Is installing a home solar system cost effective? How does it affect a home’s value? Does installing solar even make sense for a retiree? I researched these questions before having solar installed last January.

Classes will be held at my house on the East Side of Providence (participants will receive the waiver and address upon registration in their confirmation email) so that participants can see what solar looks like.

My benefits include selling excess electricity to Rhode Island Energy (RIE); RIE paying me to draw from my batteries during peak demand; charging my two electric vehicles (EVs); a 30% federal income tax refund. Each homeowner’s situation is different. Although I benefitted from a south-facing roof with no shade, I needed a new roof to last the 30-year life of the panels. I calculated my internal rate of return (IRR)—the most accurate way to assess an investment—and moved forward.

Format: The course will begin with background lectures by me on the basics of solar and the IRR. Members of the class who already have home solar systems and/or expertise in solar panels or battery technology can also make presentations on technical topics. The remaining class sessions will be presentations on potential solar installations for participant’s homes, based on free quotes from solar companies. We will calculate IRR for each home based on the figures from the quotes and assumptions about future electricity prices and then determine whether solar would be cost-effective for each participant’s home.

Resources/Expenses: None anticipated.