I've already saved a lot of money over a fossil fueled generator Tim.
Perhaps, but you can't just compare total costs to figure that out, you have to also consider when they occurred. If you borrow money for the installation you have to consider interest. If you don't borrow for it, but you have other debt you have to consider interest as well (at the highest rate your paying, since you could pay that down first). If you never had any debt you have to consider lost investment income.
Without considering time value of money, large initial investments seem to make more sense, but that's a distorted picture.
Also you say you bought your off grid house in '99 when it was initially built in '91. You extended and expanded its solar capability, but you can't reasonably just count what you spent on that, or even what you spent on that plus interest, if you paid any more for the house then you would have for a house with no solar installation you have to consider that extra cost plus interest.
And if your considering the cost of the system (rather than just what you paid) you would reasonably have to consider not just targeted tax breaks to yourself (which you say you didn't get) but any targeted tax breaks to the builders of the system or to the manufacturers of the components they used. Any direct subsidies to the builders/ manufacturers, and any other special advantages given to either. Also forcing the local power company to buy power from you at the same rate they charge (if this has occurred in your case) is also a subsidy to you that I doubt your considering. So even if the system made economic sense for you (in the context of actual government subsidies, targeted tax breaks, electricity purchase requirements, and any other special government created benefit to anyone involved) it might not have made economic sense overall. |
