Ten years ago I jumped at the opportunity to get a solar energy system in my house. 6 KW in 36 panels covering my upper roof. 2 inverters that would allow me to log on anytime and see just how much power I was collecting from God’s rays of sunshine. An app would calculate just how many trees I’ve saved, how many miles of carbon emission I was… Okay, not sure what was going on with that but I loved it anyhow. I was that geek staring at my Xcel meter and see it actually rotating backwards.
I would curse at any cloud passing over my head. I was collecting energy and using it to power up my home and anything left over I was selling it to Xcel at the SAME PRICE it was selling it to me. Apparently the second to last of such a deal in Colorado. I had also leased my system for 20 years and prepaid my lease for all of $2,000.
Fast forward 10 years and my leasing agreement was now in the hands of the 4th owner. I didn’t care since I had prepaid it and was simply getting electricity for free for the last 10 years.
My current owner (SunGen) contacted me this week to let me know that my system that had stopped communicating with them and set an appointment to take a look. I’m sure it was another side effect of me letting Quantum come into my house and convince me to move my internet service to them. Bad move for sure! The SunGen rep noticed the kind of agreement I had and told me it was the utopia of agreements. Even if I changed my 10 year old panels to more efficient ones, I would never make the kind of savings on my electric bill as I am right now. By the way, SunGen customer service is top notch!
If government groups were truly interested in homeowners installing solar on their roofs and saving mother nature, it would pressure electric companies to help us fill up our energy banks instead of the coffers of utility companies. It would also facilitate the selling and buying of homes with solar energy systems. It is a total deal wrecker for buyers and sellers.
Sustainability is contradictory some times. Electric cars and the pollution created when making them. Banning plastic bags at grocery stores resulting in so many buying bags at every visit. “In terms of revenue, the global Reusable Shopping Bag market size was valued at around USD 11.25 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 15.33 billion, by 2032.”
Solar energy is amazing and should an easy yes for all homes in Colorado, especially with so many programs out there. But between Xcel and the solar companies, it’s hard to see how a homeowner can benefit from it.
Clearly solar is for the good of the planet and not your wallet. 10 years to go on my prepaid leased system. What will power look like in for me in 2035?
