Eight Twenty Solar

[April in the Plaza]

So basically 50-70k for an average system in OKC? For some reason, I thought the systems were far cheaper than that. Is it the battery backup that drives up the cost?

[Midtowner]

So basically 50-70k for an average system in OKC? For some reason, I thought the systems were far cheaper than that. Is it the battery backup that drives up the cost?

The battery backup does increase the cost by about $13K for the first one, and then the price declines pretty quickly. I got the battery because my microinverters, which are kind of the brains behind each panel and each cell in the batterf require power to work, so that in the event of an outage, my panels would go down without the battery and I'd be as helpless as folks who are reliant on the grid. There are newer microinverters (I have 7+ gen, the new 8 gen) from enphase, probably everyone else too which don't require external power.

The battery does require you to actively manage your power if you wanted it to work through the night. I've played around with my home devices and can get just my fridge and freezers powered and only draw .5kW per hour. That would easily get me through the night. I might be in trouble if the outage continues and it's overcast the next day.

Still, in any event, I figure I'd be in a far better position with someone with no solar, I've got my bill locked in, when grid customers are going to see on average a 3%/year cost increase. And when it's paid off, I'll have free electrictity for the foreseeable future. I might have to replace some panels or add some down the line. I'd only recommend this if you're in a house you want to stay in forever as there is not really any solid information on how solar contributes to resale value, although I can tell you the rep I worked with at EightTwenty says they're working on getting that data.

And that cost is parts AND labor. Labor is significant as you have to have specially trained electricians crawling all over your roof and attic for the 4-5 days the install takes place. Skilled labor ain't cheap, but in the end, assuming we stay in this house, it'll be worth it.