9/1/16 The Sun Is Officially My Employee?

    Yesterday, I officially signed the paperwork to make our house a solar powered house.  According to the representative, we are looking at six to eight weeks to get all the necessary paperwork signed off.  They are a completely full treatment company.  All we do is sign the papers, they talk to our HOA, they talk to the city, they send the paperwork to the proper people to get our city incentives flowing and the federal government will also give us a huge tax break over this.
    The City of Austin is giving out up to $8,000 in incentives, while the government is helping with another $18,000.  The system which will give us 100% power costs around $68,000.  With the incentives, we are down to $42,000.  This we are supposed to pay $356 a month for 12 years.  The other option was to pay $299 for 20 years.  If everything she said is real, I am very happy with what we are getting.  As she showed us, energy prices go up almost every year, our price will not fluctuate or go up for about the next twenty five years.  The real savings will come on after about year 12 when we will no longer have the payment.  With the system carrying a 25 year warranty, we should get another 12-13 years of running after we have finished paying it off.
    It being Sept. 1, I figure the system will be about ready come the first week in Dec.  I can't wait.  Of course, as soon as I mentioned it to some of my coworkers, they let me know I got duped.  They were offered a much cheaper system, and I have toes for fingers and probably ride around on a little yellow bus.  I can't say whether I got duped or not, but I do know there is no such thing as something too good to be true.  If they were indeed selling solar systems that could cover all your power needs for $12,000, everyone would have them and we would be that much closer to cleaning up the planet.  All I know is the $42,000 I agreed to sounds reasonable.  During the summer months, I pay just on electricity over $400.  This may happen for 4 or 5 months, then the bill becomes more reasonable.  Paying $356 removes that $400 monster during the summer. Eventually it even goes away.  Who knows, maybe we sell the house in ten years, I am sure we get most of the money back.  Wouldn't you enjoy buying a house that doesn't have much of an electric bill, if at all. 
    It takes a couple of idiots like me to push a technology forward.  Of course these companies are making some money on us, why shouldn't they?  If not for people like me that can't wait and jump on everything without thinking, how do companies get their products out for reviews and improvements.  See?  Not only am I a hell of a guy when it comes to helping my fellow man, I am a hell of a guy when it comes to caring for my planet (just ignore the Excursion and the F-250 parked in the driveway).  Some day, I'll drive something that runs on the tears of vegans, then I will truly be helping my planet.