I am in the process of evaluating solar and have had a number of companies prepare proposals. We live in SoCal and the house has a perfect 180 degree south facing with almost no shade issues. Our annual usage is about 14K kwH, with the peaks in July/August of about 1,800 each month. Overall, I don't see our usage changing much as we already have two electric cars. If anything, it might be reduced slightly as we are going to install an energy efficient roof with insulation as part of the move to solar and we just put a whole house fan in to reduce the need for AC on cool nights. I have had system sizes recommended from a low of 6.96 kwH to a high of 9.5 kwH. At the low end, they are estimating base production of about 11K kwH, but say that the system will actually produce about 106%of that amount. Overall, they are recommending that I should be in the low 90's % of my needs, i.e., never produce more than you need. SCE does not do anyone favors on over-production, so I tend to agree with this premise. At the the other end, I am being told that I should size a system to produce the full 14K kwH of my estimated usage. They believe that once I move to solar, I will actually use more than I am using now. I don't know if it makes any difference, but I am leaning towards using the LG335NIC-A5 panels. They are rated at 335 watts and have an efficiency rating of 19.3%.
Thanks,
Dave
Thanks,
Dave
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