We Went Solar

Well, friends, the headline says it all…….we went solar.  Our home is now powered by the sun.  This was all Mike’s idea, and I entered into the agreement with him very reluctantly.  Even though I LOVE seeing solar panels on all of the homes and businesses when we travel in Europe, I just felt we were/are too old to reap the benefits.  Purchasing the panels and installation is very expensive, and we have to live at least five more years (hopefully that’s not a problem) for it to pay for itself.  Plus, we had to get the historic commission’s approval, and you can imagine how I felt about that. 

So, the same week that the gas lines were being replaced on our street and at the same time we were having underground irrigation installed, solar panels were going on our roof.  And as I write this, the electricians are here still doing a bit of work.  And that’s while the water damage from our second floor laundry room is being repaired.  It’s a lot.  Not complaining…..just saying.

After many questions and answer sessions between my husband and me, I finally was okay with it when he said this:  “Just think of it as paying our electric bill in advance.”  That made perfect sense to me.  Basically, we have paid for the next five years of our electricity bill, and then it will be free.  That is called the “break even point.”  Also, all new homes in California must have solar power.  That makes me feel better about it, too.

You might be wondering where they are installed.  They are on the roof of our house in the back and cannot be seen from the street.  (That was a requirement of the historic commission, and I totally agreed.)  Another group of panels is on our garage roof.  We and our neighbors can only see them when we are pulling into our garage which is down an alley behind our house.

We will remain on the electrical grid.  For days when there is not much sunshine and at night, we might have to use the power company’s power to run our home.  This can be as much as 25 per cent of the time.  That is factored into our expense.

Having solar mean we will get income tax breaks for ten years

The great thing is that I can crank up the heated floors in our bathroom and leave the lights on even when I am not in a room.  Those are two treats I will enjoy.

Take care.