Is it worth the energy?: What Erie-area homeowners need to know about solar panels – GoErie.com

The first thing to understand about solar power is that sunny days aren’t necessary to make energy.

“It’s not sunshine that you need for solar energy, it’s daylight and the sun rises every day,” said John Purvis, owner of Solar Revolution, a solar installation company in Erie. “Obviously, on sunny days the panels generate more energy, but even on a cloudy day, there is UV light and that is all you need.”

So, even if you buy into the “dreary Erie” trope and think solar power would be a risky investment in Erie, Pennsylvania, there are many homeowners who have been converting daylight into electricity for years. And they are happy to show off their electric bill to prove you wrong.

“Natural gas is not available on my road, so everything in my house was electric and it seemed worth looking into solar energy,” said Matt Kleck, a Harborcreek Township resident who had Solar Revolution install a solar array on his home in 2017. “The solar panels cover 70 to 75 percent of our electric bill. Being that electric is our only utility available, our return on investment is pretty substantial.”

Kleck estimates that his investment — $23,000 for a 26-panel roof installation — will have paid for itself in energy savings in 11 years. On long, sunny days, Kleck’s panels gather so much energy that it is fed back into the power grid, but he doesn’t lose it.

“With the install, our electric meter was replaced with a bi-directional meter,” Kleck said. “When we are generating more power than we are consuming, the meter spins backwards and feeds the power grid. As we use more power than we generate, or at night when we aren’t generating any power, the meter moves forward.”

Purvis said when he got into the solar business 15 years ago, people thought he was “nuts,” but he ran the numbers and it always worked out for the homeowner.

“I knew it was just an educational hurdle to grow the business,” Purvis said. “That said, I’m not the reason we are in business. The math is the reason we are in business. The panels will make energy for at least 25 years and homeowners who are installing them today are seeing a payoff in less than ten years.”

Kristen Currier, a North East mother of three teenagers, said she and her husband, Johnathan Currier, had monthly electric bills of more than $300 year-round.

“We tried everything to bring those costs down,” Kristen Currier said. “We installed an energy-efficient water heater, timers, and monitored to be sure devices weren’t plugged in unnecessarily. Nothing worked. And, since we use propane for most of our appliances and heat, it was just ridiculous.”

More:1,600-acre solar energy project planned in southern Erie, northern Crawford counties

In June 2020, they had a 27-panel solar array installed on their home by Powerhome Solar, a North Carolina-based solar installation company. Kristen Currier went with Powerhome Solar because her family was able to pay the company in installments rather than take out a loan for the entire amount.

They saw immediate savings in their electric bill.

“Our bills dropped by about $200 (a month),” Kristen Currier said. “Since we are paying on the panels, it’s a wash right now, but once they are paid off, that will be pure savings. And, I’d rather pay to own something than keep paying a utility company.”

Kristen Currier, whose home is in the snow belt south of Interstate 90, said she had two concerns about the solar panels: snow breaking or obscuring the panels and animals building nests under the panels.

“Our installer assured us that snow melts relatively quickly and slides off in winter and that animals would not build a nest because the warmth provided by the panels would be uncomfortable for them, and both have proven to be true,” she said.

If you’re pondering solar energy, here are some other things you should know:

Solar energy is a science

There is no such thing as a standard solar panel home installation. Every one is unique.

“We design for that home, that property, that family’s needs,” Purvis said. “The pitch of the roof, the direction of the roof, the home size, the location, the weather patterns and the size of family all come into play.”

An older couple in a ranch home has much different energy needs than a tri-level home next door with five daughters.

“There was a lot of science involved in placing our panels,” Kristen Currier said. “They took into account the angle of the roof, the sun at various time of the day and year, the tree line, the pitch of the roof. It made me feel better that the company was not just slapping up panels and asking for payment.”

Installers offer free site evaluations and proposals. Purvis can even do an initial design using satellite mapping software for contactless design. Once plans are made, technicians will take in-person measurements.

Installation is quick

Installation on most home projects is just two to three days, and panels can be installed on any roof surface, including metal.

“I know some people don’t care for how panels look on a roof,” Kleck said. “But I don’t mind at all and there are some newer panels now that are all black, with no silver framework, that are really nice-looking.”

That said, roof-mounted panels are not required. Ground mounts are an option, too, particularly in Erie County where people might have more greenspace than roof space.

Purvis has 20 employees doing about three houses a week. They do businesses as well. Earlier this year, they installed 2,200 panels on the roof of Boscov’s in the Millcreek Mall.

Cost varies

Purvis likens estimating the cost of solar panels to buying carpet. “Carpet is sold by the square yard. Solar is sold by the watt,” he said. “So the panels might be $7.90 a watt and the installation $2.90 a watt, for example.”

Because every install is different, it’s hard to give a ballpark cost, but many homeowners end up spending $20,000 to $30,000.

“The cost of panels dropped 70% from 2007 to 2017,” Purvis said. “And they are becoming more efficient with more wattage and power for the size. We’re now using 350- to 400-watt panels that are the same size that 200-watt panels were several years ago.”

There are no costs beyond installation. Both Kleck and Currier said their solar array came with lifetime monitoring via computer or smartphone at no cost.

“I can go online anytime to see what our panels are doing, how much energy they are producing and how it compares to other months or days,” Kristen Currier said.

Tax incentives

If cutting your electric bill isn’t an incentive, there’s another: “Twenty-six percent of the cost of your installation can be written off on your federal taxes,” Purvis said. “That solar energy tax credit was supposed to expire in 2020, but they just extended it.”

More:5 simple steps to getting started with solar panels

Durability and maintenance

Most solar panels, including those sold by Solar Revolution, come with a 25-year warranty. That doesn’t mean they stop working at 25 years, but they are under warranty until that time.

Maintenance is as easy as occasionally hosing the panels off if they get covered with dust or pollen in the spring. Winter maintenance is up to the homeowner. If the panels are covered with snow, they won’t collect energy, so some owners, like Kleck, choose to clear them off, while others just let it go and wait for the sun to melt the snow off the panels.

“Our house is a ranch, so it’s not hard for me to remove some of the snow with a snow rake,” Kleck said. “The panels are very smooth, so sometimes you can get an entire section to fall off with just a few nudges. The rest of the year, the rain does a pretty good job of keeping them clean.”

What if you move?

Purvis said most homeowners just transfer the solar energy account to the new owner at the time of sale.

Kristen Currier said if they chose to move before their solar panels are paid off, they can either incorporate the remaining cost of the panels into the sale or the company can remove them and install them on the Curriers’ next home.

Power failures

Because solar panels are tied into the larger electrical grid, when there is a power failure, a solar-powered home will also be out of power, unless they have invested in a battery backup.

“This is necessary because if there is a power failure in the grid and they are working on the lines and your home sends power to the grid, it could be extremely dangerous,” Purvis said. “You can, however, add a backup battery system that will solve that problem.”

Clean energy feels good

Both Kleck and Kristen Currier say an additional benefit of their solar energy installation is knowing they are using clean energy.

“Solar was definitely a worthwhile investment for us,” Kleck said, “Not only will it save us a bunch of money in the long run, but we are doing our part to reduce our carbon footprint.”

Kristen Currier, too, is pleased with her family’s decision.

“The panels are doing exactly what I expected, harnessing solar power rather than having us rely solely on non-renewable resources such as coal and oil for our energy,” she said.

Original Source: https://www.goerie.com/story/entertainment/house-home/2021/04/26/clean-energy-what-erie-area-homeowners-should-know-solar-panels/6893585002/