I want to put in some solar panels on the roof but my wife isn't convinced. is there a chart that shows how much you can save each year?

We have solar and it's up and running. Tell your wife to go look at our chart at how much we produce a day. Tell her she will be able to do the laundry, run the dishwasher etc during the DAY. Most people we know are on a 'time plan' with their electric company. I couldn't do that stuff til after 9 p.m.
http://solarguard.solarcity.co...93-A09D-F384BBDFBD5B

we used solarcity.com If you or anyone else here uses them, please use my name Janine Joi. We get a referral fee and with hubby just laid off, it will be MOST helpful!

We were paying $294 a MONTH for electric. I have a home business which is one of the reasons it was so high. We had been notified it was going up to $344/mo. This month, we will be paying the elect co $173. HUGE difference.

Also solar city IS a lease program. they have a down payment sometimes, of $1000, they install it, monitor it, fix it if it breaks and they get the biz tax deduction, while we get some sort of reduction in payments or something.

we have always wanted to go solar, but couldn't afford it. now we can. email me if you want our exact address so you can google it and see the set up on our roof.

Janine Joi [referral name, don't forget] we might even get a referral fee if you just set up an appt with them, not sure]

I don't have any charts, but I think it depends. I saw a news segment recently where a man, whose roof is covered with solar panels, is selling his surplus electricity back to the electric company.

Your getting ahead of yourself.
You first need to find a contactor who sells and installs these panels. Then you need an audit to see if your homes roof is faced the right direction and if its a proper canidate for these panels. Not all roofs will be the ideal place to put these items.
Once this audit is complete, the installing contractor can tell you if the roof mounting will work or if the panels need to be placed somewhere else on your property. Having that information both location and size of system that can be mounted, Place for batteries etc, Only then can you determine what kind of savings your going to get.
Do not forget that these systems are expensive. Not only to purchase the materials but to install. Do not think your going to be seeing black in the checkbook for several years. This type of system is a long term investment. It requires service and its not very pretty to look at.

Ah contraire! We went thru Solar City as I said, and we ARE seeing savings in the first month! What all he said about positioning of roof is true, however, with ours, we don't have batteries, and yes, we sell our excess back to the electric company we use. SC is a great deal for those that can't afford to do this themselves. Please remember my name to use as a referral with solar city, Janine Joi.

You may appear to have been getting a positive cash flow, but what amount of money did you pay to get this system into operation.

I understand there are companies who install for very little and take a % back as payment over a period of time.

One question however, Why do people need to use your name with this company? Do you get a rebate back if someone uses them or do you work for them?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by The Home Care Club LLC:
You may appear to have been getting a positive cash flow, but what amount of money did you pay to get this system into operation.

I understand there are companies who install for very little and take a % back as payment over a period of time.

dear non-person who does not sign their name:
Please re-read my first post regarding the referral fee.
Bottom line, we pay LESS for our electric bill than we ever have. No I don't work for them.

nooo, we paid nothing. zip, nada. ZERO.
we do lease the panels from solar city. You really should read my first post, well.
It doesn't matter. We have solar, we LOVE it, and we pay little on the lease AND save money. FROM the git go. Not only that! But we are postive about the whole thing. ;-)

Janine Joi, referral name to use if you call solarcity.com

Thanks for posting Janine, I have been looking for a less expensive route than the two 'highway robbery solar companies' that exist already. I am going to look into this one soon.

There are many ways to avoid the high cost of solar panels...even a few that can be done by the homeowner at pennies on the dollar.

As for the roof facing situation, virtually every roof that has access to sunlight is a candidate. Obviously if one side of your roof faces the sun most of the day, you'll be better off, but almost any roof can do the trick to help save **$....most roofs face more than one direction.

As for a solar contractor, that's the most expensive way to go and not everyone's cup 'o' tea. There are many other avenues to getting solar power up and running without paying for a 'top of the line' contractor.

Glad to hear of the savings you are having....I'd love to have solar and wind making 100% of our power.....someday!

Bummer...they don't service our area yet.