Number crunching

Yeah, I had a few arborists give me a price on cutting down mature red maple tree on the SouthWest side of the roof. It is large enough such that during the growing season with foliage, it casts a shade on the corner of the roof. The garden is in full bloom right now, I am going to wait for the off-season to cut this tree down. Too large and too close to the house to DIY the felling. Hate to cut down healthy productive trees, especially paying a large sum of money.

 

I sincerely wish you the best of luck in your project
I will follow your aventure in this thread
Cheers

 

The thing is, I have already established that solar panel is not the best investment in terms of ROI. And since it is a grid-tied system, even if I achieve the net zero generation, I am not energy independent. If our electricity rate is not double the US national average, or our monthly consumption is lower, then the solar panels would make very little sense economically. But, with my current projection, I should be able to break even within a reasonable time frame, or sooner if the electricity rate keeps going up as it has been in the last few years.

At least, I am not paying any interest on solar financing. Or pay a monthly fee (equivalent to or slightly less than what I pay now to the utility) for the next 25 years on a solar power purchase agreement. I will own the system once installed. I just hope the system will perform as promised, and I will to able to save money in the long run. I will never get the satisfaction of being self-sufficient, but at least I can say I am contributing my share of green energy from our roof. The only thing is that I am likely causing an increase in the electricity rate which ratepayers are going to have to pay for. The current system is only helpful for those with resources. Those without resources are the ones who pay the most.

I still want to build a tiny house for my retirement and live off-grid, but that requires much more commitment and determination to change my current lifestyle. Not sure if that works with my other half.

 

No doubt. We all lived our lives with constant lifestyle creep. Not many of us are willing to give up the convenience of always-on electricity. But if I am 20 years younger, and if my significant other is willing to endure the lifestyle of homesteaders, then I am certainly willing to give up the convenience of modern-day technologies. But it becomes only difficult or impossible as we age.

 

Yeah, I've heard this line of thought, mostly as a "win-win" marketing catchphrase from solar companies. But, I largely dismiss it. It is very similar to any realtor saying certain remodeling adds "value" to the home. If the house is unaffordable for most young people now, how does adding more value to the home by installing solar panels thus increasing the sales price of the home make it more attractive to them? At best, if I try to sell my house at the same price as the other similar houses without solar in our area, then yes, our house is more marketable. But planning to recoup the installation cost of the solar 10-20 years later when we try to sell the house is wishful thinking, IMHO.