I'm buying a KB Home Palo Alto Plan 3 and was wondering if I needed to upgrade the solar power package to a higher level to really save on electricity cost. I previously lived in a comparable 3,400 sf home and usually had monthly electric bills around $250/month and about $350/month during the hot summer months. Does anyone know or have experience with KB's included solar package and how much the standard solar package would save me in monthly electric bills? Thanks everyone!
KB Homes Standard Solar Power Package
- Thread starter ak
- Start date
J
jmoney74
Guest
AA said:
how many panels?
interestingly enough wife has a client buying that same exact model/plan 3.
i believe it comes standard with 6 or 8 panels standard. at that $250/$350 per month usage, it seems like it may be a good idea to upgrade for additional panels - especially since there's tax credit involved.
ask your agent - if they've sold homes in the area they've undoubtedly have come across new homes with solar and can give you some rough numbers. at least, the ones i know will be able to help in that purchasing decision.
have you checked if your elevation in particular can even accommodate more panels? sometimes due to design/direction of home they can only fit so many.
as a side note, we have a 9 panel 2.2 kW system. and our monthly usage is probably around 150-200 kWh and we essentially had no electricity bill for the past 2 years, until SCE started imposing the minimum $9.54 charge.
i believe it comes standard with 6 or 8 panels standard. at that $250/$350 per month usage, it seems like it may be a good idea to upgrade for additional panels - especially since there's tax credit involved.
ask your agent - if they've sold homes in the area they've undoubtedly have come across new homes with solar and can give you some rough numbers. at least, the ones i know will be able to help in that purchasing decision.
have you checked if your elevation in particular can even accommodate more panels? sometimes due to design/direction of home they can only fit so many.
as a side note, we have a 9 panel 2.2 kW system. and our monthly usage is probably around 150-200 kWh and we essentially had no electricity bill for the past 2 years, until SCE started imposing the minimum $9.54 charge.
woodburyowner
Well-known member
you will definitely want to upgrade that solar panel system. 1.5kw is NOTHING especially if you are using 500-600kwh per month. Not sure if it's cheaper to go with builder or outside contractor after COE. Call around. I've seen prices dropping below $3.50/kWh for a system pre subsidy.
so now I'm curious because I can never make good head or tails on how net metering actually work as SCE's pages on these are filled with jargon. But I pulled up my Feb statement which is my relevant period ending date (the 12 months period for net energy metering customers)
and for a family of about 4 in Irvine, our cumulative kWh year to date after net metering is only 636 kWh for that full 12 month period (from Feb 2016 to Feb 2017), so I'd say the damn solar panels did their job.
and for a family of about 4 in Irvine, our cumulative kWh year to date after net metering is only 636 kWh for that full 12 month period (from Feb 2016 to Feb 2017), so I'd say the damn solar panels did their job.
dethman
New member
1.5kW will reduce your bill but not cover all your power. for a 3400sqft home you'll probably need to max it out to the 5kW system they offer.
in socal a 5kW system will probably generate on average about 7500-8000kWh per year. you'll need to look at your monthly kWh usage each month on the SCE site to see how much it covers. if your bill is $350 it still probably won't totally cover it but it will make a big dent.
the builder solar gives you a generous tax rebate since they base the cost on 'retail' and part of that is included in the cost of your house. and since you can't get the house without solar, 3rd party is essentially out of the question.
in socal a 5kW system will probably generate on average about 7500-8000kWh per year. you'll need to look at your monthly kWh usage each month on the SCE site to see how much it covers. if your bill is $350 it still probably won't totally cover it but it will make a big dent.
the builder solar gives you a generous tax rebate since they base the cost on 'retail' and part of that is included in the cost of your house. and since you can't get the house without solar, 3rd party is essentially out of the question.
irvine buyer
Active member
We live in a 2 year old 3,300 sf home and average winter electric bill is $65 ($58 on last bill) and average summer bill is $160 and that includes turning on the upstairs air daily during the warm summer months. We have landscape lighting that goes on daily at sundown and turns off around 10pm. Every room in our house has ceiling can lights.
When we moved in, we retrofitted everything to LED lighting. Even the landscape lighting is LED. My wife is at home during the day and I often work from the house so its not like we are not home much. I think the LED light fixtures have been a big help in bringing down our electric costs. A bit of an upfront investment but so well worth it.
When we moved in, we retrofitted everything to LED lighting. Even the landscape lighting is LED. My wife is at home during the day and I often work from the house so its not like we are not home much. I think the LED light fixtures have been a big help in bringing down our electric costs. A bit of an upfront investment but so well worth it.
SoclosetoIrvine
New member
Agree 100% LED lights everywhere are the best investment
#2 Change your roofing into a energy one, you get a nice refund as well. It's A HUGE DIFFERENCE in your bill. I rarely use the AC during the day and it's not as cold in the night. Highly recommend
#2 get an energy saver TV
Bill never over $100
#2 Change your roofing into a energy one, you get a nice refund as well. It's A HUGE DIFFERENCE in your bill. I rarely use the AC during the day and it's not as cold in the night. Highly recommend
#2 get an energy saver TV
Bill never over $100
http://www.energysage.com/solar/solar-energy-storage/tesla-powerwall-home-battery/eyephone said:
This will be a game changer.
;D
eyephone said:
Also the roof tile pricing has just been announced. Infinite warranty and comes with the Powerwall. Available in June in California.
https://www.tesla.com/solarroof
Sunnyirvine
Member
When did you do contract for Palo Alto plan three? If I may ask what is the base price and sq ft?