Going Solar

Well, I finally did it. I had my first appointment with a solar installation specialist from a company in Berkeley called Alter Systems. They were professional and efficient. A salesperson and an engineer came over to check out the roof and give me the lowdown on going solar. Although our electricity usage is not that big (the salesperson said it's the lowest he's seen, at under $50 per month) and there would be a 10-year payback period (e.g. it would take the system about 10 years to pay for itself) I'm still interested in getting the system because I truly believe in putting my money where my mouth is, and if I'm out here hootin' an' hollerin' about global warming and using renewabe energy then I better hoot an' holler at myself first, ya know? Still, it would be a chunk of cash for us (they estimate $15,000) and we would have to take out a home equity line of credit to do that, and so it would be quite expensive for us.

We also discussed energy conservation and that's the fastest "payback" you can get (i.e. installing ceiling insulation, weather stripping our windows, replacing our hot water heater with an "on-demand" heater).

What are your thoughts? Anyone out there familiar with installing solar-powered system? Have an opinion one way or another?