How much would it cost for the average homeowner to completely convert to green energy?

Politics
1

If the US (or any country) were to genuinely seek to eliminate fossil fuels then it would necessitate that every homeowner would be required to replace, add or modify their current means of living. That would obviously incur various expenditures. I’m curious if anyone here has done so or has looked into doing so? How many different aspects of your current means of living would you have to change and how much would that cost you?

PS - I emphasized homeowner since since someone living in an apartment would likely be exempt from certain modifications/costs like solar panels for example.

2

How much would it cost if we didn’t? It is just as important to ask that also.

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If you don’t use natural gas, nothing. I have solar that meets my annual usage and it was installed for free. It has only lowered my monthly expenses.

But that is just looking at utilities… and ignoring energy inputs in others like water service (and energy used to provide it to you)… or building materials and all the other parts that meet definitions of being truly “green”, which is a much different discussion.

4

Where are you getting free solar panels? My cousin’s array cost him just under $30k.

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5

Purchasing the equipment yourself is a mistake IMO, the maintenance of panels (both solar and electrical), inverters, and other equipment over time makes no sense when you can’t actually make a profit. You are gambling that maintenance over time will be low enough to actually recoup the 30K by having no usage costs (that’s some pretty hefty electrical usage!)

Our home is serviced by Solar City; all the capital, installation, and maintenance costs were absorbed by them, and we have a guaranteed fixed rate for electricity for the life of the initial contract. Pretty simple way to fix your utility costs and make an impact.

6

Where was that? Ours were $14,000 last summer, then subtract 30% federal tax credit and 10% state refund and it was a sweet deal.

We are only a family of 3 so we probably don’t need as many panels as a larger family to reach 100% of our usage.

7

We’re in Virginia. And got his array about 10-12 years ago, give or take. I’m guessing prices have come down a bit.

8

Ok, gotcha.

9

What’s the fixed rate?

I’m paying about 10 cents per KWH. It varies from month to month dependent on usage.

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10

So I’m assuming your stove is electric? Do you have electric heat all through your house as well?

Second question. If I understand your other post correctly you pay Solar City whom I assume is compensating the power company? As far as I understand it the power company owns the distribution?

Third question. So are you saying that your typical monthly electric costs have actually gone down since you made this deal with Solar City?

11

The new Tesla roof tiles look promising. I would imagine we will see more of those up when the prices come down. I am not sure how long they last or do in a storm but it looks promising.

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  1. We have natural gas used for heating (water and HVAC) and the clothes dryer. That is why I said “If you don’t use natural gas”, as converting those appliances would obviously incur costs. About 20% of the available sun facing rooftops have panels, so it’s not a question of capacity.

  2. Yes the company works with the power company and a Permission to Operate is obtained for your generating account. SolarCity sets their prices based on your current electricity usage and comparable rates for the area that’s receiving their solar system; accounts are billed once a year for the net energy consumed or generated each month over the previous 12 months, if any… although you do pay monthly non-energy charges , which include utility taxes and city/county fees.’

  3. Yes, they have gone down ~10% and the rate is locked in for another 18 years.

13

There are plenty of companies that offer to put them in for nothing. I get called repeatedly. Of course you don’t get the same advantages you get when you buy them outright. But it probably lowers your monthly bill.

14

Hey thanks for the reply. Sounds like a win for both the consumer and the environment.

15

Under AOC every Building will be new in 10 years.

I’m not sure why we’d spend all of that money, when she says
we’ll all be dead in 12 years anyways.

16

I myself living in one of the Liberal Extremists Radical States of the Democrats,
that are putting so many taxes on everything now adays. Honestly, I don’t
know if I’ll be able to survive anymore, and I’m lower middle class.

I wouldn’t be surprised if I lost my house, within the next several years, because
of all of the Evil Taxes from the far Left wing Radical Democrat Politicians.

18

What I am asking about is going completely green and essence produce a ZERO non-biological (obviously not including breathing, farting, etc.). For my situation for example, I have electric heat in part of my house and oil heat for the other part. So the typical homeowner would have to personally invest in electric heating units throughout all or at least part of their house.

I would also include in this discussion changing one’s car from ICE to electric, fuel-cell, etc. I’m not sure what else one would have to do?

19

What new Evil Taxes have the far Left wing Democrat Politicians imposed on you since 2016 that have made losing your home a possibility?

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Not really. Solar panels don’t last forever. So when they’re taken off the roof…they go into a landfill.

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I’m not sure what you are talking about? This thread is not in any way political and simply trying to contemplate the individual costs of a person going to a zero carbon footprint. Here is all I said about homeowners:

PS - I emphasized homeowner since since someone living in an apartment would likely be exempt from certain modifications/costs like solar panels for example.

In other words a homeowner would likely incur more costs in such an endeavor than a non-homeowner.