[a1pulley]

I got a couple of quotes for an installation in late 2019, balked, and tried to install and permit the panels myself. I'd never tried a "physical side project" or home-improvement project, but I found it surprisingly straight-forward.

I got a copy of my friend's permit application from a professional installation, learned a bit about the equipment and tools needed, started a spreadsheet of parts, and modified my "permit template" with details about my installation and house. My permit application was stamped on my first try (Manhattan Beach in LA County), so I placed my order.

It was a little tricky to get all my supplies on the roof of my two-story house. I settled on carrying things up the stairs, putting them on a balcony, and pulling them up a ramp I built out of some cheap wood. See pics here [1].

I probably went overboard on quality of parts to compensate for inexperience and not knowing which corners it's OK to cut, but my final cost ended up at $1.64/watt, including about $1000 for my electrician to pull some copper, ground everything, and connect to my panel.

[1] https://github.com/hamikm/solar-report#pictures-from-my-firs...

[Melting_Harps]

> including about $1000 for my electrician to pull some copper, ground everything, and connect to my panel.

Yeah this is the only thing you cannot DIY out of the whole process, knowing where your rafters are is like 50% of the problem especially if it's an older home where warpage is known to happen; the rest is pretty straight forward with snap/rack installs and learning how to bend conduit and making misc brackets.

If anyone is in interested in learning how to do this before giving it a go on their own home, you can join a few installs to get the process down by signing up for Grid Alternatives [0], they allow you to help with an install process up until the tie-in. Hell, you can probably even make friends and get one of the local electricians to come by and do it for a nominal fee if you get on a few good crews.

The paperwork and approval is the real issue these days, especially in CA, because the install process has been pretty much been simplified as much as it can be at this poin.

Well done in the install, it looks pretty clean and especially well done for taking the time to map out your rafters on a roof that looks to have had work done on one side (non shingled). Most installers would probably just eyeball it and hit-miss and then use flashing(s) to hide the messiness which always ends up with some leaks down the line.

11k total install (solo job?) is pretty good especially with how energy prices have soared since your install.

0: https://gridalternatives.org/who-we-are/contact-us

[Syonyk]

> Yeah this is the only thing you cannot DIY out of the whole process...

That depends on the state.

In Idaho, you absolutely can. I 100% DIY'd my ground mount install (documented in depth here: https://www.sevarg.net/tag/solar2020/), including all the wire runs and hookups.

A neighbor of mine who I've helped out and has done electrical work has done a more in depth project, including replacing a panel in his house with a different one (225A busbar, derated main breaker on it), 100% himself.

The limits out here are that you have to do it on your primary residence - I can do anything I want (with permits and inspections) where I live, but I can't legally do electrical work on a rental. Nor can I do electrical work on anyone else's house (though, of course, I can provide a set of hands to help them out with wire pulls and such).

[meetingthrower]

There is also the slight scam that you can't claim the tax deduction unless you get the "official installer" magic paper. I find that the installers are basically inflating the price by the value of the tax deduction (20-30%).

[londons_explore]

This always happens for government incentives that require a certification of some kind.

Sometimes the workaround is to go on the two day course and get the certification yourself. That's even easier when the course is 'online' and you can just have the video call running while doing your day job.

[js2]

A flat'ish roof makes DIY a lot more tractable. At my current age, my roof climbing days are over and it's just not worth risking it on my sloped NC roof two stories up...

Nicely done though.

[TheBlight]

How much are you offsetting your electric bill per month?

[a1pulley]

Our electricity usage increased significantly when we realized that predictable temperatures result in better infant/toddler naps, so the "post-installation" numbers below are for more kWh than the "pre-installation" ones. We were also forced to switch from a "tiered" rate plan to a time-of-use (TOU) one when we applied for net energy metering, which also makes it a little harder to calculate the benefit. But the offset roughly averages out to ~$200/month. I'm unable to access my old bills because I moved to a new house, thus the imprecise numbers.

Your personal benefit is a function of your weather and latitude. High temps reduce efficiency, as do, more obviously, cloud cover and shading. With TOU plans, your benefit will also depend on your usage habits and schedule.

In my case, the benefit was mainly psychological. I never wanted to use AC before, but I started to use it liberally after I turned on my solar system. My wife and child were grateful!

Pre-installation

* June 2019: $160.92

* January 2020: $252.59

Post-installation

* June 2020: $-4.11

* January 2021: $115.27

[zbrozek]

I did roughly the same thing as the parent poster, but I bought used hardware and got my total installation under $1/Wp. I pay the minimum grid connection charge now. About $12/mo, down from about $150/mo before I got an EV.