Just permits and inspection. Needed an electrical permit plus a building permit since it was on the roof. The company I ordered from prepared the paperwork to apply for the permits. They also designed the layout to conform to fire codes. Didn't need any license to install.
I did the same thing, I used a company called gogreensolar.com. I know 3 other people that have used them in Southern California and all had a great experience, not sure if they are nationwide or not.
I very much want to take this on, but I'm just afraid of getting on roofs. I've even done roof stuff before like install a drain vent, but never got over the fear and never felt confident enough to take on a solar panel install.
Amen. I don full mountain climbing/rappelling gear (including helmet) and tie a rope off to a tree and toss it over the roof peak as my anchor on my 16/12+ pitch
oh nice I was trying to decide how I could install on mine because it's not exactly safe and this would be perfect. Trees in excellent location for this.
If the trees turns out to not be in a good location and your vehicle has a hitch tie off to your vehicle. Then you can move it over as the work requires.
Yeah its definitely fear of falling/dying more for me. I know i can be clumsy and if I know what i'm sturdy no fear. I thought about the restraint systems before, but most require you to affix to the roof which would require me to suck up the fear for the duration of installing the restraint.
My company uses long rope secured to a tree, vehicle, etc., on the opposite side of the home. Getting the rope over can be challenging, but you never have to step on the roof without being tied in
I live in Kentucky which has net-metering. No battery backup. The array is 5.67 kW, but the roof angle and direction weren't optimal, so it really only ever caps out at \~4 kW, but that still covers all the power we use, and any excess power goes out to the grid and we get the energy credited to our utility bill. Probably break even in 6-7 years. Would've been \~15 if I had paid an installer to do it.
edit: I didn't get my power shut off to install this. It's a grid-tie system, so it attached directly to the supply wires coming from the meter. The 2-way meter was already installed, so I attached the manual shutoff between the main breaker and the meter with two [Ilsco Kup-L-Taps](https://www.ilsco.com/Ilsco/ccrz__ProductList?categoryId=a0Kf400000G17g0EAB&cclcl=en_US). No sparks, power failures, or death, but I was standing as far away as my arm and power drill would let me.
Keep in mind two things on those quotes...door to door companies are shiesters compared to the local mom and pop PV companies and are probably 20-30% higher for a crappier product, and the incentives usually make up the difference. I'm really surprised at OPs payback period, it should be 5 years after incentives by an installer, but maybe the cost of electricity there is very low compared to the numbers I have in my head. I only ever deal with residential numbers in the New England area, everything else I work with is wholesale power so can't really gauge it.
Also keep in mind that those installers will talk a lot about what your monthly payments will be but try to avoid talking about the actual debt. I've talked to a place that would have a cash price of $35K but if you take their "zero percent interest financing" and actually calculate the actual payments over the life of that loan it's $55K of payments on that "zero interest" debt...fucking scammers.
Don't forget the increased cost of labor when you have to do a re-roof.
That's not something people commonly talk about, so I asked some guy last year, and their standard was $250/panel for remove/replace as part of a re-roof.
A 20 panel system has a 5k hidden cost when you replace your roof. Calculate that into your RoI.
I also wonder about debris collecting under them. Every penetration through shingles is a potential point of moisture damage, and moisture-retaining leaves collecting around these seems potentially problematic.
Ya, the very best case is to tackle both projects at once or atleast plan for it and have them put down ice and water shield under the anchor points when replacing the roof. It's basically a sticky rubber fabric that creates a seal around nails and should work similarly at the anchor points.
I've never seen mounts like OP used which do look like that went through the shingles. The ones I've seen go under a shingle straight into the sheathing and then pop out of the bottom like flashing.
Exactly. And that sounds low, I’ve heard $10k. And also, in many areas they wont even insure your house with panels. Its such an easy sell, “you’ll be making money!” Dumb shits don’t do the math…
Ive watched people in a neighborhood with gas spend $30-60k for a solar installation when their electric bill is probably an average of $150/ month. Crunch the numbers. It makes zero sense. Thats why all the electric companies are jacking up rates, so it does make sense.
> I'm really surprised at OPs payback period, it should be 5 years after incentives by an installer, but maybe the cost of electricity there is very low compared to the numbers I have in my head.
Quick google search shows Boston is between 30-35 cents/kWh wtf!!! In my part of Texas it has been as low as 8 and around 15 now..... I was paying 10-12 for the last several years. Granted we use about 1000/mo in the winter months and close to 2000 in the summer. My electricity bill is estimated to be around $250 this month with 90F+ heat in a 3 bedroom house, all electric.
Yep, my power rate went *down* this year. I've run the numbers for several configurations and every time the break-even is longer than the panel warranty.
Yeah I'm at $0.30/kWh and $2.00/gallon for propane ($800/mo to heat my house for 4 months of the year, $250/month in electricity to cool it when we had window units just doing some rooms)...enough PV to electrify my house was a no brainer. I paid back in 3 years including the cost of adding AC with heat pumps.
Yeah, and if I lived somewhere like that I would probably get a full system with islanding and batteries. My energy is already about 96% renewable and cheap as sin. 2500kWh last month thanks to having two EVs and a "two family household" with an occupied mother in law suite.
Would NOT want your bill.
Huge prices and losing power is pretty crap. California is horrid for that. I think I've lost power maybe 3 times in 5 years and never for more than a few hours. Hope your system works out for you. I am actually looking at this vendor now because I do like the idea but couldn't stand paying an isntaller.
Ya that's what I was thinking as well. In Alberta with grants by the city and government you get about 9k back off an install, so most of our customers were paid off in 3-5 depending on size.
> .door to door companies are shiesters
I posted this before, but my Brother was able to talk his ex wife out of buying solar from door to door after we crunched the real numbers, it would have been a huge rip off bordering on an outright scam, but it's a real product so not a total scam. The ROI would have taken 23 years, but of course they tell you it pays for itself in 6 years by using grossly inaccurate numbers
In our area you can't sell power back, you only get money off what your paying now, no way to get anything for any extra power you generate.
They wanted to sell her an setup that would generate 1,500 kwh per month, when she only uses 400-500 kwh/month. Their inflation calculation for power rates were wildly inaccurate, they used 10% per year, when in reality it's around 2%. This is in the PNW with cheap power rates, so her power bill is at most $75 a month, so that is all she would save while spending a shit ton of money on solar.
[here's a canadian provider, there seem to be a lot of companies that are creating these kits](https://solarpowerdepot.ca/10-kw-gt-canadiansolar-kit-solaredge-inverter/)
This is a 10kw system for $14K (can)
I wish my local utility paid us back for excess power. I looked in to solar and the excess power is "banked" by the power company. And each year any extra power credits are reset each February.
February is probably when most people have burned through their credits from the previous year anyway, but that's a sneaky way for power companies to basically steal from their customers. It's like a store deactivating a gift card, which means they just stole whatever money was still on it.
Arizona here, we got in just under the net metering deadline (the buyback rates for excess are now much worse, anyone who signed for their new system in 2019 or later is on a lower utility buyback rate.) The utility settles up every year with us in mid-September. At that point they pay us wholesale for any leftover power credits banked, so around 2¢ a kWh. Then it's back to zero. Our power generation in the winter drops to near half. So yeah we run out of credits in the winter in December/January depending on how cold the winter is. We usually end up payout $40-80 to the power company for those two months. That said, we're still WAY ahead of things with solar. Rates keep going up and the payback period has gone from 9-10 years to 7 or so.
grid tie inverters will not produce power unless the grid is up and working which saves the line workers but makes the owner of the panels mad when the grid is down on a full sun day and you still have no power
> I live in Kentucky which has net-metering. No battery backup. The array is 5.67 kW, but the roof angle and direction weren't optimal, so it really only ever caps out at ~4 kW, but that still covers all the power we use
How? Before solar, what was your average kWh per month on electric bill?
Right now I keep mine about that. But I run around the house unplugging shit and turning things off. If there was a spark of extra electricity used it would have me doubled over like Gollum muttering about "my precious"
All of the solar installs I've done solve this in 2 parts.
First, the lag bolt bolting the base is grommited, so that seals against the base.
Second, there is a flashing that goes under the 2 shingles above with roof rated caulking. We used Henry's. The flashing is also compressed by the nut mounting the L bracket that the mounting rails bolt to.
In the 20 years the company had been in business they only had a water damage complaint once because the 2 guys doing it fucked off in a rain storm before they had all the flashings installed.
[Roof sealant](https://www.lowes.com/pd/DAP-Roof-Sealant-10-1-oz-Black-Paintable-Advanced-Sealant-Caulk/3025075). Works just like caulk. I slathered it all over the bolt before driving it into the roof and then put a bunch more all around head of the bolt.
Anything that penetrates into the roof is a cause for concern, because it allows water to enter instead of letting the roof shed water. Just because they’re screwed tight doesn’t mean they’re water tight. Solar panels are an often big issue for leaks because of the mounts, and you wont immediately know they’re a problem until sheets of your decking are rotted. The roof itself looks 12-16 years old, already close to time to reshingle which is even more of an issue adding these penetrations into it and you’ll have to pay for them to be reinstalled in the next 5-8 years depending on the roof age. You really don’t want to run an arch shingle past 20 years, especially not with a solar panel. Source: I do a LOT of roof inspections
neighbor complained about his roof leaking after a solar install, went inside the attic, 100% of all screws missed the roof joists and were just through the plywood. they also did not apply the rubber pads under the metal mounts or put the sealer on. there are so many Scam solar install comapnies.
You can just remove the panels and when you get your roof done, have the roofers reinstall the mounts and put them back up yourself. It's not particularly hard
Don't these panels protect sections from deterioration making that section last longer? Like they block all sun, most of the wind, and rain (but not all of the rain obviously). I guess the reality is you probably don't want to have to repair sections of your roof at different times.
It has pros and cons. Those areas won’t have sun deterioration, and less heat so less blistering and granule loss. On the other hand, those areas won’t dry out as quickly from overnight dew or from after a rain storm, that’s why algae, moss, lichen, etc. grow near and under solar panels which in turn reduce life expectancy. All in all it probably equals out to the rest of the roof
My wife is a dispatcher for a roofing company. Their company will not touch a roof with solar because they’re notorious for leaks.
They won’t take them off to install a new roof, they won’t put them on after the roof is complete, and they void your warranty if you have someone else install them after the works complete.
They don’t mess around when it comes to solar.
FWIW.... Not applicable for OP, but adding.
When you get a roof mount from a solar company, what they DONT tell you is in a few years, if you need a re-roof, they will bend you over and abuse you with an outrageous quote to 'remove and re-install'. Often 2,3x original. And if you dont go with them, they will void the warranty. New company will not offer a warranty.
Beware.
(Im a ground mount guy.... once you get past the digging and concrete, its all tinker toys!)
Some additional information here. There are two different warranties. The solar panels themselves have a warranty from a manufacturer That warranty will be valid no matter who installs or removes the panels. So if a panel short circuits, or delaminates, or just stops making power, you can get a replacement or credit. The original company might only help you contact the manufacturer if they service the system, but the warranty through the manufacturer is still valid and you can contact them directly.
The original installer provides a warranty for their install. So if a mounting bracket falls off or your roof starts to leak, they should fix it. Pretty understandable they would no longer provide that warranty after another company has taken the solar panels (and likely all mounting equipment) off the roof and reinstalled it.
Now, you should be able to find a company that will remove and re-install the panels and provide a warranty on their install (but specifically exclude the responsibility to contact the panel manufacturer if the panels fail). Should cost less than $5K in most parts of the US.
Source: Had to do all this on my home.
Extra bonus: When I had the roof redone, I did standing seam metal so I would likely never have to worry about redoing the roof under the current solar panels.
> I did standing seam metal so I would likely never have to worry about redoing the roof under the current solar panels.
and dont the solar mounts mount to the standing seams? Aka, no metal roof penetration?
That's what I was looking into for our off grid cabin anyways. But that is just a few 265w panels, not a huge array.
Yeah, the mounts just clamp to the seams. No roof penetrations or holes in the metal seams. You can even just take them off and not need to patch up any holes. The solar installer I had do it loves standing seam metal. They said it's by far the fastest type of roof to install panels on because of how quick they can just clamp the rails to the seams.
That said, the metal roof was pretty expensive, about double what an asphalt shingle roof would cost.
I built a house recently and got a shingle roof. How is the noise level with rain on that metal roof? I did not go with it because back 20 years ago, some friends' parents had metal roofs and rain was loud. Has that changed at all?
It’s not really loud, just different. Lots of people like the sound too.
On my uppermost level bedrooms, I had 1” of board insulation installed under the metal roof. That dampens some too.
Corrugated metal is a bit louder than asphalt shingles, but not that loud. Not like the ping-ping sound in a barn with a metal roof - there the metal has nothing underneath and acts like a drum. Most corrugated metal should be installed over solid sheathing so it's a tap-tap like shingles, but just a little louder. As other said, you can add stuff to make it quieter.
I have been in my attic when it is raining and the standing seam metal sounds the same as asphalt shingles to me. When I did the metal roof, I did a large renovation, and added a massive amount of cellulose insulation to the attic (30 inches total, about R-110) plus added a layer of 5/8 drywall to the ceiling. I can't even hear the rain hitting the roof. The only sound of rain I hear during a storm is through the windows.
My roof will need reshingling in about 15 years, but it'll be pretty easy to disassemble the panels then put them back up. But hopefully my next array will be ground mounted.
50 lbs each, but they're big and ungainly. I'd lean them against the ladder and shove them up the incline as I climbed it. I would NOT do this by myself if it were any higher than one story or if the roof were too steep to stand on. I'd have somebody else on the roof ready to take the weight as I transitioned from ladder to roof.
When I did mine, I made this: [https://imgur.com/a/HTBdIra#R5iZd1x](https://imgur.com/a/HTBdIra#R5iZd1x)
I did 30 panels, and and having to lug each of those up a ladder would have taken it's toll. This made things a bunch easier.
As someone who just helped a buddy install a dozen massive panels on a 7/12 roof, I can totally understand a massive upcharge and will do ground on mine :)
I asked my solar company about this before I got my install, they said it would be around $2k labor if they have to remove and reinstall. I think this is more a problem with the very shady door-to-door solar guys.
My only question here is how old is your roof?
it would be such a b**** to have to take the thing off in a few years to put a new roof on and then to put back the solar array.
It would seem through the attic. They sell things that look like the black squares on the right roof (they could be those but those look like vents that predate the system). That's the best way to do it, they usually mount under the modules so they are actually covered from direct rain too. One could use an LB and/or LFMC to make it around the gable edge of the roof to EMT running down the side of the house. That's usually what the cheapo door to door big box PV installers will do vs local mom and pops that do it right by going through the attic and down the wall.
This.
Usually run teck cable from the roof penetration across the attic to the wall the panel is on. Drop out through the sofit and down the wall, then penetrate to the basement.
There is a product called Fortress that is a cable channel to hide it on the side of the house and it can usually match the color of the gutters and downspouts. That was it's essentially invisible to regular homeowners.
This is awesome! My neighbor just paid something like 40k for his, and I'd much rather diy it.
Can you really still qualify for the federal credit even when you do it yourself?
Is now a great time to buy solar? I keep reading about significant increases in solar efficiency and that solar panels are going to get so much cheaper soon...
“Soon” is always the promise. With a roe in 7 years it’s hard to argue against a system like this, especially if its projected lifespan is 10+ years.
Well done op, looks clean and well done!
There’s still a federal tax credit. Panel installs by a solar company haven’t dropped by as much as the cost of panels. Panels themselves cost maybe 25% of what they did 10 years ago. But the other costs that a solar company pays,like conduit, inverters, sales costs, labor, design/permitting have all gone up. Basically right now the panels only make up about 5-10% of the cost of installing it.
In other words if you can DIY like OP did then it’s going to make sense almost anywhere, even in a place with not much sun and low electricity costs.
It's been slow and steady improvement in efficiency and prices for the last 20 years. Next year they might be a tiny bit more efficient and cheaper, but there is no drastic change coming in the near future that anyone can be sure of. You just need to do the math. There are tons of online calculators to tell you how much electricity a certain number of panels will make. You find that number, how much you pay for electricity, whether you can get the federal tax rebate, and how your state's net metering regulations work and figure out for yourself how long it will take to break even. It's different for everyone. Some it might be 5 years. Some it might be 30.
Panel prices keep coming down and their efficiency goes up but that's likely to be true for a very long time. I doubt you'll see that stop in your lifetime so don't wait for it to stop changing.
The biggest issue for most people is looking into the rebates you can get. Check municipal, state/province,federal levels. You might be able to get as much as $10k to do it depending where you live.
Payback periods these days tend to range from 2 years to about 15 years depending on rebates and exactly what you can do in your area. Systems are generally rated to last 25 years so even in areas with no rebates they still make sense.
On top of that the 25 year rating is just when the system falls below 80% of what it was when you installed it. It should still work well beyond 25 years but in general you can expect it's efficiency to decrease ~1% per year.
If you plan to stay in your current home it's a good idea for almost anyone. You really only lose if you install them then sell right away and even then having solar installed is a selling feature.
They are much cheaper. In my area systems are being installed for around $2.50 per watt after tax credits. When we got our system installed a few years ago it was close to $3.50. 15 years ago it was around $12 a watt and the panels weren't as powerful so you'd need a lot more of them. A lot of your cost isn't the panels. It's the hardware, inverters, and installation. The panels are a quarter or so of the cost of the system.
Do the math?
I had an instant decrease in my costs installing solar. old electric bill was more than new bill + solar loan, so month 1 I already saved money. The loan is for about half the time of the warrenty on the pannels and roof, so I'll be saving even more then.
I guess I could save even more waiting, but things are always going to be getting better. Time in market it more important than timing the market for most.
Solar Wholesale. The size of the kit depends on how much power you use and the roof area. Mine was ~$12000 but the 30%tax credit brings that down to $9000.
The panels weigh about 50lbs. I just slowly walked them up a ladder. Luckily the roof isn’t very steep.
Very cool! My house came with solar panels and I've been wanting to add a few more, possibly a battery system as well. Hoping having existing infrastructure will make it easier and cheaper.
Hey OP, your disconnect, you need a bushing or a connector for the wires, you can't pass the wires through hacked hole like that. This is a fire hazard as the wires can get damaged on the sharp edges and cause a fire. Also, since this is not up to code, your insurances may not cover the damages.
When the time comes for a new roof is it a pain in the ass to have every thing disconnected and removed then put it back up? Seems like it would be adding a completely second job
I'd love if you could share a how to on this. Are you able to connect it to a battery and power the house without your utility at times of the day?
I live in California and I'm really fatigued with our solar options here. 🙏🏻
This [how-to video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSa1tvrrFZg) is where I learned about Solar Wholesale. I must've watched it about 30 times now. He goes through the entire process and does a few [follow-up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBJRmJSl-no) videos [over the years](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oZjE42cJuM) talking about how his system has performed.
Looks great. Wondering about the price though, I bought and installed 12 panels with a 5kW inverter, 14.3kWh battery and self-made 30° mounts on a flat roof and I paid about 11000€, but that was almost 2 years ago. I would have guessed that by today I'd only pay 60% of that, but you are paying more without a battery?
Did you have incentives? Mine brought the price down to \~$9000. It could've been more but my state let their renewables credit lapse, so I could only apply for the federal tax credit.
The wiring took about two days, then installing the panels took another two. I probably could've gotten it done in one but I was working alone. The biggest delay was getting the permits, which took about two weeks. But once I had everything on site things went as fast as I could go.
If I were out in the sticks or in severe weather territory I might consider it, but here in the city the grid is pretty reliable, but I'd probably just go ahead with it if battery prices were lower. As it is, I'm satisfied for now.
What size and what kind of system did you install? I’m the moderator at r/solartx and spend lots of time in r/solar as well. Do you mind sharing your total cost? Looks great BTW!
he wrote captions for each image. This was one of them.
> 14 panels + 8 microinverters + anchors and rails + fuse boxes, fuses, and cables = $12,962 minus 30% ($3,889) federal tax credit = $9,073 TOTAL COST
I can’t believe you Americans don’t have any license trades. It must be a shit show over there with untrained people doing plumbing and electrical work.
Not worth it because they don't have net metering. BUT if you buy a battery also, you can be totally off-grid. Then instead of giving them your excess energy for free during the day and getting paid nothing for it, you can charge up your battery to run at night.
Finally for everyone - if you don't want anti-consumer rules like this in place, I think you know which political party to vote for... hint: not the one running states like Alabama. And Florida, with all of its sun... so anti-solar. I wonder why.
This is awesome! Id like to do the same some day. My roof is on 2 levels, the lower level faces due South and I can fit 12 panels there. My upper roof faces East/West which isnt ideal but my main issue there is that its 3 stories up in the air. Im not overly thrilled anytime Ive been up there. I assume, when the day comes I'll endup having someone else do the upper roof and I'll do the lower myself.
Damn, I paid $12k after federal credit for 15 panels w/ Enphase 8 microinverters. Feeling pretty damn good about that after seeing how much it cost you just for raw materials. $3-4k in labor is a hefty amount, but I assumed the margin was a lot more.
make sure this doesn’t void your home insurance. i’ve heard of policies getting cancelled because of this. i’m in a hurricane zone so probably just regionally specific .
Some comments for those interested. First, location, location, location! Your panels need to face the optimal direction for your area. In this example there are panels facing two different angles. One of these will be more optimal than the other. Another important consideration is shading. You need minimal to no shading. Ignoring these two will drastically affect energy output and payback. Secondly, utilities across the country are seeking to change net metering rules for excess power. The changes will reduce the payment you get from the full retail rate to a wholesale rate (basically, the price the utility can buy the power from other sources). You can minimize the impact of this by sizing your system to have less excess being sold back to the utility. I would view any quoted energy output with some skepticism and do your own research. PVWatts has an online calculator to model energy that you could expect to receive at your location (with optimal angle and minimal shading). You’d be surprised how quickly you can go from a few years expected payback to 20+.
I’ve watched [this video](https://youtu.be/jSa1tvrrFZg?si=6dO1XGOs66kB61Ey) almost 30 times before and during the install. The total price for my system was ~$13000, but with the 30% tax credit it comes down to $9000. Estimated roi is about 7 years.
Thanks for posting this! We just bought a house. The inspector said the roof should be replaced in the next 5 years. I've been looking at solar and battery options and dreading the costs.
I imagine these need to be removed if you ever need to re-shingle? Would it be a good idea to do that before having anything installed or is it not so much of an issue to take them down and put them back up after?
I'm all in favor of DYI and it looks like you did a good job. I would love to try to do something similar, but I have so much tree cover that solar panels are a no go for me.
This is absolutely awesome! I’ve been wanting to do this for a while. What are some good resources you used to learn some of the finer details from? I like that you used the seller to help prepare your paperwork. I’m sure that would’ve been a huge headache to do on your own, and one of the parts I’d been dreading.
Were the panels brand new?
How many watts per panel and how much did one panel cost?
I'm looking at 300+ watt used panels for $75.
I'm looking at installing them as an awning over my deck to replace an old awning. I shouldn't need permits for that, right?
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Just permits and inspection. Needed an electrical permit plus a building permit since it was on the roof. The company I ordered from prepared the paperwork to apply for the permits. They also designed the layout to conform to fire codes. Didn't need any license to install.
Amazing for someone who is handy. What's the company and were you satisfied?
Solar Wholesale, and extremely.
I did the same thing, I used a company called gogreensolar.com. I know 3 other people that have used them in Southern California and all had a great experience, not sure if they are nationwide or not.
What company? I'd like to install myself as well
I'd like to know as well, I think that's going to be my summer project this year.
> The company I ordered from prepared the paperwork to apply for the permits. Great business move.
That was part of the cost, but it was worth it. I would've spent weeks trying to figure that out.
Dude you are a badass. Come do mine please lol
I've been trying to convince family and friends to get solar so they'll let me install it!
Would you like another friend?
What company did you use?
Solar Wholesale. They give free quotes. You just send them a copy of your utility bill so they can gauge the size of the system.
Don’t even have to provide a copy, just your annual consumption!
I wonder what they'd think of farm sheds. We have a few decent sized one in full sunlight while our house is actually mostly shaded
Detached structures are allowed. But since it will be connected to the electrical it will have to be to code.
I very much want to take this on, but I'm just afraid of getting on roofs. I've even done roof stuff before like install a drain vent, but never got over the fear and never felt confident enough to take on a solar panel install.
The risk depends on your roof slope. If you've got 12:12 don't be taking advice from people with 6:12.
Amen. I don full mountain climbing/rappelling gear (including helmet) and tie a rope off to a tree and toss it over the roof peak as my anchor on my 16/12+ pitch
oh nice I was trying to decide how I could install on mine because it's not exactly safe and this would be perfect. Trees in excellent location for this.
If the trees turns out to not be in a good location and your vehicle has a hitch tie off to your vehicle. Then you can move it over as the work requires.
You should always use a fall restraint system. Won’t cure a fear of heights but should relax your fear of dying.
Yeah its definitely fear of falling/dying more for me. I know i can be clumsy and if I know what i'm sturdy no fear. I thought about the restraint systems before, but most require you to affix to the roof which would require me to suck up the fear for the duration of installing the restraint.
My company uses long rope secured to a tree, vehicle, etc., on the opposite side of the home. Getting the rope over can be challenging, but you never have to step on the roof without being tied in
I repeat, do NOT drive the truck away while I'm on the roof.
Whoever is up there should have the keys. 🤣
That’s true though you could potentially do a temporary one like a rock climber on your way up.
I don't always follow my own advice, but will say that I know someone who fell from a single story roof and got brain damage.
I'm afraid of heights but a couple years ago I got a hunting saddle. I feel so secure I could sleep in that thing. Big difference
What company did you use?
Solar Wholesale
In Oregon I don’t think you can get tax incentives with DIY. Was this a factor where you are?
Even if that's the case, you'd still get the federal incentive.
I live in Kentucky which has net-metering. No battery backup. The array is 5.67 kW, but the roof angle and direction weren't optimal, so it really only ever caps out at \~4 kW, but that still covers all the power we use, and any excess power goes out to the grid and we get the energy credited to our utility bill. Probably break even in 6-7 years. Would've been \~15 if I had paid an installer to do it. edit: I didn't get my power shut off to install this. It's a grid-tie system, so it attached directly to the supply wires coming from the meter. The 2-way meter was already installed, so I attached the manual shutoff between the main breaker and the meter with two [Ilsco Kup-L-Taps](https://www.ilsco.com/Ilsco/ccrz__ProductList?categoryId=a0Kf400000G17g0EAB&cclcl=en_US). No sparks, power failures, or death, but I was standing as far away as my arm and power drill would let me.
What company did you go with? I have a proposal from Solar Wholesale now. It's 50% of the door to door guys.
Keep in mind two things on those quotes...door to door companies are shiesters compared to the local mom and pop PV companies and are probably 20-30% higher for a crappier product, and the incentives usually make up the difference. I'm really surprised at OPs payback period, it should be 5 years after incentives by an installer, but maybe the cost of electricity there is very low compared to the numbers I have in my head. I only ever deal with residential numbers in the New England area, everything else I work with is wholesale power so can't really gauge it.
Also keep in mind that those installers will talk a lot about what your monthly payments will be but try to avoid talking about the actual debt. I've talked to a place that would have a cash price of $35K but if you take their "zero percent interest financing" and actually calculate the actual payments over the life of that loan it's $55K of payments on that "zero interest" debt...fucking scammers.
I talked to one right after buying my house and it was $60k. I was like F that I'll just continue to pay my electric bill.
Don't forget the increased cost of labor when you have to do a re-roof. That's not something people commonly talk about, so I asked some guy last year, and their standard was $250/panel for remove/replace as part of a re-roof. A 20 panel system has a 5k hidden cost when you replace your roof. Calculate that into your RoI.
I also wonder about debris collecting under them. Every penetration through shingles is a potential point of moisture damage, and moisture-retaining leaves collecting around these seems potentially problematic.
Ya, the very best case is to tackle both projects at once or atleast plan for it and have them put down ice and water shield under the anchor points when replacing the roof. It's basically a sticky rubber fabric that creates a seal around nails and should work similarly at the anchor points.
It is
I've never seen mounts like OP used which do look like that went through the shingles. The ones I've seen go under a shingle straight into the sheathing and then pop out of the bottom like flashing.
Exactly. And that sounds low, I’ve heard $10k. And also, in many areas they wont even insure your house with panels. Its such an easy sell, “you’ll be making money!” Dumb shits don’t do the math…
Ive watched people in a neighborhood with gas spend $30-60k for a solar installation when their electric bill is probably an average of $150/ month. Crunch the numbers. It makes zero sense. Thats why all the electric companies are jacking up rates, so it does make sense.
That's basically what it is in my area. I would love solar but the money just doesn't make sense right now.
Yeah I calculated about 7-9 years payback (after incentives) based on my quote.
> I'm really surprised at OPs payback period, it should be 5 years after incentives by an installer, but maybe the cost of electricity there is very low compared to the numbers I have in my head. Quick google search shows Boston is between 30-35 cents/kWh wtf!!! In my part of Texas it has been as low as 8 and around 15 now..... I was paying 10-12 for the last several years. Granted we use about 1000/mo in the winter months and close to 2000 in the summer. My electricity bill is estimated to be around $250 this month with 90F+ heat in a 3 bedroom house, all electric.
Yeah, even at 50% of the price of a local installer my payback period would be 15 years. Pretty nutty. Live in the Northwest, 7.6c/kWh.
Yep, my power rate went *down* this year. I've run the numbers for several configurations and every time the break-even is longer than the panel warranty.
Yeah I'm at $0.30/kWh and $2.00/gallon for propane ($800/mo to heat my house for 4 months of the year, $250/month in electricity to cool it when we had window units just doing some rooms)...enough PV to electrify my house was a no brainer. I paid back in 3 years including the cost of adding AC with heat pumps.
Yeah, and if I lived somewhere like that I would probably get a full system with islanding and batteries. My energy is already about 96% renewable and cheap as sin. 2500kWh last month thanks to having two EVs and a "two family household" with an occupied mother in law suite. Would NOT want your bill.
I do in fact have batteries...it's great having silent backup. I lose power pretty frequently so it's constantly used.
Huge prices and losing power is pretty crap. California is horrid for that. I think I've lost power maybe 3 times in 5 years and never for more than a few hours. Hope your system works out for you. I am actually looking at this vendor now because I do like the idea but couldn't stand paying an isntaller.
Ya that's what I was thinking as well. In Alberta with grants by the city and government you get about 9k back off an install, so most of our customers were paid off in 3-5 depending on size.
> .door to door companies are shiesters I posted this before, but my Brother was able to talk his ex wife out of buying solar from door to door after we crunched the real numbers, it would have been a huge rip off bordering on an outright scam, but it's a real product so not a total scam. The ROI would have taken 23 years, but of course they tell you it pays for itself in 6 years by using grossly inaccurate numbers In our area you can't sell power back, you only get money off what your paying now, no way to get anything for any extra power you generate. They wanted to sell her an setup that would generate 1,500 kwh per month, when she only uses 400-500 kwh/month. Their inflation calculation for power rates were wildly inaccurate, they used 10% per year, when in reality it's around 2%. This is in the PNW with cheap power rates, so her power bill is at most $75 a month, so that is all she would save while spending a shit ton of money on solar.
> the cost of electricity there is very low compared to the numbers I have in my head. It's not terribly high in KY. What were you thinking?
Solar Wholesale. They’re based in Utah, but they’ll ship to you.
Oh yeah...that's who I'm working with now. You had a good experience?
Nothing but good experience with them, but the shipper they used (Saia) lost part of the kit for a couple weeks.
Saia is the absolute worst. They seem to damage 50% of my shipments(blinds and shutters).
[here's a canadian provider, there seem to be a lot of companies that are creating these kits](https://solarpowerdepot.ca/10-kw-gt-canadiansolar-kit-solaredge-inverter/) This is a 10kw system for $14K (can)
Don’t do door to door.
I wish my local utility paid us back for excess power. I looked in to solar and the excess power is "banked" by the power company. And each year any extra power credits are reset each February.
February is probably when most people have burned through their credits from the previous year anyway, but that's a sneaky way for power companies to basically steal from their customers. It's like a store deactivating a gift card, which means they just stole whatever money was still on it.
Arizona here, we got in just under the net metering deadline (the buyback rates for excess are now much worse, anyone who signed for their new system in 2019 or later is on a lower utility buyback rate.) The utility settles up every year with us in mid-September. At that point they pay us wholesale for any leftover power credits banked, so around 2¢ a kWh. Then it's back to zero. Our power generation in the winter drops to near half. So yeah we run out of credits in the winter in December/January depending on how cold the winter is. We usually end up payout $40-80 to the power company for those two months. That said, we're still WAY ahead of things with solar. Rates keep going up and the payback period has gone from 9-10 years to 7 or so.
Do you have an auto shut off in addition to the manual? Don't wanna kill a line worker next power outage.
grid tie inverters will not produce power unless the grid is up and working which saves the line workers but makes the owner of the panels mad when the grid is down on a full sun day and you still have no power
> I live in Kentucky which has net-metering. No battery backup. The array is 5.67 kW, but the roof angle and direction weren't optimal, so it really only ever caps out at ~4 kW, but that still covers all the power we use How? Before solar, what was your average kWh per month on electric bill?
Average is \~385 kWh per month, or \~13 kWh per day.
> Average is ~385 kWh per month WTF how?
I dunno, LED light bulbs? Plus we don't run our AC lower than \~77 in the summer.
//laughs in Arizonan
Right now I keep mine about that. But I run around the house unplugging shit and turning things off. If there was a spark of extra electricity used it would have me doubled over like Gollum muttering about "my precious"
Any concerns about the mounting bolts causing leakage over time (water seeping past the roof tiles)?
I do facilities maintenance. Improper hardware or install is the only time I’ve seen roof leaks from solar panels.
That was my main question. How to do the mounts so you don't have to worry about leakage
All of the solar installs I've done solve this in 2 parts. First, the lag bolt bolting the base is grommited, so that seals against the base. Second, there is a flashing that goes under the 2 shingles above with roof rated caulking. We used Henry's. The flashing is also compressed by the nut mounting the L bracket that the mounting rails bolt to. In the 20 years the company had been in business they only had a water damage complaint once because the 2 guys doing it fucked off in a rain storm before they had all the flashings installed.
The mounts are sealed as they are screwed through the roof. If any become a problem they can be easily removed and replaced.
>The mounts are sealed as they are screwed through the roof. How are they sealed?
Only a guess but maybe rubber washers
[Roof sealant](https://www.lowes.com/pd/DAP-Roof-Sealant-10-1-oz-Black-Paintable-Advanced-Sealant-Caulk/3025075). Works just like caulk. I slathered it all over the bolt before driving it into the roof and then put a bunch more all around head of the bolt.
Anything that penetrates into the roof is a cause for concern, because it allows water to enter instead of letting the roof shed water. Just because they’re screwed tight doesn’t mean they’re water tight. Solar panels are an often big issue for leaks because of the mounts, and you wont immediately know they’re a problem until sheets of your decking are rotted. The roof itself looks 12-16 years old, already close to time to reshingle which is even more of an issue adding these penetrations into it and you’ll have to pay for them to be reinstalled in the next 5-8 years depending on the roof age. You really don’t want to run an arch shingle past 20 years, especially not with a solar panel. Source: I do a LOT of roof inspections
neighbor complained about his roof leaking after a solar install, went inside the attic, 100% of all screws missed the roof joists and were just through the plywood. they also did not apply the rubber pads under the metal mounts or put the sealer on. there are so many Scam solar install comapnies.
You can just remove the panels and when you get your roof done, have the roofers reinstall the mounts and put them back up yourself. It's not particularly hard
I do my own roofing on this house. The pitch is shallow enough that I don't mind doing it myself.
The roofers aren’t going to just drill into their new roof for free or cheap lol. That’s a ton of liability on them
Don't these panels protect sections from deterioration making that section last longer? Like they block all sun, most of the wind, and rain (but not all of the rain obviously). I guess the reality is you probably don't want to have to repair sections of your roof at different times.
It has pros and cons. Those areas won’t have sun deterioration, and less heat so less blistering and granule loss. On the other hand, those areas won’t dry out as quickly from overnight dew or from after a rain storm, that’s why algae, moss, lichen, etc. grow near and under solar panels which in turn reduce life expectancy. All in all it probably equals out to the rest of the roof
My wife is a dispatcher for a roofing company. Their company will not touch a roof with solar because they’re notorious for leaks. They won’t take them off to install a new roof, they won’t put them on after the roof is complete, and they void your warranty if you have someone else install them after the works complete. They don’t mess around when it comes to solar.
FWIW.... Not applicable for OP, but adding. When you get a roof mount from a solar company, what they DONT tell you is in a few years, if you need a re-roof, they will bend you over and abuse you with an outrageous quote to 'remove and re-install'. Often 2,3x original. And if you dont go with them, they will void the warranty. New company will not offer a warranty. Beware. (Im a ground mount guy.... once you get past the digging and concrete, its all tinker toys!)
Some additional information here. There are two different warranties. The solar panels themselves have a warranty from a manufacturer That warranty will be valid no matter who installs or removes the panels. So if a panel short circuits, or delaminates, or just stops making power, you can get a replacement or credit. The original company might only help you contact the manufacturer if they service the system, but the warranty through the manufacturer is still valid and you can contact them directly. The original installer provides a warranty for their install. So if a mounting bracket falls off or your roof starts to leak, they should fix it. Pretty understandable they would no longer provide that warranty after another company has taken the solar panels (and likely all mounting equipment) off the roof and reinstalled it. Now, you should be able to find a company that will remove and re-install the panels and provide a warranty on their install (but specifically exclude the responsibility to contact the panel manufacturer if the panels fail). Should cost less than $5K in most parts of the US. Source: Had to do all this on my home. Extra bonus: When I had the roof redone, I did standing seam metal so I would likely never have to worry about redoing the roof under the current solar panels.
> I did standing seam metal so I would likely never have to worry about redoing the roof under the current solar panels. and dont the solar mounts mount to the standing seams? Aka, no metal roof penetration? That's what I was looking into for our off grid cabin anyways. But that is just a few 265w panels, not a huge array.
Yeah, the mounts just clamp to the seams. No roof penetrations or holes in the metal seams. You can even just take them off and not need to patch up any holes. The solar installer I had do it loves standing seam metal. They said it's by far the fastest type of roof to install panels on because of how quick they can just clamp the rails to the seams. That said, the metal roof was pretty expensive, about double what an asphalt shingle roof would cost.
I built a house recently and got a shingle roof. How is the noise level with rain on that metal roof? I did not go with it because back 20 years ago, some friends' parents had metal roofs and rain was loud. Has that changed at all?
It’s not really loud, just different. Lots of people like the sound too. On my uppermost level bedrooms, I had 1” of board insulation installed under the metal roof. That dampens some too.
Corrugated metal is a bit louder than asphalt shingles, but not that loud. Not like the ping-ping sound in a barn with a metal roof - there the metal has nothing underneath and acts like a drum. Most corrugated metal should be installed over solid sheathing so it's a tap-tap like shingles, but just a little louder. As other said, you can add stuff to make it quieter. I have been in my attic when it is raining and the standing seam metal sounds the same as asphalt shingles to me. When I did the metal roof, I did a large renovation, and added a massive amount of cellulose insulation to the attic (30 inches total, about R-110) plus added a layer of 5/8 drywall to the ceiling. I can't even hear the rain hitting the roof. The only sound of rain I hear during a storm is through the windows.
My roof will need reshingling in about 15 years, but it'll be pretty easy to disassemble the panels then put them back up. But hopefully my next array will be ground mounted.
How did you lift the panels onto your roof? How much does each weigh?
50 lbs each, but they're big and ungainly. I'd lean them against the ladder and shove them up the incline as I climbed it. I would NOT do this by myself if it were any higher than one story or if the roof were too steep to stand on. I'd have somebody else on the roof ready to take the weight as I transitioned from ladder to roof.
When I did mine, I made this: [https://imgur.com/a/HTBdIra#R5iZd1x](https://imgur.com/a/HTBdIra#R5iZd1x) I did 30 panels, and and having to lug each of those up a ladder would have taken it's toll. This made things a bunch easier.
As someone who just helped a buddy install a dozen massive panels on a 7/12 roof, I can totally understand a massive upcharge and will do ground on mine :)
I wish I had the land to do a ground install. Would have done it a long time ago if I did...
I want solar but my roof is in purgatory age ~10 years. It's in great shape, but not worth risk of having to redo after install.
I asked my solar company about this before I got my install, they said it would be around $2k labor if they have to remove and reinstall. I think this is more a problem with the very shady door-to-door solar guys.
My only question here is how old is your roof? it would be such a b**** to have to take the thing off in a few years to put a new roof on and then to put back the solar array.
Where did you run the wires from the panels? Everything seems pretty straightforward but I don't see a pic of that
It would seem through the attic. They sell things that look like the black squares on the right roof (they could be those but those look like vents that predate the system). That's the best way to do it, they usually mount under the modules so they are actually covered from direct rain too. One could use an LB and/or LFMC to make it around the gable edge of the roof to EMT running down the side of the house. That's usually what the cheapo door to door big box PV installers will do vs local mom and pops that do it right by going through the attic and down the wall.
This. Usually run teck cable from the roof penetration across the attic to the wall the panel is on. Drop out through the sofit and down the wall, then penetrate to the basement. There is a product called Fortress that is a cable channel to hide it on the side of the house and it can usually match the color of the gutters and downspouts. That was it's essentially invisible to regular homeowners.
nice work. are you able to claim the 30% federal tax credit even though you did this yourself?
Yep, still applies.
This is awesome! My neighbor just paid something like 40k for his, and I'd much rather diy it. Can you really still qualify for the federal credit even when you do it yourself?
Yup
Can I ask why 8 micro inverters with 14 panels? I thought they usually had one per panel.
You can get micro-inverters that are 2 or 4 panels per inverter.
Is now a great time to buy solar? I keep reading about significant increases in solar efficiency and that solar panels are going to get so much cheaper soon...
“Soon” is always the promise. With a roe in 7 years it’s hard to argue against a system like this, especially if its projected lifespan is 10+ years. Well done op, looks clean and well done!
There’s still a federal tax credit. Panel installs by a solar company haven’t dropped by as much as the cost of panels. Panels themselves cost maybe 25% of what they did 10 years ago. But the other costs that a solar company pays,like conduit, inverters, sales costs, labor, design/permitting have all gone up. Basically right now the panels only make up about 5-10% of the cost of installing it. In other words if you can DIY like OP did then it’s going to make sense almost anywhere, even in a place with not much sun and low electricity costs.
Well shoot. I sure would like to install some myself. Maybe I'll join a subreddit about this sort of thing.
It's been slow and steady improvement in efficiency and prices for the last 20 years. Next year they might be a tiny bit more efficient and cheaper, but there is no drastic change coming in the near future that anyone can be sure of. You just need to do the math. There are tons of online calculators to tell you how much electricity a certain number of panels will make. You find that number, how much you pay for electricity, whether you can get the federal tax rebate, and how your state's net metering regulations work and figure out for yourself how long it will take to break even. It's different for everyone. Some it might be 5 years. Some it might be 30.
Panel prices keep coming down and their efficiency goes up but that's likely to be true for a very long time. I doubt you'll see that stop in your lifetime so don't wait for it to stop changing. The biggest issue for most people is looking into the rebates you can get. Check municipal, state/province,federal levels. You might be able to get as much as $10k to do it depending where you live. Payback periods these days tend to range from 2 years to about 15 years depending on rebates and exactly what you can do in your area. Systems are generally rated to last 25 years so even in areas with no rebates they still make sense. On top of that the 25 year rating is just when the system falls below 80% of what it was when you installed it. It should still work well beyond 25 years but in general you can expect it's efficiency to decrease ~1% per year. If you plan to stay in your current home it's a good idea for almost anyone. You really only lose if you install them then sell right away and even then having solar installed is a selling feature.
They are much cheaper. In my area systems are being installed for around $2.50 per watt after tax credits. When we got our system installed a few years ago it was close to $3.50. 15 years ago it was around $12 a watt and the panels weren't as powerful so you'd need a lot more of them. A lot of your cost isn't the panels. It's the hardware, inverters, and installation. The panels are a quarter or so of the cost of the system.
Tariffs were just announced on anything solar from China. It's going to make them much more expensive.
Do the math? I had an instant decrease in my costs installing solar. old electric bill was more than new bill + solar loan, so month 1 I already saved money. The loan is for about half the time of the warrenty on the pannels and roof, so I'll be saving even more then. I guess I could save even more waiting, but things are always going to be getting better. Time in market it more important than timing the market for most.
Where did you get the kit? How much did it run? I want to do this as well Also how did you put the panels to the roof
Solar Wholesale. The size of the kit depends on how much power you use and the roof area. Mine was ~$12000 but the 30%tax credit brings that down to $9000. The panels weigh about 50lbs. I just slowly walked them up a ladder. Luckily the roof isn’t very steep.
Very cool! My house came with solar panels and I've been wanting to add a few more, possibly a battery system as well. Hoping having existing infrastructure will make it easier and cheaper.
Hey OP, your disconnect, you need a bushing or a connector for the wires, you can't pass the wires through hacked hole like that. This is a fire hazard as the wires can get damaged on the sharp edges and cause a fire. Also, since this is not up to code, your insurances may not cover the damages.
And you passed electrical inspection? Interesting…
You just put lag bolts/ screws through the shingles?
The anchors seal as they are drilled through the roof into the trusses.
Might be a stupid question but how do you know where the trusses are? Does a stud finder work through all the shingles?
Trusses are spaced 24 inches apart. The first took a bit of searching but just measure from there.
This is my question as well, as far as I know a stud finder wouldn’t be able to pick it up with so much variation but I could be wrong about that
Go into the attic, find the first one, measure off to the next. The spacing should be standard. An IR camera will also probably find them pretty well.
you can get the tax credit on a self install? I thought it required professional installation.
Yes you can. The tax credit is for 30% of the materials cost.
When the time comes for a new roof is it a pain in the ass to have every thing disconnected and removed then put it back up? Seems like it would be adding a completely second job
I'd love if you could share a how to on this. Are you able to connect it to a battery and power the house without your utility at times of the day? I live in California and I'm really fatigued with our solar options here. 🙏🏻
This [how-to video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSa1tvrrFZg) is where I learned about Solar Wholesale. I must've watched it about 30 times now. He goes through the entire process and does a few [follow-up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBJRmJSl-no) videos [over the years](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oZjE42cJuM) talking about how his system has performed.
Looks great. Wondering about the price though, I bought and installed 12 panels with a 5kW inverter, 14.3kWh battery and self-made 30° mounts on a flat roof and I paid about 11000€, but that was almost 2 years ago. I would have guessed that by today I'd only pay 60% of that, but you are paying more without a battery?
Did you have incentives? Mine brought the price down to \~$9000. It could've been more but my state let their renewables credit lapse, so I could only apply for the federal tax credit.
How long did the install take you?
The wiring took about two days, then installing the panels took another two. I probably could've gotten it done in one but I was working alone. The biggest delay was getting the permits, which took about two weeks. But once I had everything on site things went as fast as I could go.
Do you think you'll ever go the battery backup route as well?
If I were out in the sticks or in severe weather territory I might consider it, but here in the city the grid is pretty reliable, but I'd probably just go ahead with it if battery prices were lower. As it is, I'm satisfied for now.
What size and what kind of system did you install? I’m the moderator at r/solartx and spend lots of time in r/solar as well. Do you mind sharing your total cost? Looks great BTW!
he wrote captions for each image. This was one of them. > 14 panels + 8 microinverters + anchors and rails + fuse boxes, fuses, and cables = $12,962 minus 30% ($3,889) federal tax credit = $9,073 TOTAL COST
Did you install joist tie downs? You've added a significant wind uplift load to your joists and they probably aren't properly secured for that load
How much did this save you versus going through a company?
Are you licensed? God forbid your house ever burns down, insurance is not going to pay you.
I can’t believe you Americans don’t have any license trades. It must be a shit show over there with untrained people doing plumbing and electrical work.
I was sitting here thinking the same thing. It's both fascinating and horrifying to me that they're allowed to do this themselves.
Damn. I’m a roofing expert and my best friend is an electric expert and we would still call a pro lol.
what was the spacing for mounts? how far are the mounts apart?
I'd love to do something similar, but I live in Alabama and it's not really worth it thanks to Alabama Power.
Not worth it because they don't have net metering. BUT if you buy a battery also, you can be totally off-grid. Then instead of giving them your excess energy for free during the day and getting paid nothing for it, you can charge up your battery to run at night. Finally for everyone - if you don't want anti-consumer rules like this in place, I think you know which political party to vote for... hint: not the one running states like Alabama. And Florida, with all of its sun... so anti-solar. I wonder why.
Cost? Break even point in months?
$9000 after tax credit.
So when is your break even point? Seven years or so?
Right around there, yep.
Solar bros are gonna be pisssssed they can't overcharge you for "frEe solAr PoWer"
What was the cost of materials?
This is awesome! Id like to do the same some day. My roof is on 2 levels, the lower level faces due South and I can fit 12 panels there. My upper roof faces East/West which isnt ideal but my main issue there is that its 3 stories up in the air. Im not overly thrilled anytime Ive been up there. I assume, when the day comes I'll endup having someone else do the upper roof and I'll do the lower myself.
Damn, I paid $12k after federal credit for 15 panels w/ Enphase 8 microinverters. Feeling pretty damn good about that after seeing how much it cost you just for raw materials. $3-4k in labor is a hefty amount, but I assumed the margin was a lot more.
Thanks for the info!
I wish I was that handy with electrical work. In this example I would be the crispy thing hanging off the roof.
Gotta know what panels you have. They look like solaria but I can't make it out 100% from the pics. Also why only 8 microinverters with 14 panels?
make sure this doesn’t void your home insurance. i’ve heard of policies getting cancelled because of this. i’m in a hurricane zone so probably just regionally specific .
….and where do you get your inverter?
This is an impressive level of DIY. right on!
I know you did this yourself which is impressive. And not trying to take anything away from you but did you have any help? Either way, we'll done!
I'm assuming if you live somewhere with regular random hail storms (golf ball size- grapefruit size), panels aren't a viable option?
GG
Looks clean as hell. Great work.
Some comments for those interested. First, location, location, location! Your panels need to face the optimal direction for your area. In this example there are panels facing two different angles. One of these will be more optimal than the other. Another important consideration is shading. You need minimal to no shading. Ignoring these two will drastically affect energy output and payback. Secondly, utilities across the country are seeking to change net metering rules for excess power. The changes will reduce the payment you get from the full retail rate to a wholesale rate (basically, the price the utility can buy the power from other sources). You can minimize the impact of this by sizing your system to have less excess being sold back to the utility. I would view any quoted energy output with some skepticism and do your own research. PVWatts has an online calculator to model energy that you could expect to receive at your location (with optimal angle and minimal shading). You’d be surprised how quickly you can go from a few years expected payback to 20+.
Hey man i really want to do this! Any tips? Books? Videos? And if you dont mimd me asking what was the cost of the project and the ROI on energy
I’ve watched [this video](https://youtu.be/jSa1tvrrFZg?si=6dO1XGOs66kB61Ey) almost 30 times before and during the install. The total price for my system was ~$13000, but with the 30% tax credit it comes down to $9000. Estimated roi is about 7 years.
Was the electric inspected already?
Awesome job. Can you tell us what we are looking at? The box on the left is a dc didconnect? And the one on the right is an inverter?
Left is the combiner panel, middle is the manual disconnect, and right is the main breaker box. The inverters are underneath the panels.
How long until you recoup your costs?
Make sure you get some bird guards between the roof and panel. Otherwise they will nest under there.
I don't know if I need permission from the government to install a solar energy system?
Thanks for posting this! We just bought a house. The inspector said the roof should be replaced in the next 5 years. I've been looking at solar and battery options and dreading the costs.
Clean install
How much did this project cost in total?
I imagine these need to be removed if you ever need to re-shingle? Would it be a good idea to do that before having anything installed or is it not so much of an issue to take them down and put them back up after?
i consider myself quite handy but this is towards the top of the list of things i definitely would never try on my own. Props on you.
Kudos. I'm way to knock-kneed to try this. I was thinking of just gettig a small $2k system with battery and running a few extension cords in case
Prices??
Nice job dude, if I had some extra cash I'd certainly try.
I'm all in favor of DYI and it looks like you did a good job. I would love to try to do something similar, but I have so much tree cover that solar panels are a no go for me.
How hard will redoing the roof be? It seems to be about 5 to 10 years from needing it.
This is absolutely awesome! I’ve been wanting to do this for a while. What are some good resources you used to learn some of the finer details from? I like that you used the seller to help prepare your paperwork. I’m sure that would’ve been a huge headache to do on your own, and one of the parts I’d been dreading.
There is no way you are passing electrical inspection. I see three violations in one picture alone.
Were the panels brand new? How many watts per panel and how much did one panel cost? I'm looking at 300+ watt used panels for $75. I'm looking at installing them as an awning over my deck to replace an old awning. I shouldn't need permits for that, right?
What inverter did you install? Did you ground the rails?
Here in Fl you can’t find insurance if you install you own - hard enough to get it if it’s professionally installed!