robbob2112
Doing more research, mosty harmless
If my wife and I did ROI on ANY of our hobbies, we'd need to drink more!
Jim
Why wait? start early and you won't feel like a ROI evaluation
What is your ROI?
- Thread starter dspence73
- Start date
Why wait? start early and you won't feel like a ROI evaluation
PreppenWolf
Solar Wizard
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2022
- Messages
- 1,010
I'm at 10 years total currently, 7.5 to go. Our electric usage was roughly $3500-4000 per year. It's now under $1,000. Our bill was $55 last month. Five adults in the house plus the farm loads here in NH.
Solar Guppy
Red Cobra Guppy
My ROI is never, even with net metering, but if the grid fails I have whole home backup power for infinity and beyond 
shazam
Solar Sipper & Fusion Finagler
Good point, well taken! ;-)
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2022
- Messages
- 25,697
My ROI is 15 years, and falling faster than the calendar.
Because what I'm saving is going up, constantly.
Because what I'm saving is going up, constantly.
teal95
Solar Wizard
For many of this it is a hobby, even if it is a bit consuming. For a hobby the fact that we can even talk about ROI is unusual.
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2022
- Messages
- 25,697
I have been watching solar for 40 years. And it didn't make financial sense until recently. If it didn't save me money, I wouldn't have done it.
Was that to cover the poco for damages and liability possibly caused by your solar system, or was that for losses to your home? Not to be nosy but if for poco liability, what did that cost?
42OhmsPA
Who likes Electrical Gremlins?
It was 7-8 years when I started with my first system.
I gave up tracking it, I've expanded 3 times and use significantly more power than I did when I started. I have 36 more cells arriving tomorrow...
Based off usage, In about 7 months I paid for the one my AIOs not using the grid.
It's paid for itself every time I hear the neighbors generator running and I didn't notice a thing.
I gave up tracking it, I've expanded 3 times and use significantly more power than I did when I started. I have 36 more cells arriving tomorrow...
Based off usage, In about 7 months I paid for the one my AIOs not using the grid.
It's paid for itself every time I hear the neighbors generator running and I didn't notice a thing.
It's worse than a drug addiction. I just call it prepaid electricity.
BarracudaBob
Harvesting free photons from clean fusion
5 years
I always tell the wife 5 years
It doesn't matter if I buy another battery or two
It is 5 years
But then over the last year we had a wire down and we were the only house on the block with power.
Backup with benefits
I always tell the wife 5 years
It doesn't matter if I buy another battery or two
It is 5 years
But then over the last year we had a wire down and we were the only house on the block with power.
Backup with benefits
Last edited:
darkskies
New Member
With a net system cost (from installer) of almost $33K, my 11.9 kW system with 16 kWh battery, is projecting at about 12.5 years for ROI.
I'm almost 4 years in, and save on average $2625/year.
I expect it to be less than that time, as the inverter was upgraded almost two years ago from 7.6 kW to 11.4kW, giving about 1 mWh more production per year (less clipping), and the battery was added after about 1.5 years in and it generates about 3 mWh per year.
From a practical standpoint, though, I don't pay anything for electricity each year, and that's what I like, given I'm retired and no longer have any "income" coming in.
I'm almost 4 years in, and save on average $2625/year.
I expect it to be less than that time, as the inverter was upgraded almost two years ago from 7.6 kW to 11.4kW, giving about 1 mWh more production per year (less clipping), and the battery was added after about 1.5 years in and it generates about 3 mWh per year.
From a practical standpoint, though, I don't pay anything for electricity each year, and that's what I like, given I'm retired and no longer have any "income" coming in.
Brett V
Solar Wizard
The grid tied system is 11 years old. After tax incentives, it was about $25k. Loan was paid off years ago. The off grid system, I probably have $10k invested all in. Our electricity rates here are fairly low so if I were ambitious and did the math, I’d probably be disappointed. But I have no electric bill and when the power is out, I don’t even know. Can’t really put a price on security.
As I tell my neighbors and any visitors that ask my ROI is never 
You can't get a return on investment if you never stop investing. At least that's how I look at it.
My power bill was $600 before solar and we no doubt got worse after adding the solar setup so it would probably over $1000 a month now but not sure.
I have no idea how much I have in all of this and I spend about $5000 a year on the main houses solar setup.
The crypto mining is overboard money spent but I look at it as how much it makes per month and not how much the equipment costs.
Its like a messy 401k that I can do what I want with.
You can't get a return on investment if you never stop investing. At least that's how I look at it.
My power bill was $600 before solar and we no doubt got worse after adding the solar setup so it would probably over $1000 a month now but not sure.
I have no idea how much I have in all of this and I spend about $5000 a year on the main houses solar setup.
The crypto mining is overboard money spent but I look at it as how much it makes per month and not how much the equipment costs.
Its like a messy 401k that I can do what I want with.
Absolutely… the cost of my tools and spares specific to this particular hobby craft( solar) is huge……
and is totally different than quality gun repair tools and gear……or Diamond grading and Jewelry repair tools , or tree cutting , digging or field related chores , or musical instrument repair tools and the instruments required …etc etc ect…..so there is very little overlap …its always separate tools …$$$
if one factors in even low inflation I figure I need to bring in New Year’s Eve of the year 2100 to come out decent on everything…..
UNLESS…. Somthing occurs earlier that make me glad I have electricity and a lot of resources to keep life livable, protected and healthy.……
Last years storm Helene ,where I am , gave me a 3 week “test run” with no grid , internet , cell phone , gasoline or well water…..hell, we didn’t even have passable roads in a lot of places …
All went well having my solar setup and power…….and resources ….
.and looking back I don’t remember thinking about ROI even once..
But I did think of a few improvement to do this summer…building the ground mounts now..
J
Daddy Tanuki
Emperor Of Solar
for our grid tied system on the main house the ROI was approximately 10 years. that system costs us 28k usd installed. it was installed in 2013 so its paid off and making money at this point.
for the cabin I would have had to pony up 30k initially and then pay for any repairs out of pocket to get wired in.
Instead I DIY'd it and spent a total of 15,400 on my system in it's initial configuration. I could have gotten by on the CALB cells and the 27 kWh of storage but i wanted enough capacity to last at least 4 days with no sun (winter months and snow covered panels) so the winstons added another 43kWh for 12k usd shipped bringing my total to 27,400 usd
so my initial ROI on the cabin was as soon as i powered it up the first time. buying the extra capacity almost reset that but it came in under the initial 30K. since then my neighbors have had to pay to have the lines restrung twice due to damage due to falling trees i never asked them how much it cost, but it was substantial. so its saving me money everyday.
for the cabin I would have had to pony up 30k initially and then pay for any repairs out of pocket to get wired in.
Instead I DIY'd it and spent a total of 15,400 on my system in it's initial configuration. I could have gotten by on the CALB cells and the 27 kWh of storage but i wanted enough capacity to last at least 4 days with no sun (winter months and snow covered panels) so the winstons added another 43kWh for 12k usd shipped bringing my total to 27,400 usd
so my initial ROI on the cabin was as soon as i powered it up the first time. buying the extra capacity almost reset that but it came in under the initial 30K. since then my neighbors have had to pay to have the lines restrung twice due to damage due to falling trees i never asked them how much it cost, but it was substantial. so its saving me money everyday.
As I tell my neighbors and any visitors that ask my ROI is never
You can't get a return on investment if you never stop investing. At least that's how I look at it.
My power bill was $600 before solar and we no doubt got worse after adding the solar setup so it would probably over $1000 a month now but not sure.
I have no idea how much I have in all of this and I spend about $5000 a year on the main houses solar setup.
The crypto mining is overboard money spent but I look at it as how much it makes per month and not how much the equipment costs.
Its like a messy 401k that I can do what I want with.
I’m far too weak in self control to stop buying stuff… I hate it … but it true…but it’s fun…
I have just learned to accept the fact that’s its one of my limitations in life…
J.
Opportunity cost; what if you had invested the $24K somewhere else?
Eg. Paid your mortgage down (saving interest)
- not borrowed the money (saving interest)
- taken a long vacation
- bought an income property/business?
- lent it to someone (family member?)
Eg. Paid your mortgage down (saving interest)
- not borrowed the money (saving interest)
- taken a long vacation
- bought an income property/business?
- lent it to someone (family member?)
42OhmsPA
Who likes Electrical Gremlins?
You can never have to many tools or battery cells; it's scribed in stone somewhere.
42OhmsPA
Who likes Electrical Gremlins?
Like Au, CuZn and Pb?
Fortunately my interest rates are already low and I'm paying on principal.
My vacations are simple, give me some trees, a hammock and running water nearby to kayak to the camping spot.
That's a good one.
I'm greedy when it comes to my money but I'd still help them if they really needed it.
dmkjr
Solar Enthusiast
I’m calculating roughly $2200 a year savings. Generate about 50-60kwh a day in South Carolina.
Running a pair of 6000xp’s, no back feed, and 3 strings 12kpv.
Running a pair of 6000xp’s, no back feed, and 3 strings 12kpv.
Very true…….
Very little in a man’s life is as uplifting to facing a strange job requiring an odd tool and you remember you aquired one years ago and have never needed it ( rarely happens ) .
somehow you manage find it and it fixes the problem…
Second to that is your brain scrolls through everything else you own and figure a way to make the wrong tool work for that job…..( happens a good bit)
Lastly is if you don’t have any tool that will do the job so you hack up or modify a different tool to make it work…( happens now and then)
Few feelings in life are as cool…and the odds are no one even got to witness it…
so you tell your wife and she just sorta gives you a confused stare…..???
Life ain’t fair sometimes..
J.
Vince2
New Member
I have about 20k sunpower panels ($7800), 2 sma 7.7 inverters ($3400), disconnect switches, wiring ($900), 2 ground mounted structures ($3500). Misc $1000. Total minus tax credit $11000. Produce yearly $2500 in electricity from net metering (kw $.10). System was paid off after 4 years. In process of adding 2 growatt 11.4, 40 kw in panels, 2 solar structures etc. for about same price. Expect to produce $4000 a year or paid off in 2-3 years.
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