Based on what city you live in you can get a substantial rebate for installing a solar system. Some cities I saw you can get up to $17,000. Did not investigate this claim but I don't see why Sharp Solar System would miss inform it's potential customers. You can check out the calculator here: SHARP Solar Calculator Choices
Boy, I am glad I jumped 4 years ago. My rebate was 50 cents on the dollar invested!!! Final out of pocket for a 7.5 kW system ...$29,000.00, including rebate, and Fed tax credit. That also included the electrician rewiring my home to a 200A service upgrade for free, I installed the panels myself. Sweat equity is a good thang!!! Pat KK6PD
Hi Pat. Your system sounds good. I was wondering what you pay your Utility and what price do they pay you?
My 6.8KWR system will cost after all rebates about 21K$ in the Tucson Az. area. This system is big enough to cool a 2250sq.ft. house (5$ electric bills), charge my Hymotion sys. (4.9KWHR/nite) for the Prius, and will reduce my gas heating bill during the winter by about half I think. Payback including the Plug-in mod., about 15-17 years. Not bad considering you can eventually save money, help the enviorment, and reduce your usage of Oil at the same time. Check out Technicians for Sustainability, a bunch of former/current Mt. climbing enviornmentalists who started their own Solar installation Co. They were great people who would rather shinney around on the rafter supports rather than trample any of the 18 inches of insullation I have in the attic. They do an installation for about 6$/watt, pretty cheap compared to the rest of the Country.
Over the course of the last 4 years, it has worked out that I pay GWP about $350.00 per year for electric power.. As rates go up I see a little increase but I generate about 90% of what my home needs!!! If I would have gone for the 10kW system, GWP would be sending me a check, but not for that much! Much of what I have done is decrease my demand by changing devices that use AC. CFL's, more efficient washer/dryer this week I am having a new HVAC system installed that will use 1/6 the AC, and 1/2 the gas to achieve my homes comfort level. KK6PD
Not sure what other states have as incentives but when my 10kw system was installed, NJ payed about 70% of the cost about 4 years ago. We also get energy credits here called SRECS that we sell back indirectly to the power companies that yield about 500.00 a credit. This system receives about 12 credits a year. Other states may have similar programs which dramatically reduces pay back time.