Getting off the grid

[Team Canada]

I came across this site on Wired a while back and am really tempted to sign up, but the fact that it's a brand new start up doesn't exactly make you confident. Anyone else heard about this or checked into it at all?

[GAME05]

they pay for installation and the pv cells and you just pay for the electricity? so at what point do they jack up the $/kWh you're paying to some outrageous price?

 

Edit: ok, maybe that was a little harsh without knowing enough about it.

[Katuluu]

My guess is they make money by being able to charge for electricity for the life of the house. Probably sell the excess to the local power companies as well. But since they cover all initial costs you probably are saving money for at least the first 5 years.

[Fatter than Joey]

I think you sign an agreement with them, for how many KwH you want at what rate -- so you would say I need 10K kwh -- and then they would say OK that will be 10 cents per kwh and then they install as many panels/cells you would need to generate 10kwh in a year.

[Team Canada]

FTJ, that's not my understanding. It sounds to me like you sign a contract for 1/5/25 years and lock in the current rate that you pay for your electricity on a per kwh (or whatever unit) basis. So you don't have to use X amount each year, they do meter reading just like a normal utility company. The savings on the consumer end is from cost certainty and protection from assumed rate increases. In fact, they state flat out that their savings calculator assumes a 2.1% rate increase every year, and if that isn't true, your savings will be different or you could see a negative benefit compared with if you'd stuck with the utility company.

[Fatter than Joey]

FTJ, that's not my understanding.

 

You could be right -- although -- I don't see how they would somehow contract you for kwh -- afterall they need to know how many panels to put on your roof, and then you would have to rent said panels.

 

For example

 

Lets Assume you have X people in your house you require Y kwh

 

I have 2X people in my house so I require 2Y kwh

 

I would need more panels, and have to rent them -- so I would be contracted for 2Y kwh and you would be at Y.

 

I could be wrong though.

[Team Canada]

You don't pay any rental charges beyond your regular per unit charge. They do have an engineer come to your house and scope things out, so consumption/need may be part of that spec process.

[Fatter than Joey]

It seems neat. I think at some point putting them into your house will increase the house's value.

[TauPentaRei]

I think at some point putting them into your house will increase the house's value.

In California... Austin, TX... Portland, OR... Boulder, CO... and uh that's about it until a radical paradigm shift.

 

Photovoltaics are over-rated. Get the solar thermal systems up there instead.