What is your annual electrical kWh consumption?

You can get this information by calling the utility company and asking for a 12 month history.

kWh/Yr.:

What type of water heater do you have?

Please choose one (Other) Electric Water Heater Gas-Propane Water Heater    Other:

How large is the home or building?

SQ FT:    

Choose a mounting location for the solar electric array:

Please choose one Roof Mounted (Tile Roof) Roof Mounted (Composition Roof) Roof Mounted (Metal Roof) FTGM Ground Mount (Other)  

How much are you ready to spend? 

This is a difficult question to answer, but one that needs to be addressed. Photovoltaic systems are expensive. A non-backup, grid tied system can range in price from $7,500 to $12,500 per kW. One kW will generate up to 1825 kWh/Yr +/-. If you need 9,125 kWh/Yr of electricity then you are looking at spending between $37,500 - $62,500 DOSC. These prices do not included incentives which will reduce the installed cost by as much as 30%. Spending so much money on solar may seem like a waste, but is not unheard of for large systems, because the after tax ROI can range from 8%-15%. We have installed large residential systems that are nearly 20 kW, however average installations range in sizes from 3.4 to 5.6 kW. An average installed cost for a 4.5 kW roof mounted system after incentives are calculated is $26,000.

Budget:

What are your objectives? 

There are several ways to properly size a PV system so the installed cost is less. Often PV professionals will simply tell you that you should replace 60% of the demand. Another way is to look at the highest tiers and reduce those first, paying only rate tiers 1 and 2. Time of use metering is not so easy to calculate, but it can be used to increase the value of a solar PV system by as much as 200%, by selling high during peak hours when solar is really pumping, then buying low during off peak hours. This can be a 4:1 exchange. With net metering you get a credit at the time you sell it, which can later be used to buy back electricity during low cost off peak hours. You will have to be more careful what you use during the peak hours to get the TOU system to work.   

    Objectives: Please choose one Replace 100% of my elelctrical needs Replace 60% of my electrical needs Use a TOU metering system Replace the heighest teirs of cost Use energy efficiency measures to reduce cost Get the most bang for my $ I am not sure.

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