Solar Panels

Solar panels are an expensive investment even though the returns are there over time. The slower but safer route is to lease the panels with no money down - check out Solar City’s website for this option.

If you want to invest in your own panels, you may want to consider a company called One Block off the Grid. What they have done differently is address cost concerns by pooling all the customers in an area like Los Angeles who want to have solar panels installed so that they create a group discount. Not only does this bring down costs, they also assure customers of a reliable vendor/installer. Here is their easy-to-use Los Angeles webpage where you can sign up for a consultation. This page has useful rebate and tax credit information. Here is the somewhat confusing LADWP rebate page - theirs is on hold at the moment (it’s out of money) and that’s why I favor scrapping it altogether and replacing it with a feed-in tariff where they would pay the homeowner for every kilowatt hour produced.

I hear people say, “Hey, I will wait and it will get cheaper,” and indeed it might as technology improves. But tax breaks and rebates are diminishing each month, so why assume they will be there when you finally decide?

If you would rather have a list of local solar installers, here is a list.

1BOG has a useful calculator here. Here is how it priced out for us:

Initial System Cost: $19,584.50
1BOG Group Discount: - $2,990.00
Out of Pocket Cost: $16,594.50
Federal Tax Credit: - $4,978.35
Final System Cost: $11,616.15 (41% off)

There is always a catch though. This will only cut our monthly electricity bill in half. Also, my neighbors to the south have trees that may one day obscure the sun from reaching the panels.  Finally, since we rely on natural gas for cooking and already we have reduced our electricity bill substantially, the savings will not be that great. In a nutshell, we will wait until we are ready to buy an electric car.