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I think that what’s not in this article, but needs to be, is that rooftop solar in the rest of the world costs about 1/4 what it does in the US. Getting US prices down to where they are elsewhere would do wonders for closing this big gap.
I’m planning to lease rooftop solar and from what I’m hearing from others who have it, it’s anywhere from 30% to 60% cheaper than what they were paying before (and that includes the $15 fee) depending on their roofline.
I totally agree with what you’re saying, though. I just don’t want people avoiding looking into it because they think it’s not a money saver when it might be. You HAVE to get quotes. The companies will give you all the number estimates up front based on map data and pictures
That’s a really good point. It completely depends on the locale and companies involved, don’t let me discourage anyone from looking into getting solar. I think my parents got into it a little too early, so there were very few options, and they’re locked in to a shitty plan now. Regardless, solar is still probably the best option for most people.
Yeah, there’s a lot of solar companies around here now so I’m getting quotes from several to compare.
One caveat I should have added is that I have no idea if any of them have home batteries which definitely affects both the lease fee and your usage of utility electricity (no/small battery = paying for electricity at night). I am hoping to get a battery that will cover the essentials for at least 3 days but I don’t know if it’s cost-prohibitive
Yeah, adding a battery to the plan was totally cost-prohibitive for my parents when they were getting started, but I’d assume those costs have come down a good amount. It’ll still probably be a big expense, but the math might work out better these days.