My dad said solar panels on a north-facing roof were a waste. I wish I had listened.

I got a quote from SunRun back in May for a 6kW system on my house in Columbus. The guy told me my north-facing roof would still work fine, just 20% less efficiency. I ignored my dad who's been in construction for 30 years and said it would never pay off. Now 4 months in and my electric bill only dropped $15, so I'm looking at a 15 year break even instead of 8. Has anyone else been burned by a sales pitch that ignored basic physics?

2 comments

2 Comments

hollyramirez1mo ago

My dad was a mechanic for 40 years. Told me never buy a car with a CVT transmission. Salesman said they were "improved" now. Bought a 2019 Nissan. Transmission blew at 62k miles. $5,200 repair. Same pattern everywhere now. People selling stuff just say what gets you to sign. Your dad knew the sun angles because he's been watching buildings his whole life. That's real knowledge vs a scripted pitch.

casey8431mo ago

Your dad was absolutely right and I hate that you had to learn this the hard way. North facing panels in Ohio are basically a lose-lose situation because you get the worst sun angle plus shorter winter days. Solar companies love to gloss over the real math because they want that commission check. If you can add even a few panels on the south side or west side of your roof, that would help balance things out. Might be worth looking into a small ground mount setup if you have the land, that way you can aim them properly. Also check your contract for any production guarantee clauses, some companies will owe you money if the system underperforms that badly.