How much does it cost to have a solar powered house?

Question

How much would it cost to convert a house to solar power? Also, is it an effective means of power? I guess what I mean by this is would you have to change your lifestyle to use less power or could you still have washer, dryer, ac, fridge, computer, etc.

Answer 1

Well it depends with the size of the house and the location. Also consider if you are fully converting to solar or you are running parallel .but roughly the ones we're converting an average 3 bed roomed house in Cape Town would cost around R40 000.00 . (£3 500.00) .

Answer 2

The cost of converting a home to solar power depends on a lot of things -- for example, the style and construction of your home, how extensive a conversion you want, etc.. How effective it is, also depends on a lot of things -- i.e., do you live in an area that is very hot/sunny (like Phoenix, AZ) or very cloudy (like the Northwest), how energy efficient your home is (is your home well-insulated, do you have high efficiency windows, etc.).

There have been a lot of developments in solar technology in the past few years. The development of products such as thin-film photovoltaic laminates that can be bonded directly onto metal roofing panels; the expansion of net metering programs; new loan products; and, tax incentives are making it easier for people to convert to solar.

A good source of information is Mother Earth News. If you can find a collection of the magazines somewhere (maybe your local library), it would be worth some time going through them. Three specific issues that you might look for are Nos. 218 (October/November 2006), 219 (December/January 2007) and 221A (Summer 2007) -- they all had a lot of information on solar, including some that gave specifics about the costs of conversion.

Here are samples of a couple of the articles:

http://www.motherearthliving.com/issues/motherearthliving/alternative_energy/New-Thin-Film-Solar-Panels-Fast-Simple-Smart_354-1.html

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Alternative-Energy/2006-10-01/You-Can-Afford-Solar-Power.aspx

Good luck.

Answer 3

I don't know how much it costs to convert a house to solar, but here is a link to someplace where you can find out:

http://www.sustainabledesign.com/

I know the president of the company and have been to his house on numerous occassions (friends with his wife and daughter.) They still have appliances and computers and all that. I would not have known that they owned a "green" house just by being inside it.

I heard his daughter telling someone at my bridal shower that they are completely off the grid, meaning they don't use power from the county and don't have to pay those utility bills. In fact, they can watch their meter run backwards and they sell excess energy back to the county.

It is definitely worth looking into and John is so nice and very helpful.

Answer 4

I just did same research for myself. The question you should be asking is how long will it take for the system to pay for itself. I have a 2700 sq ft home and my summer bills (Arizona) are on an average 350/month. The only reason they are not like my neighbors over 500 is because I have good windows and doors.
For me it would have taken almost 13 years to get payback. Some states will help you with the cost.

Answer 5

Go Online & key in Solar, wind Homes plus add Undersea Tidal Farms too. Homes on the Sea. Or Underground with PV array.

Answer 6

well how much are the solar panels, then there's wiring switches and converters you will need, batteries to store the excess,
power, not being able to run things xcept maby 1 at a time,
if you have a unlimited source of $ and start from scratch, around $200 to $300,000 or more,

Answer 7

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Answer 8

it's too costly for the average joe to get in on this now. too many greedmongers controlling the price of the panels and the switching.

some day, it may be feasable.

Answer 9

It costs too much. Your payback period will be at least 15 years or more depending on how much you pay. Most people don't live in their houses that long.