# Solar Panels a good idea for Rental House? Can I take them with me when I move?



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Wait until you own your own home to do something like that.
Way to much involved, invasive and expencive to be doing on a rental.


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## GBrackins (Apr 26, 2012)

and typically if you attach it to a rental property it is suppose to stay when you leave ..... and can be a real mess dealing with permits, landlords, etc.

as Joe said wait til you have a place of your own then go crazy :thumbsup:


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

> I was recently inspired by the Power 4 Patriots videos.


Ok, you were given a dream by a snake oil salesman.
Try googling "power4patriots scam" and do some reading.

If you search you can find some of the p4p solar panel directions on the web. They price the materials at $175 for a 65 watt panel. That is about $2.70 per watt. If you do your shopping, you can find manufactured panels for $1 a watt. 

Your local library should have some good books on solar systems. You might want to read up on them.


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## RWolff (Jan 27, 2013)

Usually to attach anything to a roof involves drilling holes and putting screws in, then there's the hole for the wiring... I wouldn't mess with it on a rental house.
You CAN save a lot by switching to LED bulbs, I posted about the Cree 60 watt equiv bulbs I bought, they use 9-1/2 watts each, check out my post on them in another thread in the "off topic" folder:

http://www.diychatroom.com/f39/led-bulbs-179305/

You CAN take those when you leave! they are even more efficient than CFL bulbs, I'm getting rid of all of my CFL's and changing over to these LEDs


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## henrylarry6 (Nov 2, 2012)

Have seen many of friends switching up to LED bulbs.


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## leenamark1 (Jan 27, 2013)

By using solar panels, you can save money on power bills. Because the nature of a rental property is temporary, seek solar panels that can be removed in the future. Or wait till you own a house.


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## RWolff (Jan 27, 2013)

They do make a mounting system that would go out in the back yard instead of the roof, but unless you can do that it's out too.
I doubt any landlord will allow solar panels be installed on his roof and then later REMOVED, also that's a big liability for you- the landlord could come back at you and claim you're removing the panels left holes (even if patched I wouldnt trust it) in his roof that caused a huge leak when it rained and sue you for a new roof.
I definitely wouldnt do this on a rental.


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