Northern Californians - Have you washed/blown away yet???

[roadie gal]

That's what we have, too. It would have added another $15,000 to the cost to put in battery backup.

Our meter runs backwards when we create more energy than we use. The local PUD credits us the wattage and then subtracts when we use more than we make (usually in the winter). Generally, we only pay for electricity about 6 months out of the year.

[maillotpois]

Total TD, but this is interesting. I wonder with the battery back up if you have to flip a switch when the power goes out so you don't send power back up the lines.

$15,000 for the back up?? Yowza!

[Trek420]

Total TD, but this is interesting. I wonder with the battery back up if you have to flip a switch when the power goes out so you don't send power back up the lines.

$15,000 for the back up?? Yowza!

1) I don't know but would think it's automatic anyone?

2) Yes it's high but if you're in a home you plan to be in for a long time this may still be worth it. I understand there are some hefty rebates and tax credits now. And if you sell the house this is an improvement you usually get back in the price of the home.

[roadie gal]

My understanding was that it would be automatic.

I couldn't swing the extra $15,000 for battery backup. What I have now is a 12 panel array on a pole. The array turns to follow the sun so we get the most out of it. I couldn't put panels on the roof because there were no snow load rated roof panels 3 years ago when I put up the array. As you might imagine, this was a pretty expensive outlay on its own.

The feds rebated $2000. California was supposed to give some rebate, but it didn't go through. I think it's by individual PUDs and mine doesn't do it.

We were the first people in the service area to create more electricity than we used. It threw the whole PUD into a tizzy. It took about 6 months for us to work out this credit system.

[maillotpois]

roadie I think what you guys have set up sounds great. Ultimately if you decided to, you could probably install the back up later - and maybe the technology would be less $ by then, etc. I wish we could do solar. We have so many trees I doubt we could - assuming our house was structurally able to support it...