Several reasons I didn’t go with rooftop solar. First, my roof is really way up there. I didn’t want to be up and down ladders to work on the panels or wiring. Ground mounts for the win. Another reason you mentioned, opaque pricing from solar companies. Still another is rooftop solar becomes less and less of a good deal over time as utilities find new ways to screw customers, many of whom will be paying for panels for over a decade. And, finally, rapidly falling battery costs. The biggest reason…with this system I can add to it a little at a time without financing. Found panels I can buy two at a time that includes shipping. The add-on batteries are something I can add as I can afford it. Eventually I’ll add an automatic transfer switch I can run remotely, after the whole house system is built out. The electrician built in the future automatic switch expansion to the wiring and conduit they put in for this project.
The phase 1 switch pictured is a Reliance A510C 120/240-Volt 50-Amp 10-Circuit Pro/Tran 2 Indoor Transfer Switch. It’s completely manual, is UL certified, and uses separate wiring and breakers so there’s no chance of back feeding to the grid. That’s why I hired a licensed electrician and got a permit for the installation. Even maxed out it only runs two 240 circuits (one 30 amp, one 20 amp) and six 120 20 amp circuits. That’s about two-thirds of the house. I put this system together specifically so I could add to it over time without going into debt. Next I’ll add solar panels and add-on batteries until I get up to whole house capability. Eventually I’ll swap out the old manual switch for a whole house automatic switch that I can operate remotely and program. The electrician who installed the manual switch in the photo left room for that future expansion with the wiring and conduit they installed for this phase of the project. The eventual goal is to run solar primary with grid backup. Not the most efficient way to get there but I also don’t have to lay out $50K all in one go.