Yada,Yada,Yada- How much does it cost! Remember, each system is different. When it comes to pay out, How many of you calculate the pay out of your washer and dryer, your Refrigerator, your CAR! When it comes to Renewable energy, think of it as like any other appliance you purchase for your home. Renewable Energy Systems can last twenty years or more. How many other items in your house hold will last that long? Ok, bottom line! Here are some ball park figures to use when calculating what a system might cost. "Off Grid" or "Utility Backup" will run right around $12.00 per watt. Example: Let's say your average monthly usage is 360 Kilowatt hours, or another way to put it (360,000 watts per month). You can find out what your usage is by looking on your monthly utility bill, or calling you local utility company and asking them what your monthly usage is. Now, take the average days in a month (30). Divid 360,000 by 30 = 12,000 watts a day. Now,depending on what part of earth you live on, the average amount of usable sun light is 5 hours a day. Divid 12,000 by 5 hours = 2400 watts per hour, or 24-100 watt solar panels. The "watts per hour" is the number to use. $12.00 per watt X 2400 watts per hour = $28,800.00. Now a "Grid Intertie" system runs about $7.00 a watt. Why $7.00 and not $12.00? Because you don't use things like a big inverter, charge controllers, batteries, amp meters, and so on. If we use the same energy usage example,(360 Kwh per month), then the cost of the system would be around $16,800.00. 360,000 watts divided by 30 days=12,000 watts 12,000 watts divided by 5 hours =2400 watts 2400 watts times $7.00 = $16,800.00 Now, heaven forbid, you use 1800 Kwh a month. 1,800,000 watts per month divided by 30 days = 60,000 watts per day. 60,000 watts divide by 5 hours = 12,000 watts per hour. 12,000 watts per hour times $7.00 =$84,000.00 $84,000.00 = time to turn some lights off! You must remember, these are Ball Park figures, Although, they will help in coming very close to what a system might cost you