Got a deck? Solar panels now a plug-in appliance

Re:Got a deck? Solar panels now a plug-in appliance by pkh80 on Saturday May 12, 2012 @11:04AM (#3964064)

This price would have sounded great a few years ago, but you can get whole house solar installs for ~$4k, enough to replace your power. We got a 4.6 kw system installed on our house for less than $4k out of pocket. Check out SolarCity or any solar company that offers a lease to own program.

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Re:Got a deck? Solar panels now a plug-in appliance by icefox on Saturday May 12, 2012 @01:02PM (#3964458)

You can't compare the price of leasing a product to the price to own something outright.

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Re:Got a deck? Solar panels now a plug-in appliance by maxerickson on Saturday May 12, 2012 @05:33PM (#3965205)

For something that loses value over time, I would argue that it makes a good deal of sense to compare the price of leasing to the price of owning outright.

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Re:Got a deck? Solar panels now a plug-in appliance by pkh80 on Monday May 14, 2012 @04:41PM (#3973146)

Its a lease to own, after 15 years you own it outright. For the 15 years the system is fully maintained and warranted under the contract.

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Re:Got a deck? Solar panels now a plug-in appliance by ilaksh on Saturday May 12, 2012 @04:25PM (#3964997)

$1,000 seems much more affordable to me than $4,000. Four times more affordable.

Also this looks to be aiming for a different market than people that really need a whole house solar system or people who don't really need it but can afford the $4,000 out-of-pocket. Which actually is a bigger market, because most people don't have $4,000 handy and most people don't have a real immediate need for whole-house solar, but there are a LOT of people that want to decrease their energy bill or just REALLY want to "be green". The lower the price goes, the more people will buy solar panels, just based on the concept of having solar panels and being more sustainable.

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Re:Got a deck? Solar panels now a plug-in appliance by makomk on Sunday May 13, 2012 @08:42AM (#3966836)

$1,000 per individual 240-watt panel. If you want a full kilowatt you're up to $5,000 already.

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Re:Got a deck? Solar panels now a plug-in appliance by haakon666 on Sunday May 13, 2012 @04:55AM (#3966439)

For those that own their own home I think the loss of efficiency versus a professional install of your roof would negate any savings.

For those that rent and want to be able to take their panels with them, it's a winner of a product idea.

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Re:Got a deck? Solar panels now a plug-in appliance by tocomment on Saturday May 12, 2012 @11:58AM (#3964218)

Did you use solar city? Any idea how panels affect resale?

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Re:Got a deck? Solar panels now a plug-in appliance by pkh80 on Monday May 14, 2012 @04:47PM (#3973178)

Yes I used them... The contract is transferrable. I have fully paid off the panels already so I suspect that it will add a lot of value to our house if we decided to sell.

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Re:Got a deck? Solar panels now a plug-in appliance by tocomment on Tuesday May 15, 2012 @07:56AM (#3976124)

What do the costs look like? How long does it take to pay off? How is maintenance handled (is there maintenance?)

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