I'd be skeptical of getting solar if you live up north, say maybe further north than Kentucky. My solar works really well for me in north/central Alabama. My extended family in New England and Canada want to replicate it and I tell them it'd be a waste of money for them. For whole-house backup purposes they'd be better off getting a dual-fueled generator and a propane tank (but burn gasoline if they can get their hands on it for running the generator cheaper).
Where I’d come up with the $$ is a huge problem, tho’, and I’m ethically opposed to gov’t subsidies of this sort.
I used a HELOC to pay for my solar and other energy improvements. But interest rates have now gone up and that might not be worth it. As far as government subsides, I took the solar tax credit just like I take any other tax credits even though I advocate for a flat tax. Until I win the argument and get a flat tax I'll unashamedly take whatever tax credits/debits I can. They don't help us consumers, though. All the tax credits do is artificially inflate the solar costs just like other subsidies raise other cost (i.e. college tuition, medical costs).
Amen to that. When the useful life of my solar water heater expired, replacement scheme with rebate was triple the original cost. No thanks, I said.