[usconservative]

They try to convince you to use LESS of their product every year and to install enormously expensive solar on your house.

I'm not an advocate of Solar Energy or a "greenie" by any stretch of the imagination --- but have you looked at the cost of solar panels lately?

I have, the prices have crashed. I started looking at them 4 years ago, the same set of solar panels and the kit for them that I can buy today for $400 cost over $2,000 4-5 years ago.

Calculating the number of watts I need to run my house during the day (excluding air conditioning in the summer) I can run my entire house (excluding A/C) on two panels and kits, cost $800 and I can install them myself. Payback period is under 2 years.

That's not bad really. Gets me almost "off the grid" were it not for needing A/C in the summer here.

[palmer]

Payback period is under 2 years

Last time I checked, panels were about a buck a watt. Electricity is 12-14 cents around here and panels have a 20% duty cycle in summer, less in winter. Assuming that comes to 2kWh per year for each $1 of panel, that's 7 years at least to break even, probably more like 10.