Are solar panels worth it?

[Oldpaddy]

Looks like it's time to put your money where your mouth is. I can tell by some of your references you are an old school 'Murica guy. All three of those panels are made in Asia. If you really miss things being manufactured in the USA, you should do the absolute best thing you can do to support businesses here. Buy American, even if it costs more.

https://news.energysage.com/u-s-solar-panel-manufacturers-list-american-made-solar-panels/

Yup. I was looking into that the other day. There's not much to choose from. A lot of these panels, and other goods, are assembled in the usa, but not actually made in the usa. It's sad.
I'm doing some work around my house, but will look at that list later and see if I can find an actual made in the usa product. Back in the winter I purposely bought more expensive goodyear tires for my expy because they're made in the us by a us owned company. So I do try to live by my moral code. Unfortunately that's not always possible.

 

[kestrelbrewing]

You don't have an issue with humidity? I live close to the water and humidity becomes a problem. Sometimes I have to turn the ac on even when it's not too hot out because the moisture becomes too much and my brick floor starts bleeding. Also, most summers here we have very little wind unless you live on the waters edge. It's funny because from october through june we have strong winds. We get hurricane type gusts during the winter. I remember a tourist opening up his house one spring and he was shocked when he checked his weather station and saw how hard the wind blows here during the winter.

Don't forget that San Diego, while on the coast, is essentially desert climate …

People here think that 60% humidity is ridiculous. I moved here from DC where the humidity feels like it runs about 300% from July- mid Sept. Add in the fact that people here don full on parkas if the temperature dips below 65º and act like they are about to die from heat stroke if it breaks 85º and I'm worried that at some point I'm going to need surgery after an excessive eye roll one of these days.

 

[kestrelbrewing]

What a bunch of sissies.

It's a question of conditioning: if you have lived your entire life within the range of 65-80º and around 50% humidity consistently for 335 days of every year of your life, you have no perspective of how different things can be. Another argument for the benefits of travel: it can make you appreciate what you've got …

 

[Randar]

Remember, any prices these guys are giving you, are up for negotiation. I was able to negotiate my prices down by almost 20% from initial bids. Pick the repuatable contractors, preferably with their own crews and not guys who will sub out the work, and then play them against each other till you have the winner.