The Adventure Of Installing Solar Panels On My Townhouse With A Shared Roof

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I’ve wished to put in photo voltaic for a very long time, however there has all the time been a cause it doesn’t make sense for me.

• Once I first wished to put in photo voltaic about 8 years in the past, it didn’t make sense, since my roof was 15 years outdated, and it provides rather a lot to your prices (possibly $4,000 or so in my space for 22 panels) in the event you set up them after which must have them taken down and reinstalled in just some years.
• I received a brand new roof a number of years later, however then it didn’t make sense to get photo voltaic, since my youngsters had all moved out and I used to be getting ready to downsize. In an ideal world, having photo voltaic panels could be an awesome asset in promoting your home, since you will have performed all of the work to get them put in and the brand new proprietor simply will get the advantages. However we don’t reside in an ideal world. In the actual world, photo voltaic may be very interesting to some and a drawback to others. Many appraisers don’t know how to properly appraise solar. What generally occurs is the client likes having photo voltaic, however the appraiser gained’t worth it correctly, so the vendor has to take a cheaper price for the house.  It shouldn’t be that manner, however many instances that’s the manner it really works in Florida.  So I didn’t set up photo voltaic.
• I efficiently downsized to a smaller new townhouse and now I didn’t wish to set up photo voltaic within the first 12 months, since if there was a problem with the brand new roof, I wished the builder to repair it and never blame the photo voltaic firm.
• I had a plan to add solar in 2021 after the builder warranty was over. However there have been 2 points. First, my owners affiliation (HOA) was in opposition to it. Now, Florida state regulation is evident that the HOA can’t cease you, they’ll solely ask you to submit your plan and so they can ask for cheap adjustments to the plan (not a lawyer, however that’s my understanding of the regulation). I didn’t really feel like an enormous combat. Second, once I mentioned with Tesla and different installers, they weren’t curious about serving to me navigate the complexities of putting in photo voltaic on a roof that I personal, however which is maintained by the HOA.
• The whole lot modified in early 2024 once I was driving round city operating some errands and drove by one other subdivision of townhomes, and I noticed photo voltaic panels on a house. I instantly stopped and knocked on the door of that home to ask them how they did it! Sadly, they didn’t reply the door. I took some photos of the inverter. I seemed up the corporate, but it surely appeared like they have been out of Miami, and I didn’t need work with an organization that wasn’t native to Tampa. I went to the pool within the neighborhood and so they had the cellphone variety of the corporate that manages the HOA. I known as them in the course of the week and so they defined that they accredited it on 3 situations to guard the HOA (I’ll cowl these situations later within the article).
• So I checked with Teslaan organization that lets you rent the panels called Terra Energyand an organization that was chosen the non-profit organization called Solar United Neighbors organized cooperative in 2024 known as Transform Solar. For those who reside in Florida and wish to use them, they gave me a referral link that gives you $500 off of your solar system. Tesla nonetheless wasn’t prepared to assist me persuade the HOA to permit it and so they price a bit greater than Remodel Photo voltaic. Terra Power had an awesome resolution if I wished flexibility because it was solely a 3-year dedication and so they have been skilled with putting in it on townhomes. Remodel Photo voltaic had nice pricing and was additionally skilled at putting in it on townhomes and prepared to assist me work with the HOA. So I appreciated each Terra Power and Remodel Photo voltaic. I made a decision that Remodel Photo voltaic could be higher if I keep within the townhome for greater than 7 years, since as soon as the panels are paid off, I’d have free electrical energy. Terra Power could be a greater deal if I keep in my dwelling lower than 7 years since I’d see rapid financial savings. I don’t know what the long run holds, however went with Remodel Photo voltaic since I feel I’ll be right here some time. The after-tax price of the entire system was solely somewhat over $10,000, so if I do transfer earlier than I attain breakeven, the price of the system is a rounding error on a $500,000 dwelling anyway. So I don’t care if the appraiser provides a lot to my dwelling worth.  Since I signed the contract, my native utility has raised their costs twice! As soon as for hurricane-related prices and as soon as for gasoline prices. Each time they increase their charges, my payback interval is decreased.

House Homeowners Settlement

Fortunately for me, the members of the HOA board had modified and though I wouldn’t say they have been pro-solar, they undoubtedly weren’t anti-solar. They spoke to their lawyer and realized they’ll’t cease it and simply want to guard the neighborhood. They requested I signal an settlement that obligates me and all future homeowners of my property to do 3 issues.

1. That I insure and keep my photo voltaic panels. Fortunately, my insurance coverage mentioned they have been lined at no additional price (some insurance coverage firms will not be so solar-friendly).
2. That if my photo voltaic panels trigger the HOA’s insurance coverage prices to extend, I’ve to must pay the rise. Proper now, their firm doesn’t cost any additional (since they’re my duty), however that might change sooner or later. That was a threat I used to be prepared to take (since I REALLY wished photo voltaic).
3. Within the occasion of roof harm, I’ve to pay to have the panels eliminated and changed if they should restore or change the roof. This shall be a ache when it’s wanted, however hopefully will probably be after 7 years when the panels are simply making free electrical energy.

Set up

Set up went easily. The one concern was the inverter couldn’t reliably connect with my dwelling’s Wi-Fi. This doesn’t have an effect on the manufacturing of power manufacturing of the system, however I like taking part in with the appliance on my cellphone and monitoring each the photo voltaic manufacturing and my dwelling’s power consumption, and that doesn’t work if it isn’t related to Wi-Fi. I’ve heard this can be a widespread concern. They solved it by putting in a Wi-Fi extender in my storage. That labored, but when the inverter had a greater antenna, it will have saved a good period of time and trouble.  My cellphone had respectable Wi-Fi in the identical location because the inverter, so I do know there may be sign there.

My First Utility Invoice

As I discussed above, it wasn’t an awesome month, since we had some cloudy days, days are quick in February, and consumption was larger than regular attributable to some unseasonably chilly and heat climate. Nevertheless it’s a begin. I count on to provide extra energy than I exploit throughout some months after which have some energy banked for the opposite months. I get to financial institution energy for 12 months after which any extra is paid out (at full retail costs!) in utility credit that I can use to pay my mounted charges.

Conclusion

I’m very proud of the outcomes. I don’t understand how a lot cash I’ll save. It could possibly be $64,000 or extra, or it could possibly be rather a lot much less. It actually relies upon what number of instances I’ve to take away and change the panels over the following 30 years and the way a lot utility charges go up. If electrical energy prices go up by 4% a 12 months, I count on the panels to provide about $84,000 value of electrical energy and the price of set up is about $10,000 and a couple of removals and reinstalls are additionally about $10,000, so $84,000 much less $20,000 is $64,000. However I didn’t get the panels simply to economize, I received them principally as a result of I just like the expertise and wished to expertise it myself. Clearly, I just like the environmental advantages of lowering fossil gasoline consumption (my utility is 80% pure gasoline, 10% photo voltaic, and 10% bought energy at the moment), however the expertise and taking part in with the appliance and expertise was an even bigger driver for me.

Disclosure: I’m a shareholder in Tesla (TSLA), BYD (BYDDY), Nio (NIO), XPeng (XPEV), NextEra Power (NEP), and several other ARK ETFs. However I provide no funding recommendation of any type right here.