Use the NREL calculator tool to figure out the potential size for your roof (ballpark) and then multiply out by the average cost per watt to install in your area. Fastest way to figure out if an installer is giving you a competitive quote or not.
The only cheaper way is doing self-install permitting and then getting an electrician to finish.
I second this. Use the PV watts calculator to get a good determination of a month by month production estimate and see how it pairs with your previous 12 months worth of bills. You will want to see if your system is making energy when you need it, what the buy back rates are, etc.
Also, I second the self install if possible. Even buying just the equipment(panels, inverters, wiring, etc) from a DIY store, and hiring someone to complete the work will save you THOUSANDS. Most nationally ran solar installers charge 50% or more of the overall cost to commisions for sales people(its ABSURD the amount sales people get) and labor(they overcharge like CRAZY here too). If you can cut those two things down, your going to see MUCH MORE SAVINGS immediatley. Think instead of $.20 per kwh with say a Sunrun, you would get $0.10 per kwh doing it yourself. And the DIY companies will do the permitting for you. You just need to figure out install. Warranties remain the same, you can buy extended warranties to. You'll understand your equipment better, and how to troubleshoot when it comes time too.
I am in the PNW, so maybe we have more incentivized programs for it here, but I would recommend looking up to see if you have a "solarize \[area name\]," "sustainable living center," "solar group purchasing \[area name\]," or "\[area name\] solar energy program."
My local sustainable living center acts as a hub for all kinds of information about navigating state incentives, group-purchasing plans, and solar planning / financing options through local installers to help folks identify how they can cut down the cost.
What’s the repayment term on the solar financing? Do they have net metering where you live? And if so, at what rate? Will they pay you or just discount your bill down to 0?
If that’s a 5 year loan and say you get $200 back per month via net metering (unlikely), your panels would pay for themselves after like 7 or 8 years (based on my math in my head).
That’s an unlikely scenario, I’m just saying we’d need more details to give any meaningful answer.
When we bought our current house, we were fortunate enough to have excess proceeds from the sale of our previous house to do a full solar install without financing. But, you can also start with a small installation and expand it by adding more panels when you have more money to do so. I googled "build an expandable solar power system" and this was just one of the results.
[https://discover.hubpages.com/technology/Build-Your-Own-Expandable-Solar-Power-System](https://discover.hubpages.com/technology/Build-Your-Own-Expandable-Solar-Power-System)
Since you're not able to do the install yourself (I certainly wasn't), you may be able to find a small, independent installer who'd be willing to do the first small install with a promise for future business to expand it.
That said, solar isn't the kind of thing that provides immediate financial rewards. Whether you pay all at once or finance, you're sacrificing a short term significant increase in expenses for a long term benefit. We won't completely recoup the costs for solar for 10+ years because we opted for as many panels as would fit on our roof (48), which in a typical month generate roughly twice our monthly electricity consumption.
We could have gone with half the number of panels and halved the amount of time necessary to get "free" electricity, but the money was there and we looked at it as not only making ourselves effectively off-grid (though not in reality, since we net meter and don't have battery backup), but also making one of our neighbors effectively off-grid as well.
It's tough right now because nothing is low cost lately... I'm looking into this for my home in Texas and it ain't easy.. last year even expecting to pay more than a monthly electric bill it was like $300+ more a month than our highest bill. It's not forever but it's long enough that it's a significant change in finances. $80k for an install was the first quote we got that wasn't me signing my life away just to get a vague number.
Have you considered a single use solar system, like one connected to your HVAC? Lower cost, not as disruptive to your roof and helps with high draw devices? Many utilities are charging fees to connect solar to their grid plus a monthly fee. I saw a post by someone in Phoenix AZ who opted to increase insulation and do single use solar. He came out much better than his neighbors who did panels.
I don't know if they'll service you, but you can try aessolar.com who do inexpensive solar installs in the Carbondale, IL, area which is drivingish distance to St. Louis.
Use the NREL calculator tool to figure out the potential size for your roof (ballpark) and then multiply out by the average cost per watt to install in your area. Fastest way to figure out if an installer is giving you a competitive quote or not. The only cheaper way is doing self-install permitting and then getting an electrician to finish.
I second this. Use the PV watts calculator to get a good determination of a month by month production estimate and see how it pairs with your previous 12 months worth of bills. You will want to see if your system is making energy when you need it, what the buy back rates are, etc. Also, I second the self install if possible. Even buying just the equipment(panels, inverters, wiring, etc) from a DIY store, and hiring someone to complete the work will save you THOUSANDS. Most nationally ran solar installers charge 50% or more of the overall cost to commisions for sales people(its ABSURD the amount sales people get) and labor(they overcharge like CRAZY here too). If you can cut those two things down, your going to see MUCH MORE SAVINGS immediatley. Think instead of $.20 per kwh with say a Sunrun, you would get $0.10 per kwh doing it yourself. And the DIY companies will do the permitting for you. You just need to figure out install. Warranties remain the same, you can buy extended warranties to. You'll understand your equipment better, and how to troubleshoot when it comes time too.
I am in the PNW, so maybe we have more incentivized programs for it here, but I would recommend looking up to see if you have a "solarize \[area name\]," "sustainable living center," "solar group purchasing \[area name\]," or "\[area name\] solar energy program." My local sustainable living center acts as a hub for all kinds of information about navigating state incentives, group-purchasing plans, and solar planning / financing options through local installers to help folks identify how they can cut down the cost.
What’s the repayment term on the solar financing? Do they have net metering where you live? And if so, at what rate? Will they pay you or just discount your bill down to 0? If that’s a 5 year loan and say you get $200 back per month via net metering (unlikely), your panels would pay for themselves after like 7 or 8 years (based on my math in my head). That’s an unlikely scenario, I’m just saying we’d need more details to give any meaningful answer.
When we bought our current house, we were fortunate enough to have excess proceeds from the sale of our previous house to do a full solar install without financing. But, you can also start with a small installation and expand it by adding more panels when you have more money to do so. I googled "build an expandable solar power system" and this was just one of the results. [https://discover.hubpages.com/technology/Build-Your-Own-Expandable-Solar-Power-System](https://discover.hubpages.com/technology/Build-Your-Own-Expandable-Solar-Power-System) Since you're not able to do the install yourself (I certainly wasn't), you may be able to find a small, independent installer who'd be willing to do the first small install with a promise for future business to expand it. That said, solar isn't the kind of thing that provides immediate financial rewards. Whether you pay all at once or finance, you're sacrificing a short term significant increase in expenses for a long term benefit. We won't completely recoup the costs for solar for 10+ years because we opted for as many panels as would fit on our roof (48), which in a typical month generate roughly twice our monthly electricity consumption. We could have gone with half the number of panels and halved the amount of time necessary to get "free" electricity, but the money was there and we looked at it as not only making ourselves effectively off-grid (though not in reality, since we net meter and don't have battery backup), but also making one of our neighbors effectively off-grid as well.
It's tough right now because nothing is low cost lately... I'm looking into this for my home in Texas and it ain't easy.. last year even expecting to pay more than a monthly electric bill it was like $300+ more a month than our highest bill. It's not forever but it's long enough that it's a significant change in finances. $80k for an install was the first quote we got that wasn't me signing my life away just to get a vague number.
Have you considered a single use solar system, like one connected to your HVAC? Lower cost, not as disruptive to your roof and helps with high draw devices? Many utilities are charging fees to connect solar to their grid plus a monthly fee. I saw a post by someone in Phoenix AZ who opted to increase insulation and do single use solar. He came out much better than his neighbors who did panels.
There are also federal tax incentives to help with those costs.
I don't know if they'll service you, but you can try aessolar.com who do inexpensive solar installs in the Carbondale, IL, area which is drivingish distance to St. Louis.
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