Toyota Prius is best selling car in California (so far for 2012)

I would have to go home and look at the Bill so I will post later. But what type of investment are we looking at 15K or 30K. I know Solar is getting cheeper. Who is a reliable vendor?

 

Solar price installations are very region dependent. Before subsidies, as low as $5 a watt installed, as much as $8 a watt. Federal subsidy is 30%, while many states tack on another 10% and some utilities give production credits that can be *hugely* profitable. You are late to the game, but you should check anyway.

 

You may want to post on the environmental forum to find out who is good and what prices should be in southern California. Its likely if you take out a 15 year loan you will pay less per month for the panels than you are now for electricity.

 

Correct, if high tier rates are in play.

At 4% apr, a $5 loan for 15 years costs 45 cents a year. A watt produces around 1.75 kwh a year, so the monthly payment is the same at 45/1.75 = 26 cents a kwh from the utility. And of course panels last a lot longer than 15 years.

Put another way, if a $20k PV array will save you $150 off your monthly bill, you are good to go.