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Are We Getting Scammed with Solar? 

Undecided with Matt Ferrell
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Top 5 Reasons We’re Getting Ripped Off With Solar … or Are We? Use code UNDECIDED50 to get 50% OFF your first Factor box plus 20% off your next box at bit.ly/3TiVmO8! Did I get ripped off and scammed with my solar panels? According to the comments on my recent solar panel video, where I compared a Tesla Solar Roof to my more modular solar panel system, I surely did get scammed and ripped off. … but did I? The critical comments really boiled down to 5 basic issues, so let’s take a closer look at those one by one. Are solar panels worth it or are they a scam ... and did I get ripped off?
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20 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 2,2 тыс.   
@UndecidedMF
@UndecidedMF 5 месяцев назад
If you have solar, do you feel like you’ve gotten your value or do you feel ripped off? Use code UNDECIDED50 to get 50% OFF your first Factor box plus 20% off your next box at bit.ly/3TiVmO8! If you liked this, check out Top 5 Batteries for Home (And One You Might Not Expect) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Dr1VTc-io1k.html
@poemes
@poemes 5 месяцев назад
Great video
@mynameisfake6217
@mynameisfake6217 5 месяцев назад
With my house being all electric absolutely not! I save $4000 per year with my solar install. Combine that with the efficiency improvements were making to the house to lower our heating loads and we’re on track to save $5-6,000 per year. Add to that the fact that it decouples you from energy costs, at least with net metering, and Solar was a no brainer. Especially since our cost of electricity has been skyrocketing. Could I have taken the 30k and invested it? Sure. But it pays for itself ins 5-7 years. And now over the life of the system I can take that 5-6k in savings per year and invest it for the next 20 years or so. Can’t imagine it won’t come out in the wash at the end of the day.
@terryrodbourn2793
@terryrodbourn2793 5 месяцев назад
No you had your solar panels in horizontal and NOT in vertical insulation!
@TinkerTry
@TinkerTry 5 месяцев назад
Thank you for doing this very helpful follow-on video, I think my viewers and readers will appreciate it too!
@grantramsay9956
@grantramsay9956 5 месяцев назад
Reasons fabric ductwork is the future… a drum louvre operates at a minimum ESP of 2.3 inwg, fabric ductwork operates at 0.5 inwg but we’ll say 1 inwg for comparison. That means a drum louvre requires a 5hp motor vs a 2hp motor for fabric. In California that means that you would save $4,400 a year on your energy bill. Please Matt can you do a video on fabric ductwork. It’s the future and it’ll save so much money and energy!!!
@skylerbowerbank5847
@skylerbowerbank5847 5 месяцев назад
So far it seems these people are saying "solar is a scam because its not worth it to me" Thats not how scams work....
@JarredSutherland
@JarredSutherland 5 месяцев назад
Well, I think this is mostly due to people not knowing what words mean anymore. That and being outraged at everything.
@kirloi
@kirloi 5 месяцев назад
Thats the internet for you. Theres crazy talented people producing content, and theres the other side of the coin where everyone thinks their opinion matters and inside thoguhts are to be put outside. Hell im doing it now... its a matter of filtering the junk.
@masterchinese28
@masterchinese28 5 месяцев назад
Exactly
@ManyHeavens42
@ManyHeavens42 5 месяцев назад
no you got nothing to do with it
@tonep3168
@tonep3168 5 месяцев назад
They are a scam when they are pushed and sold in countries that don’t get enough sun to ever pay the system off.
@GCSol
@GCSol 5 месяцев назад
I did a DIY install. When getting the paperwork ready for the permit application, I did a lot of homework. I researched county and city codes to see what I could and could not do. I created very detailed drawings on how and where I was going to install everything including specs for all the parts. When I turned in my application, I was told they would let me know when it was approved. They called ten minutes later (on my way home) to let me know the permit has been issued. I turned around, picked it up and started installing the next day. I had everything installed in two days. The county inspector came out on the third day and approved everything. The electric company came out on the fourth day, did their tests then installed the bidirectional meter and I was online. The county inspector told me my detailed application made it easy for them to approve the permit.
@jmacd8817
@jmacd8817 5 месяцев назад
What state do you live in? Some places are easy (I live in remote, rural Texas, and if I go off grid, I have Zero permit requirements). Other places are a bit more onerous...
@yimb8437
@yimb8437 5 месяцев назад
You must live in a red state.
@41chemist19
@41chemist19 5 месяцев назад
Sounds like a great place to live.
@andreycham4797
@andreycham4797 5 месяцев назад
This is what I keep saying it is a scam unless you install it by yourself
@simon359
@simon359 5 месяцев назад
I did mine DIY, but I didn’t do any permits. The reason is, I did an off grid system just for that very reason. And yes, I can go back on the grid whenever I want to.
@Provojuggler
@Provojuggler 5 месяцев назад
As an engineer, I really apricate your breakdown of different renewable energy sources. There is a quote from one of your videos that sums it up "its not about getting a silver bullet, it is choosing the bullet appropriate for the situation" These videos have helped me learn and understand more about the world of renewables. Keep up the great work!
@PazLeBon
@PazLeBon 4 месяца назад
thought all bullets served one purpose :)
@nhilistickomrad4259
@nhilistickomrad4259 4 месяца назад
Solar is a ripoff in usa due to exorbitant labor charges etc. In india a 5kwp system on grid costs like 4000 usd commissioned. That is after paying high taxes on solar component imports.
@Ryan-ff2db
@Ryan-ff2db 4 месяца назад
@@nhilistickomrad4259 The costs may be high but had I not installed Solar, I would really be ripped off from my Utilities which now cost .45 cents per Kwh. Getting solar was one of the best financial decisions ever.
@Travlinmo
@Travlinmo 4 месяца назад
Every country has a different cost of living and comparing India to US is basically apples versus oranges.
@PazLeBon
@PazLeBon 4 месяца назад
@@Travlinmo cost of living isnt really related to products ike that :) products cost what they cost to manufacture plus a margin, seeing as most madde in china they are the same price in chinese yen or whatver it is haha
@randsipe224
@randsipe224 4 месяца назад
Florida resident and solar home owner here. I used to pay around $350 to $400/month for my electric consumption but that was 4 years ago when electricity was 10 cents/kWh. I told septics costs typically go up significantly each year, something people tend to scoff at as hype for solar. In fact I was skeptical. But here we are today at $16 cents/kWh. I calculated my break even at 10 to 12 years based on the 10 cent rate. Another thing people overlook was best expressed by Ben Franklin, “a penny saved is a penny earned”. My solar investment is returning close to 8% in “savings” or earnings depending on how you look at it. Had you invested that money in a bond, for example, the 8% return would be taxable. The return on your solar investment is tax free. Not only that, because of the 25% federal tax credit I was able use IRA money that would have not only been taxed as income but would have counted to increase the amount of SS income taxable effectively tax free. Plus in FL there is no sales tax on solar equipment or labor. Add to that the increase in the value of your home attributed to solar is not assessable by property taxes. Critics can say what they want but often it’s politically motivated. My feeing is criticize all you want while I laugh all the way to the bank.
@angelmandradzhiev3921
@angelmandradzhiev3921 4 месяца назад
Touche my friend! Here I am just signed a contract to get solar installed. I am located in Florida and I have calculated exactly the same return rate of 8.2%-8.7%. Compared to a CD of 5% (3.5%-4% earned - after taxes), it does not stack well against Solar. I did all the math myself and it makes so much sense in my case. Kuddos to you and your post! I am installing GAF Solar Shingles and the entire roof can be claimed for federal tax credit of 30%. I think Matt said it really well in his video, not all the cases are equal and solar may not make sense for some people but there are many cases that solar makes so much sense!
@spazoq
@spazoq 4 месяца назад
"The return on your solar investment is tax free. " Nothing is free guy. Your neighbors are paying for your system. Nothing worse than disingenuous arguments about Solar being a "good deal" for people. Germany and Australia power coasts 2 to 4 times more than US power. Why's that? Because they have gone with expensive power generation.
@nufgorf
@nufgorf 4 месяца назад
@@spazoq rubbish. there are bugger all incentives any more, and South Australia has horrible power costs because our "conservative" government of the time sold off our power grid with guarentees of profit - this mean the owners can rip us off for every cent they want. The last conservative federal government organised to pay to keep running old, worn out and overdue for closure, coal plants (at OUR cost ) because they are literally "anti-renewable" - how is that added cost caused by solar?. One recent conservative ex-prime minister was even playing with a chunk of coal while making a speech - can you guess where they get most of thier election funding? You get around 1/10th of your cost per kw/h as a "reward" for exporting, and the power company can stop your export remotely if theres too much solar - so if theres too much free power, you get 0c - how is that costing your neighbors anything? So nowadays at least, you can't make the claim its everyone else thats paying for your free power. And with 44% of our homes having solar, its obvious most of us aren't sucked in by the anti-solar FUD
@markbooth3066
@markbooth3066 4 месяца назад
How are neighbours 'paying' for the OP's system @@spazoq?
@nomore6167
@nomore6167 4 месяца назад
"The return on your solar investment is tax free" - Don't say that too loudly or the government (regardless of which side is in office) will find a way to label the money saved as "unearned income".
@bhatkrishnakishor
@bhatkrishnakishor 4 месяца назад
The fact that solar installation is mired in so many details related permits, installation, configurations and cost, makes your channel and others more valuable.
@edmondgreen7970
@edmondgreen7970 4 месяца назад
The fact that it's like that tells me it's all a scam and many people are dipping into the pot.
@bhatkrishnakishor
@bhatkrishnakishor 4 месяца назад
@@edmondgreen7970 maybe, I welcome your opinions. Please share here 🙏
@rheuter
@rheuter 5 месяцев назад
I'm fortunate to reside in Australia, where the setup cost for a 9.62kW SunPower panel system combined with a 10kWh SENEC v3 battery is significantly lower, at US$11K installed. And because I’m in Western Australia, known for its high sun exposure, allows me to generate close to 15,000 kWh annually! This ample solar energy not only powers my entire household, including the swimming pool, but also charges my EV during the daytime, as I work from home. Consequently, I haven't incurred any charging costs for the past 7 months. In 2023, my total electricity bills amounted to less than US$175, despite including the charging costs for my EV, which has covered 30,000km (18.6k miles) annually. Suffice it to say, the system has more than paid for itself!
@triplerinse
@triplerinse 4 месяца назад
Awsome congrats.
@ponyforhire
@ponyforhire 4 месяца назад
I have a friend over in Perth and every year I am more tempted to ask them how to move there...
@PazLeBon
@PazLeBon 4 месяца назад
hmm, but that makes it ound like they are getting scammed in america haha
@ljadf
@ljadf 4 месяца назад
I live in Perth, and I got the maximum sized solar array (5kw per phase) without a battery for $10k AUD about 10 years ago. It was one of the cheapest on offer at the time. A battery big enough to power the house in a (regular) blackout would cost me around $30k AUD for a 17kw array. Summer months are great, but I'd have to spend another $20k AUD to reduce the sky-rocketing electricity bills and fill the roof with solar along with getting 3 phases. Ultimately, it still costs a lot relative to your salary to install, and only works if you stay in your house for more than the lifespan of your solar, which for me is at least 15 years to break even on the cost, or 60 years if I wanted to break even on the extra solar and batteries which will need replacing in the meantime. It's not the land of milk, honey, and free electricity here.
@PazLeBon
@PazLeBon 4 месяца назад
@@ljadf being totally offgrid and spending 30k on batteries isnt typical use, usually just a few kw's for outages. panels are really cheap and invertors are cheap
@jnyfcbytd7459
@jnyfcbytd7459 5 месяцев назад
In South Africa it easily makes sense, as we get rolling power cuts daily, between 2 - 12 hours
@UndecidedMF
@UndecidedMF 5 месяцев назад
Woah! That's definitely a compelling reason to get solar.
@vincemattana
@vincemattana 5 месяцев назад
@@UndecidedMF It really is. We also get a LOT of sun. Electricity is expensive, and super un-reliable, so being able to be independent of the power cuts is great. I have a 8kW inverter and 208Ah of batteries, allowing me to charge up fully by 11am, and last the whole night on battery.
@Solitas777
@Solitas777 5 месяцев назад
you'd get it stolen anyways, or the government would shut it down to prevent competition with its corrupt state monopoly.
@chronos47
@chronos47 4 месяца назад
The "loadshedding" was every single day last year. And on those days there wasn't, the local transformers fail because of the rolling blackouts. We have a small system but we have seen a reduction from 1200kwh per month to 280kwh. Costs are secondary though
@leandersearle5094
@leandersearle5094 4 месяца назад
I hear it's a little rough down there, hope you're doing alright.
@charlesbartlett2569
@charlesbartlett2569 5 месяцев назад
My DIY 5.2 kw microinverter system paid for itself in less than 4 years. The key is not using scam companies.
@mattbleiler7294
@mattbleiler7294 5 месяцев назад
Agreed, most of the people I hear that say scam is because of the companies.
@ALMX5DP
@ALMX5DP 5 месяцев назад
Any issues with permitting and the like going the DIY route?
@sandyfordd1843
@sandyfordd1843 5 месяцев назад
It was beneficial to your pocket and to the planet! Going green isn't always just about the cost, the incredible benefits of helping the planet are invaluable. Thank you!
@Defianthuman
@Defianthuman 5 месяцев назад
@@sandyfordd1843 This is what I think. Solar is worth the cost to save the planet, but you can't forget about other renewables. If I had a creek I would be running hydro even though good turbines from Langston Alternative Power are expensive.
@charlesbartlett2569
@charlesbartlett2569 5 месяцев назад
@@ALMX5DP I had no issues with permitting and approval by the power company. However, this is not always the case. I am an engineer so I wasn’t scared by the process. If you aren’t the DIY type then I would find 3 reputable companies and get bids. I wouldn’t ever use a company that contacted me first. Every government incentivized program ever created attracts scammers.
@jaykaknes1133
@jaykaknes1133 4 месяца назад
We built a house in Vermont. Occupied it in October 2019. Had a total of 20 PV panels on 3 sections of roof. 10 face south, 5 east and 5 west. Max generation is 400 watts per panel. Cost was $23000. In 2023 we finished a separate 3 car garage. Last fall we added 22 440 watt panels on the south facing roof and 2 Tesla Powerwalls. The Tesla control panel is awesome and can full control from the Tesla app. Before tax credit the was $46,000. An unplanned expense was $7500 for the electric company to furnish and install a 25 kW transformer to replace the existing 10 kW one. We got a 30% federal tax credit on the whole cost. Up here we don’t get as much sun as we would want, but we still get power even on some rainy days. On those good days we charge the batteries and run the house on solar during the day and batteries at night. Excess goes to the grid. Chargers our cars the same way. We don’t dare about payback. It’s an investment in preserving our planet, which is payback enough.
@GustavSvard
@GustavSvard 4 месяца назад
It's also an up-front cost that one invests in when you have the budget for it. And after that the bills get distinctly lowered. Less must-pay bills. Which is a real pay-off in itself.
@Liberty_Freedom_Brotherhood
@Liberty_Freedom_Brotherhood 4 месяца назад
It would be great if everyone was as conscientious you, along with having $46,000 spare.
@jaykaknes1133
@jaykaknes1133 4 месяца назад
Thanks for the replies. Let me point out that I’m 74 and retired. I did work for over 50 years to be able to save for a decent retirement. What has worked for me is a not early enough IRA, work 401k’s with decent matches, Federal rules on catchup contributions and a Roth IRA. If you can do a Roth….do it. Withdrawals from non-Roth costs 20% in Federal and state taxes. That said, I was able to find the funds via the earnings from my funds and still left with no principal loss (except for market fluctuations). Regardless the panels and batteries were a stretch, but I see them as an investment in the future for my survivors and a contribution to easing climate change. Oh, and the $16,000 federal tax refund is awesome.
@edmondgreen7970
@edmondgreen7970 4 месяца назад
@@jaykaknes1133 cool story bro. Guess I'll wait another 43 years to invest in preserving the Earth. Of course by then it'll take more the $46,000 and I'll be so old I won't give a shit because I could die at any moment anyway and we only have like 6 years left according to the experts like AOC so what's the point? But hey, at least YOU got to brag about your nice life and what a good person you are online. So there's that I guess.
@nomore6167
@nomore6167 4 месяца назад
@@edmondgreen7970 "But hey, at least YOU got to brag about your nice life and what a good person you are online" - It's funny how jealous people always view simple conversation as "bragging". Imagine how little we would have to discuss if we could never say anything which someone might perceive as some sort of accomplishment (thus labeling it as "bragging").
@jondamazo4080
@jondamazo4080 5 месяцев назад
Great job on breaking down the comments Matt. Your viewing of this from a broader view is what makes this channel so good. No bias.
@joshuahillerup4290
@joshuahillerup4290 5 месяцев назад
What really shocks me is just how expensive electricity is in Massachusetts
@RemusKingOfRome
@RemusKingOfRome 5 месяцев назад
Same in Australia, our government is totally corrupt, do what ever power companies want. They say there is competition .. BS! All providers charge about the same prices ! about 33c/Kwh + $1 day line rental. Luckily I have solar hot water, a fully insulated house and a fire heater. I use little electricity.
@ManyHeavens42
@ManyHeavens42 5 месяцев назад
thats silly how much
@CD-vb9fi
@CD-vb9fi 5 месяцев назад
@@RemusKingOfRome is not BS that they are in competition. You just have to understand what they mean when they say it. The "competition" is over your last $ in your wallet. They are masters in linguistic legerdemain!
@TinkerTry
@TinkerTry 5 месяцев назад
Sames goes for me here in Connecticut, it's rather pricey, and it's about to go up even further. It's part of what motivated my wife and I to take on this risky solar project, as things seem to be getting worse. Utility's incentives for EV charging just got pulled away too.
@joshuahillerup4290
@joshuahillerup4290 5 месяцев назад
Here in Ontario, Canada, I paid the equivalent of 8.5 cents US per kwh on my last bill
@ericholt1718
@ericholt1718 5 месяцев назад
Hey there Matt, my story goes like this. The contractor that installed my system didn't submit the power generation paperwork with Duke Energy. When I discovered this, a great deal of time had passed. Two years approximately, which was my fault. Anyway, once I discovered this, I also learned that the contractor had gone out of business. Long story short, after trying to submit the paperwork myself, I had to locate a local contractor. For a small fee, they used all the information that I had and successfully filed my power generation paperwork. Beginning in February this year, my bill was finally reduced from approximately $150.00 a month to $10.00. March bill, $11.00. At this rate, it should average out to $120.00 a year, or less. Had the installing contractor filed the paperwork upon completion, I would've received those reduced payments sooner, and that is how I got ripped off.
@ManyHeavens42
@ManyHeavens42 5 месяцев назад
sorry to her that send them a Christmas card hahaha
@lizcademy4809
@lizcademy4809 5 месяцев назад
I'm not speaking to solar, but to being ripped off and DIY in general. A week ago, I added ductless mini split heat pumps to the duplex I own / live in. [One system for each flat.] I got my estimates, and started researching. I found out that the exact equipment quoted in the bids cost less than 40% of the total bid. Did I feel the HVAC companies were ripping me off? No, because ... - First, I may be a tech geek, and might have been researching this stuff since I was a teen in the early 1970s ... yes, I'm a little old Boomer Lady. - Because I'm old, also in declining health and living alone, there's no way I could physically handle this d-i-y. - The duplex was built in 1900, with old electrical, lath and plaster walls, and fiber-cement siding. I don't have experience dealing with any of that. - I learn well from written instructions, but not nearly as well as if I had training courses from the manufacturer I could go on ... on the install day, I had 5 installers show up, all highly trained with those certifications. 6 hours later, both systems were up and running ... except the smart home controller on my unit. That's where my d-i-y skills took over ... while the installer was reading the 56 page PDF I started playing around on the app on my iPad, got everything connected, then taught him how I did it. [I'm a professional web developer and "help guru". Setting up a smart home controller is easy for me.] Conclusion: before saying "if you don't d-i-y, you're being ripped off" check all the confounding factors. I would never install my own solar or heat pumps ... I would also never pay anyone to paint my home interiors.
@slateslavens
@slateslavens 4 месяца назад
well done! I'm the mechanic for the extended family (except my brother's Tesla), but I know my limits. I don't do automatic transmissions. I tried once and it was a total disaster. Now I leave those black-magic-voodoo-boxes to the professionals. :D
@Matt-dk3wl
@Matt-dk3wl 4 месяца назад
I feel like installers are also keenly aware of all the federal rebates and incentives and determine you can afford the exuberant prices. That's what irks me about these crazy costs. They are just high because of the free money from the government. Just like college costs went up when the government decided to fund college loans.
@kennethjor
@kennethjor 4 месяца назад
This exactly. I get so annoyed when people say DYI can save you money. Maybe it can, if you ignore the $1,000 or more on tools I'll have to buy and only use once. Ok Mr. DIY, maybe you have the tools and the skills to do an HVAC install job yourself which took five professionals six hours to do, but I don't 🙂 And no, you can't do it for me because I know you don't have insurance.
@donotlike4anonymus594
@donotlike4anonymus594 4 месяца назад
6 hours seems like quite alot actuslly but idk you're house... so anyways 5x6x say 15 bucks an hour would be 450 bucks just for the install Seems like quite a lot Surely you could've found a cheaper alternative DIY may not be for you but maybe the nighbors/handyman could handle the task for cheaper
@donotlike4anonymus594
@donotlike4anonymus594 4 месяца назад
​@@kennethjoryeah only a fool will ever waste 1000 bucks on tools There are professional (overpriced!) Highly durable high quality Tools for professionals (But gues what you can also rent them) and then there are cheap tools And unless you'll only ever use basic tools on this 1 tiny job they'll be cheaper then professional labor Not messing things up is also quite easy... You ahould be fine so long as you're a responwible adult resd the manual and take basic procautions...
@رحالالأحساء
@رحالالأحساء 4 месяца назад
شكراً مات انا استمتع جدا بمحتواك واستفيد منها كثيراً ، وبخصوص الالواح الشمسية استخدمت لوح واحد فقط لاضاءة فناء منزلي فهي تضيء منزلي ليلاً بشكل اوتوماتيك وتغلق الاضاءة نهاراً لاكثر من سنتين ولا زال يعمل بكفاءة عالية رغم اني لم اقم بتنظيفه او صيانته ، وافكر حالياً بان ازيد من استخدام هذه الالواح لانها حقاً رائعة ، شكرا لك ❤
@RadioChief52
@RadioChief52 4 месяца назад
The RU-vid trolls are an unhappy bunch for a lot of reasons. I know my installation will probably not pay for itself in energy savings in my lifetime as I am 72 years old now. I love learning and doing it myself. I also like the thought of being energy independent and having power when the grid is down. For me it is worth the money to have that kind of peace of mind.
@robertmooberry725
@robertmooberry725 5 месяцев назад
I got an offer to install solar panels for $50k and a loan offer at 7% with $4000 in fees. $54k at 7% the interest is a bit over $3500 per year. I paid $2121 for electricity last year. Electricity is around $0.14 per KWH here in Texas. Under those circumstances it doesn't make sense to do solar ATM. We will focus on paying off debt. We can be debt free in 2-3 years and then revisit the topic. BTW Nice liquid cooling setup!
@chrismcaulay7805
@chrismcaulay7805 4 месяца назад
I think they quoted you WAY to large of a system if you are paying 41.5 KwH per day. If you figure Texas gets 4-5 hours of peak solar then you only need a 10-15 KwH system. Even with battery back up that shouldnt run your over $35k... That or they are just ripping you off... Also, dont take a loan to do solar. If you cant front the bill you dont need product...
@hrushikeshavachat900
@hrushikeshavachat900 4 месяца назад
​@@chrismcaulay7805Solar loans are the best manner to increase the ROI of the solar panels. Instead of gping for solar loans, it will be better to go for an HELOC (LAP) as it will have lower interest rate and higher payback period of you want. Also, HELOC will allow for 100 percent financing of the loan. I did the same 5 years back. Been paying my EMI from saving made by installing solar. I save around 2.5 dollars every month after EMI and maintenence expenses. So, using a blanket statement like.loans don't work ain't right.
@weareacorprotocracynow6907
@weareacorprotocracynow6907 4 месяца назад
I agree with the Texas friend. I’ve run the numbers here in Colorado and with my mixed gas and electricity mix I can’t make the system pay off the cost until 20 years. Given everything that could go wrong in that time who knows what added expenses I would have or how many panels or if xcel drops what they pay me for electricity…. Now if you live in a liberal crazy place like the east coast where they are forcing up the cost of electricity it make sense to get our from the liberal caliphate
@gabccar
@gabccar 4 месяца назад
Here in Brazil I paid 3.6k USD for a solar system generating 7000 kwh per year (guaranteed in contract) or 9000 kwh per year under realistic estimates. Currently, I consume around 400-500 kwh per month on average and that would cost me 900-1200 usd of electricity bill per year, if I did not have solar. My system is over-sized, so it gives me the option to install more air conditioners or buy an EV.
@davidmerriken313
@davidmerriken313 4 месяца назад
Not to mention that in 2~3 years the technology will have advanced AND you might be able to pay cash! Zero interest is always better.
@terryhayward7905
@terryhayward7905 5 месяцев назад
One of the comments was correct, " the sun will run out of power " The thing that they didn't say was, it will take a few hundred million years before that happens
@damagingthebrand7387
@damagingthebrand7387 5 месяцев назад
Or more likely billions of years.
@jhonathanknox632
@jhonathanknox632 5 месяцев назад
@@damagingthebrand7387 roughly 4 billion if the scientists' guesstimates are right heh
@wavion2
@wavion2 5 месяцев назад
Actually, in a few hundred million years the sun will put out MORE power. And kill all life on the planet, but hey.
@MechmanGetrieb
@MechmanGetrieb 5 месяцев назад
And that it is not Running out of power faster just because of Solar power.
@macmcleod1188
@macmcleod1188 5 месяцев назад
​@@damagingthebrand7387current estimates are the sun will cool and become a red giant in 5 billion years. When it does that it will expand one astronomical unit and it will consume Mercury Venus and the earth.
@jopo7996
@jopo7996 5 месяцев назад
I dislike video titles like this. Or do I?
@ManyHeavens42
@ManyHeavens42 5 месяцев назад
Brain fart back to school
@LucasHutyler
@LucasHutyler 5 месяцев назад
Are you Undecided? With Matt Ferrell?
@omstout
@omstout 5 месяцев назад
I see what you did there...or did I?
@michaelmayhem350
@michaelmayhem350 5 месяцев назад
I'm undecided on how I feel about the tittle.
@jrtapley
@jrtapley 5 месяцев назад
😂 all ya’ll
@akimi0222
@akimi0222 11 дней назад
During long blackouts in my area, while others are struggling with the heat and darkness-unable to use their ACs or fans-I hardly even notice it. It's amazing to be unaffected while I see people venting about it on social media. That's why I chose solar. I don’t care how long it takes for the system to pay off; I’m after the convenience.
@TeddysBoomgates
@TeddysBoomgates 4 месяца назад
As an Australian I can confirm - my 7kw solar system cost $8k installed before subsidies, which reduced it to $4k. My solar system has already paid for itself after 4 years.
@brianfox771
@brianfox771 4 месяца назад
Were the planets and moons extra? 😜
@jamestucker8088
@jamestucker8088 4 месяца назад
Then you have to divide it by 2 to get USD.
@PeterNLewis
@PeterNLewis 4 месяца назад
In Perth, my recent 6.6kW solar/5kW inverter system cost under AU$6k (~ US$4k). I've had it for about a year, and it's saved me about ~AU$2k. So the payoff period will be 3 years, after which it will be saving me $2k/year. I **wish** I could find any kind of investment that had that kind of guaranteed return!
@travisminneapolis
@travisminneapolis 5 месяцев назад
Customer misinformation and lack of knowledge combined with deceptive sales people definitely are making a much longer (if ever) payoff when compared to finance charges.
@ShaloneCason
@ShaloneCason 5 месяцев назад
That's exactly what happened to me. Deceptive sales took me from a break even good deal (what I was sold) to paying more than I did for grid electric (reality). Was it my fault I got scammed? Maybe I could've been more knowledgeable or cautious. But the salesman (who's now out of business) definitely preyed on my lack of knowledge to sell an overpriced system. Sad.
@UndecidedMF
@UndecidedMF 5 месяцев назад
Ugh. I hate hearing these kinds of stories. Sorry you got wrapped up with some shady salespeople.
@N-M424
@N-M424 5 месяцев назад
@@UndecidedMF Yes, I have been presented these "deals" as well. Door to door guys trying to get you to trade your current average electric bill for a 25-30 year solar loan. When you look at the financed cost, it is typically double compared to simply paying cash. Also, that solar loan makes it complicated to sell your house, you either have to pay it off yourself, or get the buyer to qualify and assume it.
@CommieHunter7
@CommieHunter7 5 месяцев назад
I avoid a TON of the solar sales and ads, because the first group that tried to sell solar door-to-door ended up essentially showing me a deal where I invest and take on debt, all the money I saved goes to the company, and at the end of a 20 year payoff, they've made bank and I would THEN own 20 year old solar panels. This had made me prejudiced against most of the "your state will pay for your solar!" ads, and I'm not in a position where doing my own investigation into solar is the most profitable use of my time.
@chiplangowski3298
@chiplangowski3298 4 месяца назад
A fundamental truth in life is that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't true. That is especially true with solar since most of the companies are in the business of selling leases, not solar. I would go so far as to say that any company that sells a monthly payment as compared to your current electric bill is selling a scam. Solar is a big investment, the company should be able to articulate the lifetime return on investment without ever mentioning your current electric bill.
@jerryghirardo6111
@jerryghirardo6111 5 месяцев назад
I look at my solar panels I installed in August of 2018 as being free. From the beginning, I spend less on the monthly payoff of the loan than I have in power generation. Now, I spent years researching and took advantage of federal rebates and I live in west central Florida. I also get to sell my overage back to the power company at a 1:1 rebate. In fact, I added additional panels a couple of years later when our household got its first plugin hybrid which then added a Tesla Model 3. In the first few years, my cost for electricity dropped to about $200 per year. After doing some other cost savings (upgrading attic insulation, getting more efficient in house electricity usage, etc.). I haven’t paid for electricity since summer of 2022. As Matt stated, it depends on your situation, which is how virtually any major investment you do has to be viewed.
@tracy419
@tracy419 5 месяцев назад
Sorry, but you are wrong. That's why there's only one style and size of house, car, clothing, tv, comput... See? You are very clearly wrong.
@jerryghirardo6111
@jerryghirardo6111 5 месяцев назад
@@tracy419 This is the best response I have ever seen. Thank you so much pointing this out!!!
@Dan-Simms
@Dan-Simms 5 месяцев назад
Some people lol
@spazoq
@spazoq 4 месяца назад
So you're ripping off your neighbors, who are paying for your overpriced electricity force on them by the Government? You would hate being my neighbor, because I would remind you of the money you took out of my wallet.
@quazaar
@quazaar 5 месяцев назад
August of 2022, I got my Ford Lightning. The following spring, I installed a solar system myself (5.4kw) to do nothing but charge my truck. The system cost me about $5,500 and with tax incentives it was down to about $4k. I can charge on 240v at 3kw/h. If I added a couple more panels I could get up to 4kw/h. Even cloudy days, up to the point of starting to rain, I can still charge my truck on my 120v system ( roughly 700-800w/h). In the summer, I have been able to add almost 20% to my battery in a day. Winter in Iowa, It drops to about 8%. Usually in the coldest months, I do plugin into 120v house power so I can keep the battery pack warm and charge ( I only have a car port). Now, the one down side, in the morning I can start charging at 120v, then about 10-11 (depending on the time of year), I can go out and start charging my 240v at 2kw/h. Then 30-60 minutes later I can change a setting on my charger to go to the 3kw. So it's very manual. I did buy a different charger that was supposed to handle 240v, but I was having issues. This system works for me since I work from home. Daily, I go to the gym which is 9 miles round trip. On a day that is cloudy, even in winter, I can add over 9 miles of range. I drive around 9 months out of the year for free around town. And even road tripping, The first and last 100% are free. I have people say it is expensive, and it is up front... But would you pay $4k to drive unlimited miles around town for 9+ months of the year? So I pay under $100 a year for driving around town. And under $300 for road tripping each year.
@tyrelirwin
@tyrelirwin 4 месяца назад
the real question is why you have a lightning and not something cheap and efficient, like a bolt?
@jjlpinct
@jjlpinct 4 месяца назад
First sentence. You got ripped off.
@AyushNiranjan
@AyushNiranjan 4 месяца назад
Solar is quite expensive in the west I guess, I installed a 10kw on grid solar system here in India without battery and it costed me just 3700 dollars. This cost includes Top con bifacial 575 watts panels A 10kw 3 phase inverter Hot dip raised galvanised structure with a height of 6-10 feet All the wiring All the paperwork All 3 earthings Installation Government formalities Net metering etc. If we see an average unit generation over the year including summer monsoon and winter it generates an average of 5 units per kw per day. In Summers my 10kw system generates 70 units daily.
@dongodreau4259
@dongodreau4259 4 месяца назад
Its not just the USA that has issues on solar installation costs. Here in Atlantic Canada, electric installation of any sort are subject to an inspection of, get this, LABOUR costs, and if the installer does not charge the IBEW rates they can lose their LICENSE to operate in the area. Its simply ridiculous, especially when the power utility inspectors enforce IBEW rules.....They are employed by the POWER utility, not the IBEW, and should therefore be required to simply inspect the quality of the job that it conforms to local and national codes, NOT IBEW rules. Sorry for the rant, here. Love your videos, Matt!
@boblatkey7160
@boblatkey7160 3 месяца назад
IBEW sucks, and I'm an electrician. They are greedy and their rates are not practical and they do things that squeeze out competition. It is absolutely not fair!
@DiacriticalOne
@DiacriticalOne 5 месяцев назад
My electric bill last month was $1.00. My current bill is -4.00. I pull 30-40kWh on most cloudy days, 14-25kWh on rainy days, and 60-70kW on sunny days (it may be higher once we get to Summer). Solar has been an absolute win. Most people here see a financial loss when they lease, or when they finance with poor loans.
@kylewatson5133
@kylewatson5133 5 месяцев назад
Nice. I'm at 192kwh on sunny days in summer and 94kwh in winter and I can usually get about half those numbers on rainy days. There are a few days a year that are pitch black that I only get like 10kwh.
@FiveFiveZeroTwo
@FiveFiveZeroTwo 4 месяца назад
@@kylewatson5133 We get 8 kWh on the best days.. is 100+ kWh for a business?
@PazLeBon
@PazLeBon 4 месяца назад
so an roi of 10 years+?
@DiacriticalOne
@DiacriticalOne 4 месяца назад
@@PazLeBon - about 11 years at winter/spring rates. I’ll know more precisely when I’ve been through a summer that will test things in a different way.
@spazoq
@spazoq 4 месяца назад
So you thank your neighbors for buying you super expensive power? Hope so.
@mollybeee
@mollybeee 5 месяцев назад
I can't afford solar myself but joined a solar farm, light bill averages 25 a month, what it costs to have it sent to me. I'm happy with that.
@isstuff
@isstuff 5 месяцев назад
I hadn’t compared Australia to the rest of the world for solar installation prices. It’s nice to hear we are doing something right in Australia.
@UndecidedMF
@UndecidedMF 5 месяцев назад
Australia is blazing a trail when it comes to solar. A lot we can learn from.
@shaynegadsden
@shaynegadsden 5 месяцев назад
That's the thing a US buyer shouldn't be paying 3x what we do for an installation since it's not like we have any price reduction on the systems, none it is made here so all of it is shipped in
@PazLeBon
@PazLeBon 4 месяца назад
and europe, it seems to be only America where they are spending tens of thousands
@heshworksbetter2777
@heshworksbetter2777 2 месяца назад
@@shaynegadsden " none it is made here so all of it is shipped in" exactly. And besides all the cost points Matt touched on, the vast majority of the equipment coming from China makes the US Government drool when it slaps tariffs on it. Sadly they don't care that one, this cost only gets past on to US consumers, and two, it doesn't stimulate competition in the US market to help drive down cost of equipment.
@shaynegadsden
@shaynegadsden 2 месяца назад
@@heshworksbetter2777 Everything here is shipped in too(Australia) and far more isolated so it's not like there are alternatives either so the only excuse is tariffs or greedy installers probably both but that doesn't change the fact you shouldn't be paying that much
@faded.0913
@faded.0913 4 месяца назад
A huge factor of solar "being a scam" is how these resellers rip you off charging at least 4x on the panels so you're better off buying your own materials. Even the batteries. They're basically adult legos. Tesla powerwall is $13,000 and stores 13.5kWh. You can pickup the cells to make a 14.3 (I'm discharge testing 16.1kWh) for $1,640 +tax&ship
@MarcusFryTheQualityGuy
@MarcusFryTheQualityGuy 5 месяцев назад
As someone with solar, I think the idea of short term cost and long term benefit should be mentioned. For me, the cost at the beginning is more expensive BUT with inflation and electric prices increasing, long term the costs of solar are likely to be less.
@tracy419
@tracy419 5 месяцев назад
The prices always going up bit is the only thing I question about the cost benefit going forward. As the technology improves and keeps getting cheaper and more widespread (utility scale, etc), you would think that at some point it will actually cost you more to get home solar than to stay on the grid. I'm not suggesting that as a reason to not get solar, just pointing out that I'm not sure the long term trend will remain the same when it comes to cost.
@cristinelcostachescu9585
@cristinelcostachescu9585 5 месяцев назад
I think Matt has gone through this topic in previous videos on his solar installation, and one of the key points was the upfront cost vs the RoI (Return on Investment) long term. Maybe check out some of his previous videos on the topic.
@IL_Bgentyl
@IL_Bgentyl 5 месяцев назад
@@tracy419I think your logic is sound but historically that hasn’t been the case. I think the issue is profits. Companies can gradually increase prices to show shareholders increases revenue every year
@tracy419
@tracy419 5 месяцев назад
@@IL_Bgentyl definitely a good point, I guess I just hope that eventually it actually gets cheap enough that it's something we just get as part of our taxes or something 🙂 With AI/ potential AGI coming in the near future, I can see the technology improving a whole lot faster.
@IL_Bgentyl
@IL_Bgentyl 5 месяцев назад
@@tracy419 sadly I think that’s a issue the US will always run into until we start rewarding politicians for doing the hard choices vs working to just get re elected. We 100% could have communities that act as nodes with their own batteries to limit the loss of power increasing efficiency and stability of the whole use power grid. The issue is corporations also have an interest in keeping things inefficient to keep demand high. We use to hire engineers to improve products. Now we hire engineers to implement reasonable faults/break points.
@illslim2100
@illslim2100 5 месяцев назад
Two years ago I paid $41,000 for a 9 KWh system to be installed on the $20,000 50-year metal roof I had just installed, in Belleville Illinois. Of that 41k I paid 18k after Federal and State incentives. the system's monitoring system has me saving about $2300 a year in electricity bills. We also have an EV and save about $5000 a year in not paying for gas, oil changes, plugs, and plug wires, and the VW tech said we might never need to have our brakes done. Contrast with our gasoline engine car I had to pay $60 a week in gas, $100 for an oil change every two to three months, and other maintenance like I just had to replace rear rotors, calipers, and brake pads for $500 and I did it myself. We had decided to keep the one-gas-engine car, but we are now seeing such savings that we are considering getting a second VW EV. Let us round down to we are saving 7k a year and we paid 20k plus 18k for a roof and solar panels, totaling 38k in about 5 years we will be even for our investment and then saving money from there, that is figuring with current prices of electricity, gas, and other car maintenance. I also do our financial investing and the year we had the solar panels the market was not great I averaged a little less than an 8% gain, but 2023 was really great and I averaged a 35% gain. But I know the cost of electricity will go up drastically as part of my investment is with Ameren who is our electricity provider. And they talk about constantly wanting to up the price every quarterly investor meeting, saying we ask every chance we can as the worst the state board can say is no. But if we get it we will see better stock pricing and dividends. Matt is 100% correct. Not every home is situated with a south-facing unbroken roof so solar makes sense, or not every state offers enough incentives to make it right for you. Plus electricity rates vary wildly through the US. Add in the fact that Ameren raised our rates 40% in Jan 2023 and I only knew about it when the neighbors who spewed the same anti-solar talking points started dropping by asking about our solar panels and electricity bills that it had been raised so high. I did find out in the investor meeting about it, but that was months later. My panels are warrantied for 30 years to be producing 92% at the end of the warranty, the roof is warrantied for 50 years. I will be dead before I have to pay for something on either. I figured our savings with a small 3% increase a year to electricity and gasoline pricing over the 25 years after the 5-year break-even point, would be 180k to 190k. Then add in the the so call standard of 8% gain a year investing it and we are looking at 400k to 500k of our money in our pockets while other people pay more than twice their current electric bill or gas fill up.
@Nanan00
@Nanan00 4 месяца назад
Ok so your power bill is mostly due to charging an EV at home, my power bill living in the Houston are where my AC runs 10 months out of the year isn't $2k a year total. You must drive a ton too to be paying that much for gas and changing the oil every 2-3 months. Wish I could do solar but I live in a forest where I have almost no south facing sky due to massive pine trees everywhere around my house and garage.
@illslim2100
@illslim2100 4 месяца назад
@@Nanan00 Then add in the fact one person did the math and over the 10 years of saving 25% on dynamic electric pricing the person who had a 10k electric bill saved 10k over those 10 years, but yet now needed our help to bail them out. So if I was you I would refrain from trying to jump into this conversation. You have no clue what is going on outside your own bubble. And my bill was below 2k a month before charging the car, sure. But again I cannot afford to live in the red state of Missouri nearer to my job that my rich boss has the building near his mansion so he only has to drive 10 mins. I have to commute from a place I can afford in Illinois to my job. Yes, I drive a bit 5 to 6 days a week. That is why I put $60 a week to fill up my 4-cylinder as that is what is was costing at the time I made the decision.
@illslim2100
@illslim2100 4 месяца назад
@@Nanan00 My power bill is mostly due to having everything in the house is electric and everyone in America's electric usage keeps going up as we start trying to cut it down by using LED bulbs. But, damn everything in my house but the furnace is fully electric and even the furnace fan is electric. I really laid it all out as to my monthly savings and yet you still can't comprehend it.
@illslim2100
@illslim2100 4 месяца назад
@@Nanan00 and finally if you watched this video and read and comprehended my post you will see we both say solar is not for everyone. We had to cut two trees down, and that was added to the cost of my solar panels. Also, I got 30% Fed and state credit for that cost as well. I still have 5 trees that hurt my production in the winter months when the sun is lower on the horizon, but they are in my neighbors' yards and I cannot force them to cut them down. We just got more panels. And yes your house might be one of the unfortunate ones that is not well suited for solar panels on the roof or worse yet even a ground-mounted array of them. It sounds like you are on of those "since you cannot have it no one should types". I am not saying everyone needs solar, I am saying soon eclectic companies will make it so everyone wish they had solar. I know I am betting on it. All the money I am saving not paying more than $12 a month in electricity even in the hottest August on record with AC on 68, is going to invest in people like you being gouged and forced to pay those high electric bills since you seem to have or want to...... Now that I think of it since Texas voters will not fix their electricity issues and will keep having 10k bills when they need electricity the most, I need to look into buying stock in your electric company. At least those dividends will offset my tax dollars going to bail those Texas voters out who cannot pay their bills.
@DiyOddJobLabourer
@DiyOddJobLabourer 4 месяца назад
However realistically, to expect a Solar panel provider to provide 30 years of warranty, even if we are still alive, that is something that will perpetuate the system as a scam. The inverter for 10 years. Further more, while the roof may last 50 years, the screws, wires, wiring harness, aluminium spacers, nuts, bolts, waterproof, may not last more than 10 years before needing some work. It is nice to see 30/10. but in reality, 10 years and needing some maintenance/upgrades should be agreeable. Just remember to save those "saving/profit" for raining days. same for the cars that need no maintenance. eventually, some PCB board will need to be replaced.
@amazingworldadventures325
@amazingworldadventures325 5 месяцев назад
As someone who installed my own solar, I agree with every point you made. My value proposition kind of blows the bell curve, but it is also on a large motorhome. So it's not really an apple-to-apples comparison. I have 1,700W of flat-mounted rooftop solar panels, plus an additional 200W deployable panel. (I used to also have a 400W wind turbine, but recently sold it because I didn't use it often enough to justify carrying it around as I traveled.) With that system, I haven't paid a utility bill in over four years. I didn't keep careful track of what I paid for the system because I purchased and installed it in stages over a couple of years. I'm absolutely certain it was under $10,000 and I think may have been closer to $6,000. When spread out over two years and to end up being fully energy independent, I don't see how anyone could say that's anything other than a good deal.
@kadmow
@kadmow 4 месяца назад
- being a motorhome, you are likely paying "grid bills" - for transportation (fuel)- by the same token most folk with an Automobile are still also paying to get around. lol... - just having a laugh, enjoy your good fortune.
@xiaowei1
@xiaowei1 4 месяца назад
Australia here, I paid $15,000 (Au) in total for 13.2kw solar and a 13.6kw battery system after rebates. Solar is so easy to install, you just get a quote and it will be installed within a couple of weeks (they deal with the rebates which are factored into the cost). Batteries are a bit different, rebates come and go, so expect to pay about 15,000 (au) for a similar battery into the future without rebates, and the equivalent solar is around 7,000 (au) for a cheap system. My average cost for electricity this last 2 weeks was 1.5c per kw due to the solar panels, battery, and power plan. the feed in tarrif was 8c per kw. without my system, the cost would have been 31c during the day, and 46c at peek times. Solar is definitely worth it from a cost standpoint for us, and it is good to know our electricity is made from the sun. our solar system paid for itself a long time ago, though the battery will take about 5 to 6 years when compared to our night usage and the cost (we only just installed it about 3 weeks ago). very well thought out video Matt. thank you for the content.
@scottkidder9046
@scottkidder9046 5 месяцев назад
I haven’t crunched the numbers or figured out exactly how much it would cost, but last time we were quoted on solar, it would have cost around $40000, that was a few years ago. I just keep hearing that solar panels have gotten exponentially cheaper over the years, so when the price to install a solar system doesn’t budge or gets more expensive over time, it really feels like a scam. Add to that the supposed decrease in battery costs yet being quoted $12000 for a single battery which goes on top of that cost and it really feels like a scam. And there’s always something odd going on with the installation companies and I don’t trust them. Again, it’s probably more of a feeling than something legitimate, but the fact that it feels shady and the fact that prices aren’t going down with the cost of materials makes me feel like it’s not worth it at all.
@yandel559
@yandel559 4 месяца назад
My man nothing new over time get cheaper. Bew phone cost more. Just do your research and go for it.
@benjaminmeusburger4254
@benjaminmeusburger4254 3 месяца назад
"$12,000 for a single battery" my monthly energy bill is ~30 EUR; that battery costs about the same as I spend on energy in 30 years xD "solar system doesn’t budge or gets more expensive over time" the costs for the individual panels came down hard. You just don't see it in the overal costs, because of inflation and the huge junk of labor costs, installation frames, power control etc.
@kccreationsgaming
@kccreationsgaming 5 месяцев назад
Thank you for your tactful approach to criticism. I personally appreciate the structured, informative design of your videos, drawn from your personal experiences and research. Even if you have additional motive for compensations through promotions and ad revenue, you still provide favorable information in unbiased ways that can be incredibly valuable for your viewers. Plus, you meticulously cite your resources.
@spazoq
@spazoq 4 месяца назад
He never gives the other side, even though he knows it's out there. For instance, he said nothing about the fact that his system is subsidized, and will be forever.
@kccreationsgaming
@kccreationsgaming 4 месяца назад
​@@spazoq He gives the otherside quite often, typically in the form of: "Now even though "X" is sponsoring this video, I will say that "Y" is a negative compared with other "X" out there, because of "A, B, and C", especially if cost is a higher priority for you." He also stresses in many videos, that even though his goals for net $0 power were reasonably affordable for him, that everybody should still put in personal research, as not only can our goals differ, but everything is also differently priced based on a variety of factors. Location being the most noteable. Tax breaks, permitting, cost of living, local installer policies, geographical differences of state laws within the US or different cost benefits of other countries and their construction and energy standards. There is only so much you can reasonably fit within a RU-vid video, lest people sweep it under the rug because the watch time is too high. To avoid information clutter, he even mentions when certain topics are left out of his video, as they are often discussed in his other videos. Learn to think critically and compare the information presented to you, rather than complaining when it is not dished up on a silver platter for your exact needs alone.
@msiegele
@msiegele 5 месяцев назад
I had solar panels installed on my roof at the end of 2022 and I live in the Kansas city area. I got a 10kw system that was meant to cover 90% of my total electricity usage. Running the numbers, I will be breaking even on this system at around year 15. This worked for me since my family has decided that this will be our forever home. In the end the numbers aren't exciting but get the benefit of knowing that we're doing SOMETHING about global climate change.
@user-uj6pz5yz9u
@user-uj6pz5yz9u 5 месяцев назад
I got bifacial panels. My cabin in winter with overcast cover and covered with snow still produced 10 amps charges from reflection off the snow from the bottom. Keeps a trickle charge going
@Morgansmith73
@Morgansmith73 5 месяцев назад
In San Diego, we charge $4,000.00 for a 6,600 W Solar System, then $4,000.00 for a 43.3kWh battery.... installed.
@GregoryAlbright-t3p
@GregoryAlbright-t3p 4 месяца назад
All of the liars in the comments prove that environmentalists are liars and solar is a scam. LOL< no you didn't buy a 43kwh battery for $4000.
@jonathanclark5240
@jonathanclark5240 4 месяца назад
I've had solar panels on my house since 2019. The company that installed them also sold me on better insulation, which cost a lot and didn't make much difference in heat/cooling losses. As an Oregon resident, any extra annual solar energy that is generated is given away once a year, and residents are not allowed to build systems that would generate more than your average annual usage. We also still have to pay a flat $12+ monthly fee to be connected to the grid--a fact no one told me before I had the panels installed. All that said, I wish I could have more solar panels, and I plan to install a battery wall eventually (but not from Tesla and not while it costs $20k).
@boblatkey7160
@boblatkey7160 3 месяца назад
LG Home 8: $7500 and better performance specifications than Tesla power wall.
@tedhamilton2362
@tedhamilton2362 5 месяцев назад
I paid $42K for a 9.3Kw system. You got a great deal. In FL, you have to get commercial insurance if you produce more than 10Kw. I hope that changes since having an EV would MANDATE having greater capacity to offset the EV power load.
@simonh6788
@simonh6788 5 месяцев назад
Wow that’s insane. Here in Australia we just upgraded our system with another 12kw of panels plus a battery. The extra panels plus inverter part of that and permitting costs about $A17k
@ab-tf5fl
@ab-tf5fl 4 месяца назад
I don't buy the argument that having an EV requires a greater capacity solar system (assuming the intent is not to power the house and car completely off-grid). I have an EV, no solar, and charge it off the grid for very cheap, by using a time-of-use electricity plan and scheduling the car to charge during the late-night hours when electricity is cheapest.
@simonh6788
@simonh6788 4 месяца назад
@@ab-tf5fl Yes that's a good deal. With AGL and they offer 8c/kwh from 12 to 6am which we have our B and B unit charger set up to for guests
@krisbrown3454
@krisbrown3454 5 месяцев назад
Ordered my System on a Monday, installed on a Friday. Operating by Midday. Sun most days of the year. Welcome to Australia!
@kev4241
@kev4241 4 месяца назад
seems they're years ahead in solar down under
@xyzconceptsYT
@xyzconceptsYT 5 месяцев назад
Perth WA, 12.3kW PV (28x 440w N-type Bi-facial panels), 5kW Hybrid inverter, 18kWh battery, EV Charger, fully installed 2 weeks from signing the proposal. AU$25k. One month in and already generated 1.2MWh, of that self use of only 480kWh. Only use 50%-60% of the battery overnight, tops up in 4 hours the next day, 5-6 hours when overcast (hardly ever).
@alihms
@alihms 5 месяцев назад
Just curious. Unless you are able to sell / use that extra energy, isn't that wasteful? I get it if you are producing over 20-30% of your daily needs to account for cloudy days, but we are talking 60% overproduction here.
@xyzconceptsYT
@xyzconceptsYT 5 месяцев назад
@@alihms Yep, excess is sent straight back to the grid or my company supplied EV when it needs it.
@omnomzofchainsaws4278
@omnomzofchainsaws4278 5 месяцев назад
​@@alihmseven if you live off grid, and can't sell your power back, sometimes the price is worth it depending on fees and cost. Even if it's "wasted". I am at this exact moment currently "wasting" 60% of my solar panels because I have nowhere to shed the extra load or feed back to the grid. However my break even point on panels and batteries in
@TeamRobertson
@TeamRobertson 4 месяца назад
South Coast of the UK. Small roof, east /west facing so split system. 3.6kw system, no battery but iBoost water heating system. £5100 fitted in June 2017. I sell £250 of electricity a year to the grid. Saved my money from bills in 5 years 7 months. Would have been 7 years but the costs went up 2 years ago and slashed my return time. Would recommend every time. Fit and forget.
@TimedTim
@TimedTim 4 месяца назад
100% works. I haven't paid a power bill in over a year and the money it generates is paying off my loan, ahead of schedule!
@michaelyates3424
@michaelyates3424 5 месяцев назад
Got community solar with no long term commitment and LOVE IT!
@UndecidedMF
@UndecidedMF 5 месяцев назад
Very cool!
@SunriseLAW
@SunriseLAW 4 месяца назад
From what I can tell, it costs way less per KWH when the power is generated in large solar farms where the equipment is kept cleaned, maintained, and updated. Rooftop systems often have hidden costs and problems... so they could seem scammy, depending on the situation.
@ab-tf5fl
@ab-tf5fl 4 месяца назад
I think that's generally true. I would expect labor to be cheaper when solar panels are mounted on the ground, rather than on a roof. And, I would expect transportation costs to be cheaper when when enough solar panels to fill several semi trucks are all being shipped from the same place, to the same place, at the same time. I would also expect electric utilities to generally have access to lower-interest loans to pay for it than the average homeowner. That said, even if solar farms are cheaper per kWh, rooftop solar is better for the environment, since it's utilizing space that would otherwise go unused, rather than displacing forest or farmland, or impacting ecosystems. To recognize this, there should probably be some form of government subsidy specifically for rooftop solar, which doesn't apply to solar farms, but I'm not aware of any such incentives existing.
@scsirob
@scsirob 4 месяца назад
Another "small" factor depends on local regulations. In my country, the Netherlands, the power companies are starting to charge solar panel owners for the ability to send power into the grid. You get punished for grid feed-in. When there's money on the table, companies and governments will do whatever they can to grab it. They'll happily change the rules halfway down the game to skim your gain. Agree with the independence argument. My next home will have a home battery system so I can store and use all power I use, and also survive the inevitable blackouts that are coming due to the grid being ruined with ideological, flakey power sources.
@OrdinaryWorld
@OrdinaryWorld 4 месяца назад
I'm coming up for two years on my installation in New England. It was a big investment but also calculated to be a good one, certainly in the long term, and those calculation are proving to be accurate. Not only have we completely eliminated any electricity bill, we are currently making around $700 per year in energy production, in addition the SRECs we sell. I have zero regrets and am so glad we pulled the trigger when we did. Planning for retirement in around 10 years requires a number of investments and varied strategies, and having this kind of energy independence goes a long way to eliminating costs as our income is reduced. Many of the arguments I hear against solar are often fueled by misinformation and lack of understanding. Sadly, in some cases, the haters just want to hate.
@willchristie2650
@willchristie2650 2 месяца назад
I was ripped off by a solar panel company. I trusted them to design the best system and implement it quickly. WRONG. After this particular solar panel company went bankrupt, I hired another company to check out my solar system. They told me that the original company had tripled the number of panels I really needed, thus increasing my loan amount and making the company some quick money. Then the original company took over a year to get the system up and running. But even with savings in utility company bills, the loan itself is HIGHER than any of those utility company bills. So I now pay more than I would have for power without a solar system. The only good part is that I got a government tax rebate of $30,000 for the system, which eased the pain somewhat. And although I have the loan payments, I will never pay a utility company bill again. Every month the utility bill is a negative number that I owe.
@elainebradley8213
@elainebradley8213 5 месяцев назад
Thankyou so much for answering the honest concerns so well.
@giorgim4185
@giorgim4185 5 месяцев назад
I bought the panels and invertor straight from the factory and DIY 5 kw system (no batteries) cost me 3000$
@ksnax
@ksnax 5 месяцев назад
I am curious how much of your time and others was involved in getting it done however. I decided that for all of the regulatory hoops, time involved for me and anyone who could help, and the potential liability for injury and or missteps in design, that it was worth being able to put the name of a professional installer on the system - but that was with a 60% tax subsidy. (Paying $6500 for the same 5kW.)
@giorgim4185
@giorgim4185 5 месяцев назад
@@ksnax about 2 days for 2 people, you should know better than anyone else which side of your house gets more sunlight, you'll need to hire an electrician for couple of hours.
@jerrycomo2736
@jerrycomo2736 5 месяцев назад
SE Florida solar issue: Insurance companies still won't cover your home if you install solar panels on the roof. Here, the roof is an integral part of the hurricane damage envelope protecting the house. Maybe in time. If I had the land, I would install freestanding panels. Still looking for whole house battery backup system installed outside. So far only available battery backup systems also require a solar system.
@5thGenNativeTexan
@5thGenNativeTexan 5 месяцев назад
Similar issues in coastal Texas. And even in the non-coastal areas, where traditional shingle roofing may need to be repaired or completely replaced in 20-25 years, the cost of removing the solar to do it and reinstall it becomes horrendously expensive.
@IAmKyleBrown
@IAmKyleBrown 5 месяцев назад
Who do you have for insurance? Some of my neighbors in coastal Florida have solar (pv and water) and they are covered.
@ShaloneCason
@ShaloneCason 5 месяцев назад
You can use EcoFlow to backup your house to batteries. They have propane, gas, and electric (all-in-one) battery systems. No solar needed. I'm planning on getting some in the future.
@Stevepcox491
@Stevepcox491 5 месяцев назад
@jerrycomo2736 been totally transparent. I work with a Solar Company out here in Florida and we work with multiple insurance to help any person that this may happen. In my experience is been rare but I know it happens.
@mrfusioneng
@mrfusioneng 5 месяцев назад
I agree, in se florida it is a good old boy club, especially with permitting. I have heard of people who installed their own system, and had to wait for permits a very long time. Even with us it was a good 6 months, and we used a contractor. Their hands were tied I think, ( not much they could do but wait). I suspect if the inspectors get kickbacks, things move much faster, ( likely not true). It’s more likely they got one guy, and he has to hundreds of applications per week. However it is a very strange situation here. Our subdivision is pretty affluent with around 1000 homes, we installed our solar system 3 yrs ago, and our home is net zero now, ( meaning our previous electric bills from 2013 to 2019 averaged around $300 per month, (I added up all the payments from our records and averaged out what our actual cost was, ( prior to getting solar). Before 2020 we never even opened up any electric bills, everything was setup on autopay, ( yea I know pretty dumb). Since installing the net metered solar system our electric bills average around $30-$40 dollars a month, ( mostly taxes and fees). After all the rebates our whole system, ( professionally installed), was around $20,000 dollars. What I simply can’t fathom or understand is there are only 3 homes in our entire subdivision with panels on the roof, ( out of a thousand homes). SE Florida is likely one of the sunniest places in the us. Solar sales people come to our door several times a week, and we get tons of mail and email promotions, many saying you can install solar for free, at no cost to us. We just laugh when they come to our door, and I say did you look at our roof while you were walking up to our house. My question is why is nobody having solar installed around here, ( likely one of the most affluent and desirable areas for solar in the country).
@Off-Grid
@Off-Grid 4 месяца назад
Built our own 4400 sqft off grid home couple years ago now. Solar was much cheaper than having power run to the house. We have all the amenities of any other house. Not a big deal, wish more people would do it.
@vbvideo100
@vbvideo100 Месяц назад
I did DIY in Virginia, and it was well worth it! I drew up my own plans and got the required permits. The people at the city permit office were very helpful and worked with me when I had to change the plans. I didn't realize the spacing from the top, sides bottom..... After that was done, all that was left was for me to put them on. I spent around $17k on everything, after the rebate it was around $11.9k. It's a 12.5 kwatt system with Enphase microinverters and no batteries. My new power bill is $8.98 EVERY month! With the power bill savings and the srec checks, my system will be paid for in around 4 years!!! Then 20+ years of free electricity!
@ShaloneCason
@ShaloneCason 5 месяцев назад
I got ripped off because my salesman claimed that I'd get $15K back in taxes. I failed to talk to a tax professional before moving forward (due to the fact that all my paperwork from the solar company stated the discounted rate). I got zero back. So my system ended up being $15k more than I expected. The math at that price doesn't work at all. I complained but apparently I didn't read the fine print, so they said they couldn't change anything. Also, that company is out of business now. Thankfully the manufacturer is still in business and continuing the service the system. Is it my fault I got scammed? I suppose. But the paperwork and the salesman presented the information in a dishonest manner. This was their common practice, which is likely why they are out of business.
@timeenoughforart
@timeenoughforart 5 месяцев назад
Is it your fault? Why does our government allow so many dishonest sales practices? It seems wrong to me. It seems very wrong, but we do keep reelecting these crooks.
@johnheath8882
@johnheath8882 5 месяцев назад
I was quoted 40k for a 6kw(15 panels) installation, no battery. They also claimed I would get a similar tax credit like you to help offset that price. There's a 5k charge built in just to get the loan. But then I did a DIY cost comparison at 7k. Incredible how much these guys overcharge. It's a shame you got taken. Btw they close their business often only to reopen with a new name to avoid dealing with warranties and other claims.
@aflyingmodem
@aflyingmodem 5 месяцев назад
You should be more accountable, with so much money on the line I would definitely have doubled and tripled checked if I was going to get that amount of money back on my taxes
@IL_Bgentyl
@IL_Bgentyl 5 месяцев назад
It’s because they give a tax credit not a tax rebate. You save money by lowering your tax burden.
@alicat398
@alicat398 5 месяцев назад
Sorry to hear you got a bad deal. A lot of installers are less than credible.
@tincankiller6454
@tincankiller6454 5 месяцев назад
Our motivation for having solar was not about the money but having another backup power source for power outages which is not grid tied or relied upon fuels supplied by others. I am a DIYer and so far, everything is working great has been for three+ years. It has easily cut our utility cost by a 3rd and have more to install in the near future. Will we recover the cost doubt it, does anyone ever recover the cost for anything like vehicles, appliances, phones, any other equipment that makes life easier NO, but having another backup and the peace of mind is well worth it of course till it breaks down. Stay Safe & Good Luck
@travis5481
@travis5481 4 месяца назад
I've always been surprised more people who tout self-sufficiency haven't had this outlook. I've been in multiple places in my life that have had fuel shortages, including Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina and Rita with extended outages and cars running out of fuel in line for gas that wasn't there. You're relying on a vast and complicated infrastructure for every drop of fossil fuels. Maybe I can't take a 2000 mile road trip without a bit of extra effort, but I can keep the lights on and my vehicle charged independent of the grid.
@FangerZero
@FangerZero 5 месяцев назад
People really want to talk about what's a bad investment? Clothes, Cars, Phones, and Electronics in general. You don't need the newest stuff.
@ritwikism
@ritwikism 4 месяца назад
Those are not investments though, no one even calls them such...
@willeisinga2089
@willeisinga2089 5 месяцев назад
Nederland has 3 Million houses with Rooftop Solar. Average 15 Panels, 400Wp is 6000 kWh production every House. 3 million x 6000 kWh is 18 Billion kWh Solar Rooftop Power every year. 18 GW. Prices down for consumers to 21 cent. 5 cent production costs, 13 cent Energy Tax, and 3 cent vat. is 21 cent per kWh in Nederland. Solar is not a scam.👍
@ericroe
@ericroe 4 месяца назад
From your several drone shots, it seems like you have to trim a tree that is shading several of your panels. It’s a cheap way to increase production out of those panels.
@donaldbrick3326
@donaldbrick3326 5 месяцев назад
I installed a solar power system on my home in Calgary, Alberta, Canada just under three years ago. It is grid connected, no battery. The one comment I wanted to add that was not included in your video is the increase in cost of grid power over time. Average rates in our area have increased significantly over the three years I have had my system installed. In short, no, I don’t feel ripped off, I feel I have received an added bonus over all the other benefits you’ve listed.
@spazoq
@spazoq 4 месяца назад
Pretty much the only way the Government can get people like you to buy solar, make power more expensive for everyone else, and have them subsidize your installation.
@turbokadett
@turbokadett 5 месяцев назад
I expect part of the reason the costs of things down in Australia is to offset the the constant fear of attack from all the massive venomous creepy crawlies they have! 😅
@MickH60
@MickH60 5 месяцев назад
I can guarantee you that you guys fear them more than we do....😁
@kadmow
@kadmow 4 месяца назад
- nah, it just lets us run the AC all summer long for free..
@nomad8503
@nomad8503 4 месяца назад
To sum up, a bunch of people think the world revolves around them.
@jim.franklin
@jim.franklin 4 месяца назад
Ripped off is the UK market. Prices for 3.5kW installed range from around £3999 to over £7500, by the time you add in battery storage and car charging points the costs double at least. If you then look at a similar size system to Matts, with 17.2kW with battery storage and charging for a single vehicle - costs go to almost £200K, and therein lies the big problem. From such a system, here in the UK, you would save about £120/month - the payback then becomes over 130 years. However, taking into account Government schemes to support such installs, your actual costs would drop to around £90,000 - which is nothing to be sneezed at, but the problem is, that still means a realistic payback in decades - about 7 of them - this is the problem solar faces, it is not the panacea often portrayed, but it has an impirtant part to play in decentralising our reliance on national power grids - in fact, if sufficient homes generated power by solar that they supplied the grid with energy, it would dramatically reduce the number of central powere stations required - especially if this is coupled to other forms of energy production. The fact is that Governments need to do more to make it financially attractive from a national security perspective. Matt is correct that only the individual can decide if it is right for them, but I do know that were I to build my own home (in my plans) instead of the bought one we live in, I would most certainly have it generating all of it's energy from other sources and feed into the grid because I simply hate giving my hard earned money to faceless people who cannot run systems efficiently - Oh, I am a 42 yr veteran electrical engineer and have worked in Commercial Solar on the past - so I do know what I am talking about in case any nay sayers want to chip in.
@onabikewithadrone
@onabikewithadrone 4 месяца назад
I live in the Netherlands and we've just had our panels installed couple of months back. We have a very small south-facing roof, so it is only four panels, generating 1.5kWh at max. There is no storage (yet), so our "solar array" is connected to the grid and we are billed for what we've consumed minus what was generated. The full cost of the setup including installation was 3400 EUR. Our electricity provider (who did not have any part in installation) estimates that we would be paying at least 500 EUR less annually. The red tape amount is basically zero. There were no permit required for installation because I do not live in a "protected cityscape" plus the panels are not visible from the street. As an owner of installation, I had to register my setup at some grid operators' registry, but it is quite easy as it is and my installer filled in most of the details anyway. P.S.: our electricity consumption is very small - around 5 kWh per day as our heating is non-electric (yet) and we do not have an AC
@johndoh5182
@johndoh5182 5 месяцев назад
Point 1, it doesn't matter how much power can generate during a cloudy day. The ONLY thing that matters is if you can get to ROI IF your major concern is a COMPLETE return on the investment. People that have electric bills of $300 USD/mo on avg, well, this is pretty easy to get ROI even in the north because you get more sunlight in the summer with longer days so even though the winter will provide less energy that's not really the point. IF your goal is to be completely free of a power grid, solar panels don't work well unless you live closer to the tropics and then it becomes pretty easy because you can run a generator when big storms are coming through. There may be SOME places in the tropics where it's overcast too much, but that's going to be rare. If the goal is to be net zero, that's pretty hard living in the US. The infrastructure isn't set up to be net zero at least for residential living is big towns or cities. But, getting close to net zero is much better than most people so there's that whole thing.
@ab-tf5fl
@ab-tf5fl 4 месяца назад
I honestly think, for most people, simply reducing the number of plane flights is going to matter more in terms of one's individual carbon footprint than home solar ever would. Everybody focuses on fancy tech to reduce climate impact, but forgets about the simple stuff.
@Merennulli
@Merennulli 5 месяцев назад
I will never understand the "you got ripped off" DIY complainers. If you asked those DIYers to do it for you and warranty their work, they absolutely wouldn't. It purely boils down to certain people who don't want anyone but themselves fairly paid for labor and expenses.
@cristinelcostachescu9585
@cristinelcostachescu9585 5 месяцев назад
Sometimes DIY-ers genuinely do not realize the costs for people who don't know how to do it themselves; and sometimes they also forget the ongoing cost of it, which is not immediately apparent, but they definitely feel it when there is an issue and they need to fix it themseleves. I believe Matt correctly said that for some customers, there is more value in the piece of mind of an installation team and a warranty on the work, rather than the DIY approach.
@lizcademy4809
@lizcademy4809 5 месяцев назад
They also often forget that not all of us are strong, healthy 35 year olds, who have no problems climbing onto their roof with a 64 lb bundle of parts. Raises hand here ... I'm a 67 year old tech geek Boomer lady in declining health. None of which stops me from wanting the newest gear, all of which stops me from installing it myself. On the other hand ... I saved over 100% of the cost of high end linen waffle weave towels by making them myself. How many of those big, strong young guys could run a sewing machine?
@Merennulli
@Merennulli 5 месяцев назад
@@lizcademy4809 I have a ton of respect for people who can sew well. My mother taught me how decades ago, but I could never get my brain to work with the geometry of cloth that has to fold and wrap around things after it's sewn.
@scottharwood8839
@scottharwood8839 5 месяцев назад
There are numerous problems with your analysis. I am a DIYer. And there are a lot of things I have done at my home that I never would have paid someone else to do. Because I don't have the money to pay someone else to do it. It is not because I think my time is worth more than others. Quite the opposite. Why I DIY: (1) When I have the time to work on home projects, my time costs me no hard currency. (2) And, I get the project done the way I want it to be done. When I have enough money, and I need help, I prefer paying above basic wages because I value people who do quality work. Would I do work for my neighbor? I may sometimes. I would happily work with them on projects. Would I warranty my work? Absolutely not! That work is not my profession. I don't expect to get paid professional rates for working with them, or even any compensation at all. My analysis of your statements: You have a burr under your saddle about laborers getting unfairly paid. You may very well have a point in that. But you are casting unsupportable disparaging remarks on myself and other DIYers for no discernable reason. You may be correct in your analysis about the people you know. But it does not apply to DIYers that I know.
@Merennulli
@Merennulli 5 месяцев назад
@@scottharwood8839 Are you going around telling people they "got ripped off" for paying professionals to do something, or did you misread my comment?
@josephworonka3474
@josephworonka3474 5 месяцев назад
I have solar and i’m in Florida. The main issue with solar here is FPL lobbied the state to make net metering liabilities fall on the home owner so it’s near impossible to get insurance at least at competitive rates. When I first bought my house 1 year of insurance was $700, next year $800, I got solar, was dropped and and the cheapest I could get was 2500 the next year, then we had the huge insurance issues and it cost me 5600 the year after. Having solar in Florida has made it very hard to work with insurance in Florida for sure. Other issues FPL is trying to do to push home owners away from solar is they claimed that home owners with solar are costing them too much so they either have to raise rates for everyone or charge a flat $30/month rate for any month I over generate (the second option won making it not as rewarding to have solar) right now I tell everyone that Florida is not the state to have solar.
@ryanyoder7573
@ryanyoder7573 5 месяцев назад
Agree. My insurance company is Frontline and they forbid net metering and I had to sign an affidavit saying I’m not doing it and had to install batteries and set the system to no grid export. This costs more but allows me to operate and maintain insurance.
@spazoq
@spazoq 4 месяца назад
It's funny how in a responsible governed state, like Florida, that doesn't want the burden of Solar panels on people's homes to be paid for by normal power rate payers, Solar doesn't make much financial sense anymore. Huh, funny.
@Aussiehomestead1965
@Aussiehomestead1965 2 месяца назад
The main reason in Australia that people are saying they are a scam is that the feed in Tariff started at 66c/ kWh and that's now 12c. One in three people have solar which means we are subsiding those who don't electricity. The kicker though is we now have to play 1.2 c /kWh to feed back into the grid. Yes you heard it right....we have to pay to put our home generated electricity into the grid. No wonder people think that the green dream has become a nightmare.
@HaiDHaiYena
@HaiDHaiYena 2 месяца назад
My installer did all the paper work, and the approval only took a day or two to come through. I even missed an email from the installer asking for a number on my power bill for them to complete the form and didn't give it to them about 4 or 5 days before the scheduled installation date😅. You really made me appreciate how streamlined it is here in Australia. We ended up getting the 10kW Sunpower panels and Sunpower Reserve all in one system that has a 5kW inverter and 10kWh battery. Costed about $AUD19000.
@rklauco
@rklauco 5 месяцев назад
I am really looking forward to update on "what works and what not". So far, in my installation, I know that the battery will never pay off (10% difference between night and day will not cover the cost in 30 years...), but the solar was a non-brainer. Can't wait for update from your house.
@amadeuszjakobczak7196
@amadeuszjakobczak7196 5 месяцев назад
You're that battery will never pay off but in my case, power outage resistance is priceless. I plan to expand my 10 kWh to 20kWh even if financially is pure wasting of money
@UndecidedMF
@UndecidedMF 5 месяцев назад
👍 I'm looking forward to sharing the data
@Krydolph
@Krydolph 5 месяцев назад
never say never. More and more places big swings in powercost get more and more normal, to make people spread out use more. If it happens where you are in the future, suddenly it will help you a lot. But... besides that. You don't make power when it is dark, if you have saved up power during the day, you can then use at night time, and that is the point of a battery combined with solar, then every kwh you pull out of the battery, is a kwh saved. and you should count that towards the solar panels, because they are not doing anything at that point, and if the battery wasn't there, the extra power would just have been wasted (or sold, and you are luck if you live somewhere where they still offer 1:1, most places they buy your power cheap, and sell it back expensive. If you gave 1:1, the battery makes a lot less sense, other than a nice to have for a blackout.
@cristinelcostachescu9585
@cristinelcostachescu9585 5 месяцев назад
"Did I get ripped off?"... "welcome to undecided" I believe this basically sums up everything in the video. Nice explanation, thank you for addressing the matter. Looking forward for your next updates on your solar!
@Orthynon
@Orthynon 5 месяцев назад
Hi, Aussie solar installer here. I think one of the largest drivers of the price disparity between US and Oz is the effect of Chinese overproduction of panels. Here we have cheap Chinese manufactured panels flooding the market and driving the price down. It's gotten to the extent that a number of good manufacturers have pulled out of the country because they can no longer compete. The US however have tariffs on panels not produced in North America so y'all don't have the intense competition that has come from the Chinese overproduction of panels. Panel prices here have dropped about 30% in the past 12 months. While it's a damn shame to lose these higher quality manufacturers one can hardly complain about solar power getting even cheaper. Yet we still have people here pushing for nuclear. Wild times.
@joeldcoxks
@joeldcoxks 4 месяца назад
The tariff is only on Chinese produced panels, not panels that come from other Asian countries
@WhichDoctor1
@WhichDoctor1 4 месяца назад
Is it overproduction if the Chinese companies are still making money? I thought over production was when there are more products on the market than people wanting to buy them and the price crashes down lower than the production cost. If Chinese companies are making lots of panels at crazy cheap prices but is selling them all and still making money that sounds like capitalism working as intended. You can argue whether capitalism is good or not. But that’s a different issue
@ErikDJ123
@ErikDJ123 4 месяца назад
I haven't paid an electric bill for 13 years. Mine paid for itself about 5-6 years ago. The scammers are the ones who finance it when you could get lower interest with tax deductable heloc.
@bobbrown5759
@bobbrown5759 4 месяца назад
I am a DIY'er who designed / installed a 10KwH system on my home in southern NH for about $1 per watt back in 2016. I filed all the paperwork, applied for the permits & designed the system (string inverter style) and installed on my roof. Actual out of pocket was $20K but the incentives at the time paid for literally half. Win-win situation at the time. System maintains near 100 percent of what it produced since day one and I'm quite happy with it as it covers `00 percent of my electrical usage. But ... Today, those same incentives have reduced somewhat. NH does not give the same rebate incentive and you cannot get "Net Metering 1" anymore, but I would do it again today regardless! However, I would never hire a 3rd party solar installer. The only persons who gain from this are the installers themselves.
@tedrymarcsuk3518
@tedrymarcsuk3518 5 месяцев назад
With all the government incentives, it's the people that do not have solar that are getting ripped off.
@kbeasley72
@kbeasley72 5 месяцев назад
I live in south east Louisiana and the are few incentives. Plus I live in hurricane territory
@StoryinyourEyes78
@StoryinyourEyes78 20 дней назад
It's the same with oil subsidies.
@joewentworth7856
@joewentworth7856 5 месяцев назад
its amazing how few peoples primary motivator is doing their bit for the future generations and leaving a habitable planet. I guess the most important thing is solar keeps getting installed.
@chiaracoetzee
@chiaracoetzee 4 месяца назад
Exactly. Even if my solar panels were a net loss compared to the grid I would still have installed them. Hypothetically say I lived far north in a place where solar panels had negative lifetime ROI, on the order of -$5000 over 20 years, or $20/mo. Am I willing to pay $20/mo to reduce my carbon emissions and bolster the renewable mix of the grid when exporting? Sure, of course I am.
@malk6277
@malk6277 4 месяца назад
You got ripped off because I'm an idiot.
@Chrisschaab
@Chrisschaab 4 месяца назад
I live in Hawaii, which is pretty much the gold standard for "Solar makes sense here". I installed a 10.2kW Solar panel + 26kWhr battery (2xTesla Powerwalls) in Oct 2021. The total cost for the system (Including hardware , labor, permits, etc) was $40.1k. Hawaii has generous state tax credits, and the 26%(I think) at the time federal tax credit means my outlay was $20k. This system has produced 38.7MWhr of power in it's lifetime, and our household use has been 33.9MWhr over the same period (according to the Tesla App, which has always been within 1% of the calibrated meters from the power company, and the production meter on the solar (also calibrated)). Hawaii has a high per kWh cost of power that fluctuates every month, from a low of around 33 cents, to a high of about 50 cents (Hawaii gets a lot of it's electric from oil, and the oil cost is a direct pass thru to the customer). So while the math gets complicated, the system has almost already paid itself off after 3 years, for sure by the end of next year. In addition the batteries have held us over an eleven hour power outage, and a few shorter ones. About 90% of the time we are running "off-grid". Two more batteries (another $20k) would get us to 99%, and then an additional 2 batteries would get us to ~99.5%. Hawaii hasn't had net metering for almost ten years now, so those extra 5MWhr have netted us minimal returns, the key is to be able to run 24/7 off your solar and batteries. Long story short, it's well worth it in Hawaii. I do think Matt overpaid for his system, and I wonder what the cost would have been directly thru Tesla, which claims to have no commissioned sales folks. I know in Hawaii people have a similar system to mine (including Tesla brand gateway and batteries) have paid more because they wanted to go thru a local contractor and not Tesla directly. Also, while I think Elon is a jerk, I think the Tesla engineers have done a good job on their products.
@tube-dude77
@tube-dude77 4 месяца назад
Solar panels only work while the sun is shining, like wind turbines only work when the wind is blowing HARD ENOUGH. Here in South Africa with our daily blackouts, ANYTHING is better. That's why solar is super for us.
@AshtonCoolman
@AshtonCoolman 4 месяца назад
This type of level headed thinking, analysis, and explanation are why I watch this channel. Most people would just respond "Shut up, trolls!" to these types of comments, but he approaches it like an actual adult. Not many of us adults act like adults nowadays 😅
@rbyikes
@rbyikes 4 месяца назад
I did solar with solarcity back in 2014. I got a 0.0 lease for 20 years. I paid nothing up front, and nothing for the installation. I am in california, and I don't own the panels on my roof, I own the power they create. My monthly payment to the solar company is $79.86 per month. It equalized my bills in the heavy use months, and all the power I get from the system is less than what the power company charges. I am connected to the grid, and have a good net metering contract. Probably better than you can get in most areas. Overall happy with the set up.
@garymeissner6659
@garymeissner6659 4 месяца назад
I am in "Sunny Southern California" so things work out a bit different. I had my initial 4.8 KW Enphase grid tied system installed almost 5 years ago. Plans, permitting, inspection, and labor were all a bit more than the national average, but the installer took care of it all and made the process very smooth. I had saved up and paid for the system directly. It was in 3 payments. 20% down for them to order the equipment and start the paperwork. Another 30% when all the gear was delivered and they started installing it. The final 50% once the system was producing power. My total cost up front was $17,000 USD and it qualified for the 30% tax credit, so I got back over $5,000 the following April. Final out of pocket cost is then $12,000 for 4,800 watts of solar panels. Due to the Sunny location, my small 4,800 watts has produced 8,000 kilowatt hours each year. The 4th year fell just under 8,000 due to more cloudy weather, but the 5th year is looking good for over 8,000 again. At an average cost of $0.32 per KWH from the utility (rates go from $0.27 to $0.69 depending on time of year and time of day) that means I am "saving" over $2,500 a year off of my electric bill. $12,000 / 2,500 = 4.8 years to fully pay off the system. But it's not quite that simple. The one thing none of the Solar Companies mentioned when I got quotes was that the electric billing was going to change. Before I had solar panels, I was on a tired power billing schedule. The first 300 KWHs a month was only billed at $0.17 per KWH. The Second tier was up to about 1,000 KWHs at $0.26 per KWH. And then "High Usage" beyond that was at something like $0.40 per KWH. I used under 500 KWHs in winter months, and up to 1,800 KWHs in 100+ summer heat. My bills ran from a low of about $70 to a peak high of $500. The total for a year would end up around $3,000 for electricity. My PV Solar power system went online in late July, 2019. The first few bills looked amazing. Just $6, then $8 and $7. Just wow. This is amazing. And it's crazy hot and the A/C has not stopped running. But then I saw the little box on page 5 of the electric bill. I am on a yearly "True Up Plan". I am only paying the taxes and "Non-bypassable Charges". The energy is being added up. At the end of the first billing year, I was hit with a $1,500 bill for the energy I used from the grid. Adding in the monthly fees to the True Up and I ended up saving less than 30% off of my year of bills from before I got solar. The pay off was really going to be more like 12 years. The main culprit here was "Time of Use" billing. Sure, I was getting "100% credit for exported power". BUT... All my power export was between 10 am and 2 pm. Smack in the middle of the cheapest time of day rate. That cheapest rate is now $0.27 or more than tier 2 used to be. But this is credit to me. But after 4 pm, and on to 9 pm, as the sun goes down, the rate jumps up to $0.52 per KWH as the solar panels stop producing and you have to buy electricity. OUCH!!! This was never explained. Had I known about that, I would have installed more solar panels and a battery system to provide evening power. This was not so much a scam as it was just, not giving all the details. Had I gone any smaller, my bills might have actually gone up. By the end of year 2, I had a hybrid inverter installed with 18 KWHs of battery. Originally it was setup to just store 10 KWHs when the sun was up, during the cheap time of day, and then discharge that 10 KWH's back into the grid at 2 kw for the 5 hours from 4 pm to 9 pm. That change cut my electric bill in half. I now use almost no high rate power, and most days still export some at the cheap rate. Adding the cost of the batteries and the hybrid inverter, the pay off time still got shorter with the new savings, but I also got backup power essentially for free.
@Co-Monad
@Co-Monad 4 месяца назад
Most people are scammed. They bought through a door to door salesman and got something that is way too expensive and not producing nearly enough. However, solar can be great if you know what to do and how to do it right.
@truedox
@truedox 4 месяца назад
A diffuser isn't going to allow 100% of the scattered light through. Some percentage is reflected or absorbed.
@SonneyLouis
@SonneyLouis 4 месяца назад
My van has a DIY install that in full sun can get 4KW off of 800w of solar: Cost 1500$ parts (200AH, 2000w AC, 30A SCC, etc) I figured out that the system generates 1/20th of the electricity yours does. Multiply my system by 20 and you have your KW output: $30,000 cost. $1500 x 20 systems. (16,000w solar, 4,000AH LiFePo, 40,000w AC inverter, etc) did you pay more for your system install? These are the types of industry numbers we should be looking for when installing solar. More expensive components means uncertainty if solar companies fold and you can’t get replacements. Redundancy of quality, low cost components is the path to victory!
@SonneyLouis
@SonneyLouis 4 месяца назад
I don’t feel like you got ripped off on your solar install. Having someone do it makes it a bit more expensive like you said, worth the extra cost! Enjoy your solar! Sounds like you got a decent set up for cheap! :)))
@mikeportell2870
@mikeportell2870 4 месяца назад
I always love your well thought out videos and trying to stay on an even keel. Also, I just realized that your voice reminds me of Casey Kasem. You could always have a backup job as a radio personality 😂
@perrywilliams5407
@perrywilliams5407 4 месяца назад
Matt, I have always liked how you approach analysis - answers are only easy when the underlying nuance is ignored or glossed over. Your analysis doesn't shy away from complexity, making it far more useful for those of us who don't need and don't want dumbed down info.
@Gumby777
@Gumby777 4 месяца назад
I'm in Queensland, paid $2900 for 6.6kw system in August 2021. My quarterly bill is roughly $300. Next quarter I will have broken even (as the previous provider dropped their feed in rate) Over summer my house hold used 510Kw and generated 2110Kw and I currently have $400 dollars in credits with the energy provider. From here on in its all savings and its nice not having another bill sneak up on me. Our hot water is gas so a big usage of power is taken out which helps and gas being cheap its not a big deal. The so called scams here are the pay over time installers, the interest and extra fees make it cost far more in the long run.
@ConservatEV
@ConservatEV 5 месяцев назад
I drive a Model 3, and while our electricity is reasonable ($0,142 per kwh off-peak, which last long enough to charge the car easily) I do like the idea of cutting that cost per mile even more and having battery storage for those (rare in my experience!) power outages.
@Mike-177
@Mike-177 4 месяца назад
We got a 13Kw solar panel system installed about 18 months ago and overall I am happy with it. It works as advertised and generates about 97% of the energy we use in a year. We got ripped off on the cost though. In my area the only way to get one is through a vendor that includes installation. The real issue is the power utility won’t even speak with you unless your from one of those companies. So we paid about twice what it would have cost to buy all the components on the open market. The cost was really disappointing because I am a professional electrical engineer and the actual design and wiring for the system isn’t complicated. So I paid someone something I should have done myself. Screw the power company and permitting agency lol.
@postulatingspin4470
@postulatingspin4470 4 месяца назад
This is the Grimm reality with solar. Countless consumers have been ripped off with the promise of solar only to have their rooftops destroyed and their water logged ceilings falling on them from roof leaks caused by shoddy installation, If you are tech savvy, able to understand your system in electrical terms, install it, and have a knowledge of DC and AC power, you can make solar work, but only vaguely . The problem comes with the ordinary consumer. They get ripped off nine ways to Sunday and on average only 30% of the solar systems installed on homes are working after 24 months. They simply become too expensive to maintain, and there are a wealth of shysters to take advantage of these technically un savvy consumers. Consumers just throw in the towel after getting ripped off constantly. The unfortunate part is that their homes may be tied up with liens associated with the financing scams that come along with solar installations. If you value your home and you value your money, steer way clear of solar.
@infinitelyexplosive4131
@infinitelyexplosive4131 4 месяца назад
How much are you paid to make such blatant lies?
@Grato537
@Grato537 4 месяца назад
To be a counter voice to the negatives: I went solar about a year ago mostly thanks to this channel, and have been very happy so far! Massive electricity savings and just overall quite happy. Additionally my dad quickly went solar after me. And he's got 30+ years experience in contracts and supply chain. He knows a scam or even just a bad deal when he sees it and he still went solar and is quite happy.
@ryanwelsch9384
@ryanwelsch9384 4 месяца назад
I first invested in Solar for my home back in April of 2005. I started with a 10Kw system and in 2018, with a roof modification that took about a year, I upgraded my system to an 18Kw system. My total solar electricity production is 241.4 Mwh. So far my solar investment has been about a total net cost of $19,350 and I have saved about $50,000. My main goal for going solar was to reduce my impact on the environment. The economic savings are just a bonus. I live on Long Island in a 3,500 sq. ft. home with a pool. Annually, my solar provides me a little more than the energy my house consumes. That includes heat. My production last year was 18,073 Kwh. My Solar panels face east and west. I am now saving about $4,000 annually.
@jamestucker8088
@jamestucker8088 4 месяца назад
Its hard to imagine that the excess permitting ended up costing you $30,000 for your solar installation. There has to be something else going on why solar costs so much more in the USA.
@billylambert3543
@billylambert3543 4 месяца назад
I’m a working class guy. I had a 3.5 k system installed five years ago. One thing I’m very happy about is the inflationary savings. The energy my panels produce has not gone up in price in all the time I’ve owned them.
@ProfessorOzone
@ProfessorOzone 4 месяца назад
Another thing to note. In my area, you were not eligible for any incentives, if you did the install yourself. It had to be done by a qualified installer.
@robertmcknight170
@robertmcknight170 4 месяца назад
I installed solar panels to help the environment. It has worked well for me. I pay $10.67 per month to stay hooked to the grid. Solar panels are a no brainer. The only problem is waiting too long to do it.
@Cajundaddydave
@Cajundaddydave 4 месяца назад
Everyone's situation is indeed different. We have pretty low costs per kw (.10) because we are 40% hydro in Idaho. In spite of this we have a family member in the solar biz so we got a significant discount on panels and materials. We paid full price for a pro install and with a 5.6K system we essentially never get a bill for energy off the grid. We produce more in peak summer months when needed for A/C and less in winter when energy demand is lower. After federal tax credits I expect to reach break even in 5 years. This seems like a pretty good ROI in my book. Others will have different experiences.
@nik5083
@nik5083 5 месяцев назад
Just FYI, when you are talking about hard costs & soft costs, Labor is not considered a soft cost. It a part of the construction numbers of building. When you do pro-forma's for buildings, construction/install labor is not in the soft cost category.
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