately I’m a disabled person. Being I done make much money to be taxed. The discount irrelevant. Sad but true. So anyone disabled or on social security will not benefit.
Your right. That whole tax credit thing is not understood.
yeah, this tax credit is only beneficial if you owe taxes. Why do you need solar?
To spend 20-30K to save 100$ a month? What a joke.
ThumbUp &LeaveAComment 4AIgozAll
This episode became unlistenable to me after way too many bings, bonks, boinks and other such annoying needless sounds accompanying the visuals. All these noises are taking away from your message!
Talk too damn much!
and those repeated useless hang gestures makes him seem like a used car salesman
Who forced you to watch the video??????
You comment too much 🤣
@@diyhvacguy LOL!!