Sage & Simple

food. travel. expat living.

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Living in Denmark
  • About
    • Privacy Policy

Solar Panels

March 16, 2009 By Sage 5 Comments

We recently had a 16 panel 2.74 kWh solar electric system installed on our south facing roof.

According to our pre-installation assessment, it’s supposed to generate an average of about 40% of our power.

The system has been running since March 6, and I can’t wait to see how it affects our electric bills!


The rack and panel installation took all day:



We’re planning to add 1-2 more panels to the empty space on the upper right hand side of the roof for solar hot water. That would likely generate about 50% of our hot water.

We chose the Andalay Sytem from California based Akeena Solar because the panels sit closer to the roof and are more attractive than most other systems.

Once the panels were installed, the electricians installed an inverter and DC/AC disconnects, and connected the system our existing electrical panel.

This is the Sunny Boy solar inverter box, which is in our basement, that’s me ceremoniously turning on the system ;)

The inverter box toggles through system info telling us how much CO2 we’ve saved, how much power we’ve generated, and lots of other geeky green info.



Here’s a shot of the AC disconnect (left), which as you can see, is outside next to our electric meter (fascinating!!!)….

Now, the part you really care about…

The cost of the installed system was $21,400. We will receive a federal tax credit of $3,600 and a state rebate of about $9,300, making our out of pocket expense about $8,500.

Since we live in the second most expensive electric market in the country, I call it money well spent!

Like it? Share it :)

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: frugal living, green living, home

Comments

  1. Tracey McBride says

    March 17, 2009 at 9:44 PM

    Thank you so much for this very informative post! The details of your solar panel installation, rebates, cost and uses answered some questions I’ve been tossing back and forth in my mind lately. Your post has prompted me to action! I will be looking into the company you used and others (plus, I need to check our state’s rebate program and the like). What a wonderful investment.
    Thanks again, I really appreciate your information.
    Warmly,
    Tracey
    xo
    P.S. I’m looking forward to learning your future savings!

    Reply
  2. Willow says

    March 20, 2009 at 2:00 AM

    Good for you for making this smart investment, Sage! I wish more people would. How cool that you get such nice rebates for them.

    Reply
  3. titus2woman says

    March 23, 2009 at 7:48 PM

    I am jealous! TOO COOL! (((((HUGS))))) sandi

    Reply
  4. PaulaPAFW says

    March 30, 2009 at 6:54 PM

    Thanks for sharing! When my dh gets out of the military I so want solar panels!

    Reply
  5. Anonymous says

    May 24, 2009 at 5:49 PM

    Thank you for posting the costs and the ture cost out of pocket… our biggest concern is the cost of PROPANE!
    I don’t know what state you’re in to have those basic utility rates -our electric bills are higher here & we have a co-op elec.company. But then we’re not all that careful about use – we run a business out of the home and I have to use a heater in the horse trough in winter ($40. a mo.) We’re in So. Colorado and I think the available rebates from the state are 1/3 of what you got!
    Anyway, thanks for sharing so much about these mysterious panels and how it all works.
    The one question that pops up is how long will it take to recoup the investment?

    Love your blogsite!
    ~Illoura

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

logo
Food Advertisements by

Once upon a time, I had the chance to move to the happiest country in the world!

My restless Aries spirit liked that idea, so I did what any girl in my position would do… I grabbed my cat, booked a one-way ticket to Denmark, and became an expat!

Read more…

Archives

Never miss a post :)

logo

Food Advertisements by

Categories

aarhus a doomed love story baking denmark diy england food france frugal living green living home italy moving other recipes simple living small space living thailand thrift shopping travel vegan vegetarian wedding
2020 has been... interesting. But I'm ending it be 2020 has been... interesting. But I'm ending it better than I started 💞 and with a clawfoot bathtub 🛀 in my bedroom! Happy new year! Let's get this show on the road🥂🎉 #newyear #newyearseve #clawfoottub #bath #bathinbedroom #bye2020 #happynewyear #happynewyear2021 #adios2020 #bathingbeauty #redwine #mermaid #expatlife #childfree #vintagehome #bohemiandecor #bohemianliving #bohemianlife #bohemianhome #boholiving #bohodecor #fairylights #bubblebath #bubblebaths #bubbles #bathtime #bathtimefun #glamour #glamorous
No tree? No problem.💃#peacockchair #cornersofmy No tree? No problem.💃#peacockchair #cornersofmyhome #bohostyle #boholiving #bohovibes #bohodecor #bohemian #bohosoul #bohemianliving #bohemiandecor #christmaslights #christmas #xmas #xmas2020 #xmaslights #christmastime #christmastime🎄 #wicker #bohemianhome #bohemianinterior
A dreamy Christmas stroll with my guy 🎄 ⛄#Chr A dreamy Christmas stroll with my guy 🎄 ⛄#Christmaslights #christmas #godjul #jul #jule2020 #julehygge #tivoli #tivolifriheden #xmas #xmas2020 #xmastime #christmastime #christmastime🎄 #christmasishere #santa #juletid #jule #julen2020 #julelys #xmaslights #winterwonderland #winter #dreamy #dreamscape #denmark #aarhus #danmark
My Love brought me 4 dozen of my favorite roses, s My Love brought me 4 dozen of my favorite roses, so I'm drying these 💗#roses #roses🌹#love #loved #flowers #cottagecore #flowersinframe_ #flowersinstagram #cottagecoreaesthetic #driedflowers #spoiled #color #colorful #colorfulliving #boholiving #bohodecor #boho
A sign of the times 😔 #christmas #covidchristma A sign of the times 😔 #christmas #covidchristmas #christmas2020 #maskup #denmark #scandinavia #aarhus #aarhuslife #jul #jul2020 #wearyourmask #xmas #xmas2020 #myhood
New-to-me thrifted oil painting! Sacre Coeur? 50 k New-to-me thrifted oil painting! Sacre Coeur? 50 kr. (about $8) 💃 Now I just need my kæreste to come over and hang it for me 💕 #thriftshopping #secondhand #frugalliving #thriftstorefind #thriftingfinds #thrifting #thrifted #bohodecor #bohodecoration #boholiving #bohostyle #denmark #cornersofmyhome #bohemianliving #bohemiandecor #bohemianinterior #scandinavianhome #bohemian #art #bohodecoration #thrifteddecor #bohohome #bohosoul #genbrug #genbrugsguld #genbrugsfund #genbrugshjem
Follow on Instagram
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. New posts will not be retrieved.

Log in as an administrator and view the Instagram Feed settings page for more details.

logo
Food Advertisements by

© 2009 - 2020 · Sage Autumn Media

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.