Quote Originally Posted by Socalman View Post
Within the month we will make a final decision on a solar electric system for our home. I do not intend to rent or lease, it will be a purchase. Not sure if the H.E.R.O. program is a national or state program but we have been approved for the loan, low cost, billed on property tax and becomes a tax deduction. In about 2 weeks we begin to listen to proposals from 3 different companies.

We will be tied into the grid, but I want a system that will not be grid dependent as when, not if, the grid goes down I still have electricity to at least run some basic items.
I'm looking into solar now; the sales rep that was just here said that without a whole lot more gear like battery banks, etc, as soon as the grid goes down the panels they're putting on houses around here are designed to shut down so that any utility people are working on the lines are not affected by juice back-feeding from the house. I already have a switch panel for the generator that isolates the house from the pole. The sales rep said I can upgrade to a system that can run isolated from the pole, completely off-grid, but that almost no one they're selling panels to around here does that because of the additional costs. From what he is saying, between the Federal rebate and state credits, I can expect to get about 45% of the cost of the system knocked off.