Solar powered home

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pecosbill_IHB

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Dear all,



I would like to get your feed back on Solar powered house. Beside being green and the right things to do in most of California, how is solar power perceived in case of resale. If you modify your house to be solar powered does your home increase value or it is more a question of who the buyer is ? In the long term you save money but it is a long term investment...



last is there any solar powered developement in Irvine ? I know lennar has a done a few on the bay area but so far have not been lucky to find it in OC...



Thanks for your feed back.



Pecosbill
 
If you are thinking about doing this to your own home, I would wait 1-3 years. I generally follow this area of tech and some pretty big cost and efficiency breakthroughs for end-users are just around the corner - many of which would significantly change your break-even time in the investment model.
 
There was a topic recently started about this that might have some good information for you:



<a href="http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/forums/viewthread/5771/">http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/forums/viewthread/5771/</a>



There are currently no solar SFR developments in Irvine at this time as far as I know.
 
A friend of mine is doing installations in the OC area that you may want to speak with. He may not have what you are looking for but he will give you the info you are looking for for free.



Tony Jones

714-891-5305



I have known Tony for almost 20 years and he has always been a straight up guy.



Tell him you know Mike from the old Seapro days.
 
There is one property in Northpark currently available, equipped with solar panelling.

There is one property (not currently for sale) in all of West Irvine that is solar-powered. (Trivia question waiting to happen.)



No current communities are 100% solar and it is doubtful that they are on the near-term horizon here in Irvine.

GREEN is very attractive and en vogue right now, but it is still perceived as a luxury "want" for the majority of buyers and not a "need."

Builders recognize that their costs to go with solar, even with subsidies, exceed their returns.

Until this changes, they will follow the $$$.



You might ask some of the designers or builders here for confirmation.



The Northpark property is <strong><a href="http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/6-Templeton_Irvine_CA_92602_1111115405">6 Templeton</a></strong>.



Good luck,

-IrvineRealtor
 
I found this calculator here:

<a href="http://solar.coolerplanet.com/Articles/solar-calculator.aspx">Solar Power Calculator</a>



It is very intuitive and has tons of info. It even tells you post-rebate/incentive cost. Be sure to click the sub-categories after you hit "calculate" to see the return time on your investment, etc.



For example: a 25% offset for my home usage would cost me (post incentive) around $2500, but take 13.1 years to break even. You can change the initial investment and % offset, to be sure, but the "break even vs. time" ratio is largely dependent upon the technology (efficiency of the panels) vs price.
 
[quote author="IrvineRealtor" date=1251250607]

There is one property (not currently for sale) in all of West Irvine that is solar-powered. (Trivia question waiting to happen.)



Good luck,

-IrvineRealtor</blockquote>


I know where it is!!! Bring on the trivia question! (Or is the address the question?)
 
There are federal tax credits available. There may be some rebates or credits for California (I know it started in San Diego as a test pilot program). Are there any bans from HOA or city of Irvine for solar panels? The Chinese are fighting to be the low cost provider of solar panels. The Chinese gov't is propping them up to flood the US and steal market share. (I've been following and investing in the solar industry recently)
 
[quote author="pecosbill" date=1251246459] In the long term you save money but it is a long term investment</blockquote>Now that NatGas is below $3 and electricity rates are down, isnt the breakeven point even farther down the road ? What is the lifespan of solar panels ? Can strong hail damage them ?
 
[quote author="orgopeach" date=1251557621]My environmentalist friend said the best bang for the buck is a solar powered water heater.</blockquote>
Does it go outside? What would the neighbors and nazi HOAs say?
 
[quote author="MojoJD" date=1251246728]If you are thinking about doing this to your own home, I would wait 1-3 years. I generally follow this area of tech and some pretty big cost and efficiency breakthroughs for end-users are just around the corner - many of which would significantly change your break-even time in the investment model.</blockquote>


yeah, but that statement will be true in three years too... Go for it now or wait until you die... Things will always get better down the line.



I installed solar on my home and let me give you some pointers for it:



- I sold my home and got $0 extra for my $30k solar system. 9 out of 10 buyers don't even know what solar is. I know because I hosted my open house myself and talked to a lot of people...

- the longer you wait installing the solar the less credit you will get this might or might be not offset by lower solar install prices

- do it because you believe in doing good for earth not for increasing you homes value

- HOA's can't stop you legally. One good thing Arnold did is sign a law in effect that prohibits HOA's from disallow you from installing. You still might to have to fight them for a while.

- be in for good on this. Going green sounds easy but you will find a lot of resistance on the way. Be prepaired to fight!

- would I do it again? Yes and I'm doing so right now, it's the right thing to do

- solar is warrantied for 20 years to produce 80% of the rated output, most likley it will outlive you...

- the panels are very robust and hard to be damaged by anything...



In my opinion now is the time to do it. I got 40% of the costs in the form of federal and local credits on my former home in the OC, my current project I will get about 55% back



go green it's a no-brainer in socal!
 
I think there is some kind of law that make it illegal for HOA to denial home owner from going solar with unreasonable rules, etc., so the nazi problem should not be a concern.



I also head that the solar heater is the best way to go, esp. if you have a large pool to heat. There is a lot more energy to heat water then generate electricity in the sun light, you know.
 
[quote author="flmgrip" date=1252908480][quote author="MojoJD" date=1251246728]If you are thinking about doing this to your own home, I would wait 1-3 years. I generally follow this area of tech and some pretty big cost and efficiency breakthroughs for end-users are just around the corner - many of which would significantly change your break-even time in the investment model.</blockquote>


yeah, but that statement will be true in three years too... Go for it now or wait until you die... Things will always get better down the line.



I installed solar on my home and let me give you some pointers for it:



- I sold my home and got $0 extra for my $30k solar system. 9 out of 10 buyers don't even know what solar is. I know because I hosted my open house myself and talked to a lot of people...

- the longer you wait installing the solar the less credit you will get this might or might be not offset by lower solar install prices

- do it because you believe in doing good for earth not for increasing you homes value

- HOA's can't stop you legally. One good thing Arnold did is sign a law in effect that prohibits HOA's from disallow you from installing. You still might to have to fight them for a while.

- be in for good on this. Going green sounds easy but you will find a lot of resistance on the way. Be prepaired to fight!

- would I do it again? Yes and I'm doing so right now, it's the right thing to do

- solar is warrantied for 20 years to produce 80% of the rated output, most likley it will outlive you...

- the panels are very robust and hard to be damaged by anything...



In my opinion now is the time to do it. I got 40% of the costs in the form of federal and local credits on my former home in the OC, my current project I will get about 55% back



go green it's a no-brainer in socal!</blockquote>


Right, but I am not talking about normal progression, I am talking about a sweeping change in the photovoltaic materials - for both efficiency and production costs.
 
I believe it when I see it.



You go right ahead and wait for those 'sweeping' changes... Trust me the reality is that no-one wants you to go green...



Good luck





[quote author="MojoJD" date=1252982848][quote author="flmgrip" date=1252908480][quote author="MojoJD" date=1251246728]If you are thinking about doing this to your own home, I would wait 1-3 years. I generally follow this area of tech and some pretty big cost and efficiency breakthroughs for end-users are just around the corner - many of which would significantly change your break-even time in the investment model.</blockquote>


yeah, but that statement will be true in three years too... Go for it now or wait until you die... Things will always get better down the line.



I installed solar on my home and let me give you some pointers for it:



- I sold my home and got $0 extra for my $30k solar system. 9 out of 10 buyers don't even know what solar is. I know because I hosted my open house myself and talked to a lot of people...

- the longer you wait installing the solar the less credit you will get this might or might be not offset by lower solar install prices

- do it because you believe in doing good for earth not for increasing you homes value

- HOA's can't stop you legally. One good thing Arnold did is sign a law in effect that prohibits HOA's from disallow you from installing. You still might to have to fight them for a while.

- be in for good on this. Going green sounds easy but you will find a lot of resistance on the way. Be prepaired to fight!

- would I do it again? Yes and I'm doing so right now, it's the right thing to do

- solar is warrantied for 20 years to produce 80% of the rated output, most likley it will outlive you...

- the panels are very robust and hard to be damaged by anything...



In my opinion now is the time to do it. I got 40% of the costs in the form of federal and local credits on my former home in the OC, my current project I will get about 55% back



go green it's a no-brainer in socal!</blockquote>


Right, but I am not talking about normal progression, I am talking about a sweeping change in the photovoltaic materials - for both efficiency and production costs.</blockquote>
 
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