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The payback for a fairly simple solar hot water system is the best out of all the alternative options but it still isn’t cheap. I looked at numerous things over the past several years, since my house is over fifteen years old and replacement of various systems will be in the cards. I’m not opposed to solar and would like to see it become viable, but government subsidy and related fraud certainly isn’t helping. Thin film solar is more affordable and more speasily installed, but has problems with premature failure, particularly certain Chinese manufacturers. Standard solar panels are more costly still and require some sort of rack mounting system. They all require a good, clear southern exposure. Several heatpump manufacturers have come out with models that afe set up to handle solar from the get go, with extensible arrays that can be added to as budget allows.

None of it would work for retrofitting into existing grid tied housing without very generous incentives and tax credits. It can’t really even be installed for backup power, in the event of a storm related power failure, shtf or what have you, battery storage with a net metered, grid tied system is a problem under most electric utilities and more costly still. You’re looking at something on the order of $40,000 pre-incentive, for your normal 3/2 1600 sf ranch if you wanted to try to be net zero, with solar input during the day paying for power drawn from the grid at night. Add $12,000 more for power storage, a flywheel is more reliable and durable than a battery setup.

I don’t have anything solar as a result of my research. It just doesn’t pay out even with generous incentives and tax benefits. If it did, I would have it.