I recently got solar in Southern California under the NEM 3.0 rules and I only get $0.03 per kw for the excess solar that I produce. So Cal Edison charges me $0.24 and $0.60 per kw for off peak and peak hours. If I didn't have my Tesla Power walls, I would be screwed right now. I have two Tesla Power walls that still retain 70% charge from over night use and fully recharge in the day time. I haven't used any electricity from the grid for the last three months. Feels great!!

EcoFlow Pro Ultra, self consume and the power stays on when the grid is down. Why would anyone do anything other than self-consume and store what you produce? put thousands into a grid-tie system and STILL be down when the power goes out, the worst-selling line I have ever heard is "Use the grid as a battery"

Totally agree if you are fairly young (able bodied) and you have experience with tools and can follow instructions (most inverters, and other items have printed out installation instructions) then you can probably install most of the hardware things yourself and get a certified electrician to come to your home to check everything over and do the major wiring as needed you can install solar for about half the price of what it will cost to hire and pay a company to do it all. Lots of people that install (Off Grid) solar systems on their own homes do most of it or all of it themselves.

@AaronPaluzzi

Ай бұрын

I'd suggest one edit for you. You only need "Able bodied" if you're doing a roof top solar install on a two story home. A ranch, pergola, car park, shed, or just a ground mount array is easy for most people. Young... I'm in my 40s and pulled off an install. I know some 70yos who are more than able to hop on a roof and pull off the install.

I had my solar system installed professionally as it had to go on the roof. I am doing the training for enhase to install the batteries myself. I will use the tax credit to purchase the batteries and have an electrician assist. Tandom solar has the 5p batteries and can do all the paperwork for the permits. Another tip is to contact manufacturer of equipment you want to use and get installer recommendations from them. They were able to let me know who was the most qualified by them. Did the same thing when I replaced my roof. Didn’t want to have warranty issues later if my installer went out of business and didn’t have proper certifications from manufacturer.

It has been obvious for a while that DIY off grid was inevitable . It would be unreasonable for the utility company and its customers to function as your battery. I’m surprised that any company is still paying one for one. Because of the difficulty of baseline power plants to scale back and forth,in the short term they have to find a dump load at times. We can take advantage of that in Texas right now with the free-at-night plans by using our battery to carry the loads in early morning and peak times in the evening. Moving the clothes dryer and water heater loads to the free period reduces the bill a lot. This option will be reduced or disappear as grid level batteries progressively come on line. Meanwhile if we keep increasing our home batteries with the savings now,we’ll be able to transition our homes more and more toward energy independence.

Great video and message! One other source of installers are Licensed Electricians to do or help with your installation.

This video is the one I was looking for. Thanks Joe

Great video on how and why a DIY solution might be right for some folks wanting to go solar. One thing not mentioned is how you can build one or more smaller systems that are designed to meet specific use cases, like an off-grid office, powering a garage or shed, solar-powered mini-split, etc. You can offset a lot of your electricity demand with these types of solar setups, without tying into your home's electrical wiring.

Love this video! Do you still recommend Aptos panels? I watched your other videos, but Aptos aren't mentioned for 2024. I am in the Caribbean, so I think Aptos is a great option.

@dantondurand9403

Ай бұрын

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Good tips.

I have the Enphase 10T system. Is there a way I can connect my Delta Pros to supplement my home batteries? Or take advantage of Enphase' yet to be released bi-directional battery charger to send the power to the house using Delta Pros instead of the EVs.

When I purchased my system 3 years ago, they went out of business 1 month later. Fortunately, I haven't had any issues with my system so far, but don't know of a good company in Minnesota to build a relationship with. Do you have any suggestions or referrals to a local company?

I've thought about installing my own system but the only part I'm missing is what components would I need? The solar panel, inverter and wires are obvious but what about shut offs, fuses etc? Don't local codes all differ as to what is required?

Joe, I am in central Virginia. Are there any EcoFlow Installers you know of in my area? I really don't particularly like to get on top of roofs anymore.

Thanks for another excellent & informative video Joe! 👍

but to justify the purchase price of a battery storage, Those that have a grid connection most likely will use it to make additional money from trading in the power market(suggest look for some numbers as not sure what percentage).

What is your advice on people who puncture holes into a roofing companies roof? Won't the roofing company void their warranty for that?

Do you offer battery lease ?

It sounds great, but in practice, it will be an utter disaster. How does one determine a markup for the installation of solar?

Recently, Vision Solar out of NJ recently went out of business. At least I was one of the lucky ones to have my solar panels installed and approved by my local township and electric company before they went out. The only issue I have is that my SolarEdge and Enphase inverters are assigned to the solar company and I'm not sure how to take control of these inverters

@SolarSurge

Ай бұрын

You just need to contact SolarEdge or Enphase tech support and explain to them what happened. They can re-assign you as the system owner.

@kerrykoch6821

Ай бұрын

@@SolarSurge Great! Thank you for the information! I will give them a call to have it switched over

I just need someone to install and the panels on my roof. Everything else be done by myself and my electrician. Going to save over 40K doing it myself. Anyone know any installers in GA that may be interested in just the installation of the panels?

My two quotes were 200%- 300%. I am not paying $120k for a 19kwa system with 9k in batteries

Who is charging 3 times what 2x4 cost plus labour? That must be a city thing

Too clumsy. I’d definitely end up falling off the roof. I guess I need a large yard and ability to put in solar on the ground.

the tools needed would off set a lot costs, plus getting permits are a pain. plus all software and getting on roof with all rthat weight, even a 240 wat panel is 20 pounds each

"High Voltage" You keep using that word, but I do not think it means what you think it means. 2023 NEC: Voltage, High "A potential difference of more than 1000 volts, nominal." I'm not sure anything in residential solar will work over 600V, and even that's rare to run a string that high.

The people trying to do it themselves are the real money pinchers fr.

@markocaribe

Ай бұрын

Or perhaps looking at energy independence and faster ROI due to out of control Grid Companies???

@erickbostrom4049

Ай бұрын

or are the people who actually understand what is being installed, know the REAL WHY and how it actually works, and know what they are looking at and not just signing some contract for 25 years of debit the system will never be worth.

TWO REASON NOT TOO - 1) Ruining your roof 2) Burning down your house with a bad electrical install.

@frenchydampier2209

Ай бұрын

Electrical work is anything but rocket science. DIY works for some of us. Knowledge is power. If I built and wired my own house. Adding Solar is a no big deal. Plus they were talking stupid silly costs. And wanted me to dramatically change the whole framing structure to put panels up.

This video is recipe for disaster. I hope people will be very careful so dangerous do it yourself

I don't know about self install- safety with electric and for example my roof is 2 stories up with crazy pitch. I'm handy and do small level electronics repair and would not want to tackle the work. Plus all of the permitting and PTO paperwork handled by the company was a hassle. This would be a personal decision. What is your time and safety worth?

@SolarSurge

Ай бұрын

I agree that a self-install is not for everyone.

@IOKIYAR

Ай бұрын

I just completed a ground mount DIY project. The first time a > 10mph wind caught me while I was handling a 370 watt panel I was glad I was on the ground.