Originally posted by Just1MoreDave I am hoping the snow will not be a problem. We get two types of snow here. Early or late season snow is more like New England, heavy and wetter. That will probably block the shingles for a day or two each storm, but I expect only a couple of these a year. The rest of the storms are cold, windy and dry. I can sometimes clear my driveway with a leaf blower. My house is exposed to enough wind so I don't get a lot of accumulation from these storms. What is left will burn off in a few hours - lots of high altitude sun and UV. The Tesla tiles are supposed to be extra slippery so snow slides off; these are smoother than normal asphalt but I don't expect that to work for me.
A lot of the solar experience is guesswork. They just started selling this product in January, and weren't selling in Colorado until March, so nobody here knows what will happen in the snow. I think a bigger problem is dust. We don't get enough rain for dust to be washed off. If amazon.comes out with a Roof Roomba, I might get in line for that.?tag=pentaxforums-20&
M has been interested in solar panels for several years, but I have multiple objections, doubts, and questions; 1) they say the snow will slide or melt off, but our neighbor, who had solar panels installed, is out with a snow rake regularly (BTW: both houses are ranch-style with a low-pitch roof, but his house is much more in the open, with essentially no shade from trees); 2) our house has a raised-ridge steel roof, and I do not like the idea of making multiple holes in it to install the panels, nor do I fully trust any glue-on method; 3) our house is up against a well-forested hill on the west side, behind which the sun hides in the afternoon. I'm not at all convinced that the roof receives enough sunshine, especially in the winter, to generate the level of power the panels are supposed to deliver. 4) Then there is the upfront cost, which installers never seem to provide as even a rough estimate until you agree to a home evaluation. My guess, based on costs stated by third party sources, would be something in excess of $20,000. I do not think there is a snowflake's chance in a blast furnace that we could recover that cost in reduced electrical bills in our lifetime.5) I have no idea how much we could save yearly on our electric bill once a surcharge for not using enough electricity is added to our bill by the electric company. Actually, that added cost may not be a worry because I doubt the panels will generate enough electricity to trigger such a surcharge.
I find the sellers/installers far too optimistic promoting solar panels. They remind me of used car dealers - ONE OWNER, LOW MILEAGE, FINANCING AVAILABLE. Which of them is honest? Which of them has the best product? What kind of guarantee is given, what is covered by the guarantee and for how long? If a tree limb falls and breaks or just damages one of the panels (a realistic possibility at our house), who pays for repair or replacement? Will the seller do it? Only through our homeowners policy, but does that cover it or do we need a rider of some kind? And what will the "adjusters" do to the payment based on the age of the panels? And if we make such a claim and collect, what will happen to our home insurance costs afterward? Will the panels last and function properly long enough to recover the purchase & installation costs? How much will maintenance cost between purchase and the year we recover our investment and actually start saving on electrical bills? How long after that will the panels keep functioning?