this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2023
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299
Solar rooftops gain traction as electric vehicles owners look to skip paying for electricity or gasoline: ‘Solar just makes sense’ (fortune.com)
submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Solar rooftops gain traction as electric vehicles owners look to skip paying for electricity or gasoline: ‘Solar just makes sense’::Residential solar is gaining traction in the U.S., with about 4.5 million homes now with solar rooftops.

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[–] [email protected] 38 points 10 months ago (1 children)

In many cases the cost of a loan for solar panels is roughly equivalent to your monthly electric bill. I actually spend less on my loan than I did with the utility company. Of course you have a valid point overall, but I bring this up because many people are not aware that the cost difference can be pretty minimal or even to your benefit.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

You can also buy just the panels and install them yourself if youre handy. They are generally just rails you bolt to a support beam in your roof. Mount the rails, water seal the penetration points, rack the panels, plug one into another, drill and seal an ingress hole for the wiring.

Instead of paying 30-40k for an installer to do it all, you can likely pay 5-10k for panels/inverters/tie in box and another 5k for an electrician to wire it all in.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Okay, but unless you have a proper harness and other safety equipment, you face a heavy risk of severely, likely permanently, injuring yourself if you slip up.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Hmmm I wonder if I still get the rebates if I diy it. Ah well, I suppose it doesn't matter until the two maples in front of my neighbor's house fall down.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

You still have to buy the panels/etc. i dont see why they wouldn't apply, but I haven't done it yet so I can't answer that unfortunately.