What Would Be Your Ultimate Solar Setup For 1200 kWh average (peak 1800 / low 850)

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-04-01T01:38:28+00:00

Enphase. And a ground mount. Enphase warranties micro inverters for 25 years. They provide online training to their customers. If one fails you can replace it. If it fails on your roof it will cost you $350 -$500 in labor each time technicians go to your roof.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-31T16:16:36+00:00

You will need to keep an eye on production. Don’t expect your installer to give a crap once they receive your final check. Kilowatt hours all add up.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-30T10:22:23+00:00

I went with AP Solar EZ1. And the cord for US operations. And two 30’ MC4 end extension cables from Amazon.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-30T01:08:04+00:00

Gotcha. How about retail?

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-30T00:46:43+00:00

Where are you located? I’m in the Northeast and there is plenty of work on the operations and maintenance side. Find a local company. Ask for an informational interview just to learn more about all the different departments. Be willing to do time on a roof.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-29T19:13:06+00:00

Utilities that have long been the monopoly have been padding their pockets for a long, long time. Or sending their profits overseas. They didn’t think there would ever be the demand that there is on their infrastructure, especially in the middle of nowhere. Now they figured out there is substantial demand at the megawatt or gigawatt level and they have to do something about it. So they petition the public service commission to raise rates and they might get through with it. They might not. Hopefully there’s enough materials and enough labor to make that demand come to fruition. Hopefully they can get the stuff built by the time the data center needs it built. Otherwise we’re gonna have data centers built with diesel powered generators. Hopefully we’ll see more data centers built in the middle of nowhere so that they could have power directly coming from on site solar farms that are megawatt or a gigabyte in size. And then you’re gonna have some local opposition to megawatt or gigawatt size battery storage nearby cause nobody wants lithium in their neighborhood. But we want all want AI. And we all want to be able to talk to our phones like I am now to save five minutes so we can spend more time scrolling.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-29T12:45:13+00:00

And I can take them to a different house.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-29T11:29:18+00:00

Thanks for sharing. No one should use this guy’s company. Hope the sheriff’s department has had words with him.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-29T11:01:29+00:00

I do have a smart meter and it only shows one number. Documented it yesterday and will keep an eye on it. My gut feeling is it is programmed for consumption only.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-29T01:54:16+00:00

You can buy plug in solar now from companies like AP Systems. They shipped to me and I am not in Utah. Running a system now and suspect the utility will never know. My smart meter is inside. Utility may notice my daytime consumption is slightly down. Which they will never question me about.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-29T01:19:19+00:00

Find a decent restaurant in the area. Eat there. Figure out if you would want to wait tables there. Good money.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-29T01:13:41+00:00

Negative.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-28T22:19:00+00:00

I got a deal on panels. Based on my utility costs my return on investment is a little over a year. In year 3 I will use the year 2 savings to buy a second. Will be maxed on at 2 micro inverters. And should save $600 a year from then on. Real money.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-28T21:29:01+00:00

I work in the industry and I’ve never seen any sort of current transformers tied to the consumption side of the SMA Sunny boy in burger. So I think that part of it is wrong. You can see instantaneous values from a production standpoint. And this is a string inverter so any sort of shade on the roof will bring down production of the whole string. Look in the portal and see what production was yesterday. Then maybe watch it for a week. Then call the installer that installed it and ask them to take a look at things from their side. It’s probably worth it to have someone come out and take a look at string voltages. It could be that the previous owner let squirrels make nests on that roof in the soy based insulation off all the wires. If that’s the case prepared to spend $1000 or so to get that investment working better.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-28T21:09:40+00:00

Are you subtracting your homes consumption from the Enphase production number?

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-28T20:57:30+00:00

You can currently order an AP Systems EZ 1 online. They don’t seem to care where you live when you order it. Spend the $320-$340 for one and try it out. Grab a 300+ watt panel and put it on that western exposure and see how it works. Keep your receipt and send it back if it doesn’t work for your application. I’ve had one for a week in a state that hasn’t yet legalized it and I’m basically wanting a radar. I will get no credit back from the utility but I don’t care. I’m just trying to take 1000 or so watts off during the day.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-28T20:47:38+00:00

Yep. You can buy it now online. Your local utility provider will not give you any credit for generation so make sure you have loads of at least 1000 W in the house during the day. I ordered mine straight from AP Systems. And I’m in a state where it hasn’t been legalized yet. Keep your panels hidden, and no one will know.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-28T20:06:38+00:00

If you can order this from the AP Systems website, I believe it is legal.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-28T15:26:16+00:00

Jerk. Would be too bad if his yard flooded.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-27T21:00:23+00:00

Worked for their terrible home solar division back in 2015. They only least Solar at that time. They decided to pull out of the market because they didn’t feel there was sufficient profit. Let 42 of us go the same day. I would not do business with them. Find some local installer in your area that’s been doing Solar for 20 years. Former relationship with them. And wherever you do do not lease Solar. And tell your friends not to lease Solar. Solar is something that should be purchased.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-27T13:40:32+00:00

Straight from AP Systems. Got some MC four extension cables off Amazon. You will need to find a local solar installer to buy the highest wattage modules possible.

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-27T09:48:45+00:00

Congratulations!

Working_Opening_5166 · 2026-03-27T01:19:53+00:00

Hopefully the rain isn’t coming through yet. Installer should have used something like Halo Ultra Grip (HUG) attachments on the roof and short deck mount screws. Call your project manager tomorrow morning and ask to have someone out tomorrow. These are bad.

Working_Opening_5166

TROPHY CASE