Not too long ago, Bryan and Summer Stubblefield wanted to outfit their California home with solar panels. They were considering an electric vehicle, and powering it with the sun seemed like the right choice for both their pocketbook and the planet.
They contacted a few contractors, who provided quotes in the $28,000 range for the solar system. But each bid came with a caveat: Photovoltaic panels can last 25 years or more, but the roof on their 2,000-square-foot home had about 10 years left in it. This made for a difficult decision: Pay for a replacement now, which would nearly double the cost of the project, or install all that hardware knowing they’d need to remove and reinstall it when it came time to reroof — a job that can cost hundreds of dollars per panel.
“At that point we froze,” said Bryan Stubblefield. “The fact that we had one more decision to make caused pause.”
The Stubblefields are far from alone in this dilemma, said Amy Atchley, one of the contractors the couple contacted. Among the first questions he... Read more
