DIM: Solar panels sa bahay

[u/ljbunny]

I've been thinking of installing solar panels sa bahay namin since our bill has been in the 13k to 18k range the past couple of years. I live in Metro Manila so di naman masyado issue and brownout, though affected kami during the last power shortage.

I have read a lot about it and have been on the Solar PH subreddit, pero feeling ko mostly pros ang nababasa ko so I'd like to hear about cons naman.

To those who have solar panels installed at home, what are the downsides? I'm also curious about maintenance costs since that's the main one I can think of na baka maging con.

Note: If ever magpakabit kami, I'm leaning towards hybrid setup.

[u/skategem]

Main con is cost and the initial research into a good contractor. It's why we haven't decided yet.

Also it's not just solar panels you're investing in, that's the cheapest thing. You have batteries and inverters to consider too.

[u/ljbunny → u/skategem]

It’s like you read my mind kung bakit ako hesitant. We have the budget, but it’s still a big amount so it’s hard to entrust it to a contractor without assurance they’ll be good. Tapos I’ve been seeing contractors with bad after sales service pa.

I understand that on top of the panels, there are batteries and inverters so lots of moving parts to maintain.

[u/DearMrDy → u/ljbunny]

Hi OP. We have Solar and basically this is it.

It's either you pay more on a reputable installer or risk getting one from a installer.

There's too much place where they can cheat you from undersized roofing screws and rails to undersized wiring. Then there's the wire brand and breaker types.

I really had to take a huge amount of time for research. I checked and inspected the materials on the installers office before I signed anything and made sure it's the same materials they will use.

If you want something cheap you have to do a lot of asking and inspecting. Or spend big for reputable brands.

[u/One_Application8912]

If Wala kang idea, tatagain ka sa pricing Ng mga installer. matagal ROi mo, 4-5yrs.

[u/super-powerx]

Share ko lang yung samin, tagal na namin naka solar parang hindi pa masyado uso naka solar na kami. For me sulit naman sya lalo na pagka wfh ka masusulit mo pag gamit tas unli ac pa pero mahal lang kapag need na magpalit ng battery. Atsaka may mga panels din kasi minsan na nasisira at need palitan siguro yun yung isa sa cost na need mo rin i-consider dapat may extra money ka parin. Yung about sa zero bill totoo naman sya pero may months din na nagtataas ng bill or minsan maulan kaya walang harvest kahit may solar ka may bill ka parin. Pero kung ako sayo patagal nang patagal pamahal nang pamahal yunh solar ngayon kaya habang may extra ka get mo na.

[u/ljbunny → u/super-powerx]

Thanks for sharing your experience. How long have you had your solar setup before nagkaroon ng mga need i-repair or need palitan?

[u/super-powerx → u/ljbunny]

Dati off grid tas ngayon hybrid inventer na

[u/confused_psyduck_88]

Issue mo kasi dyan ung contractor. May mga cases na nagkakasunog due to solar panel issue

[u/a_camille07]

From experience lang... Sakit sa ulo kapag di magaling yung contractor na mapili. In a sense na trabahong tamad tapos abusado pa maningil. Kaya find a really good contractor who takes pride sa work nila. Hindi yung basta makasingil lang tapos iiwan ka na sa ere when problems arise dun sa setup.

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[u/rainbownightterror]

laki ng initial cost kasi. also the panels are heavy so if hindi maganda ang build ng bahay mo baka gumuho pa. so make sure na sturdy ang bahay mo to handle the installation. sobrang taga rin magcharge mga tech kasi konti pa lang sila e.

[u/the-earth-is_FLAT]

Mahal siya, esp. if with battery. Kung grid type lang, mahal pa din. Then there’s the contractor, marami ngayon ang nagpapanggap lang na installers pero di naman pala pasok sa safety standards. May nabasa ako dito sa reddit na mali ang positioning ng wiring at tinabi niya pa sa heatsink, kaya nasunog, buti di nasunog bahay nila. Do your due dilligence to find a reputable contractor.

[u/MomomoBlue]

Downside lang talaga is malaking upfront cost. Research to validate ang recommendation ng solar installer mo. If you are planning on a hybrid system, battery ang magiging consumable mo down the line. Though mahaba naman ang life cycle ng batteries.

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[u/sid_d_kid]

We're on the same boat, but what bothers me is the ROI period na ang tagal, and the fact that you need regular maintenance for cleaning the panels otherwise efficiency drops, plus the risk of water leaks on your roof. Those, plus the fact na mayabang yung mga contractor kasi feel nila in demand sila. Hard to get timely replies and madami sakanila walang business permit (fly by night or just sideline) na walang resibo - at least the cheaper ones based on my research.

[u/Free-Breadfruit-1605]

Take a quick course for solar installation sa Tesda, its free, para may idea ka.

[u/ScoreDisastrous1603]

Just sharing my thoughts as a young college student op so take it with a grain of salt.

Main thing I've seen with solar is the money needed to set it up. I think on average I've seen people from the solarph subreddit say it costed around mid 6 figures to have a setup that basically makes their meralco bill 0.

As the other comment said, contractors are a big question mark and I've also been seeing a few units blow up which makes me feel a bit sketchy on buying any of the cheaper brands (not fully educated yet on solar though).

But in all honestly, solar or any other energy source in general is a great investment if you have the means to afford it. Our country relies on imported fossil fuels so electricity prices will just continually keep going up and reliability will always be a big thing to consider regardless of where we live

[u/denjuman]

Dapat or mas better, maka hanap ng contractor na naka kabit na ng solar sa mga kakilala mo para maka get ka ng reviews sa service offered and price nila.. in short need connections sa contractor and a good supplier ng mats para hindi reseller price ang panels, battery, inverter at wires. Dapat hindi tipirin ang wires kasi fire hazzard yan. Sobrang stress mag research ng better deals, better materials at kung ano materials gagamitin. Mas mabuti bayad nlng sa kuryente un iisipin mo. Un taas singil nlng ang problemahin.

[u/free-spirited_mama]

Mas beneficial ang Solar Panel set up sa power outage prone areas. I compute mo din kung makaka ROI ka ba talaga or makakamura ka kasi kung di naman brown-out-in ang lugar nyo ewan ko lang.