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Maybe it's that I'm not in as sunny an area, but all of the (battery + panels) numbers I've seen tell me I'll see a break-even in 15 years, vs in ~5 if I just have panels.

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They did the installation themselves so the only labor they paid for was roofers to reshingle the roof first. I think that significantly changes the calculus.

Yes, labor is the killer cost of these installations, IME. Labor can easily be 50% or more of the total cost.

There was a US tax program last year that cut 30% of costs off of renewable energy projects. I took advantage of it - it brought the project from "will never pay for itself" to "pays for itself in ~3-5 years" due to the way the financing worked out with the tax credit.

I'm in a very sunny area and my break-even based on last estimate was 16 years, because the local electric monopoly charges a huge monthly fee from solar owners even if you consume nothing.

I'd probably be better off disconnecting from the grid fully, but that's riskier in a climate that still has serious winters and would need more planning than I have spare cycles for, and would have more up-front costs.

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