@Ws6 why didn't you buy a bigger system? I was not going to incur the cost and still have to pay PG&E. I asked for more production than what was recommended because I was sure I would use more electricity in the future. Also, there are people who undersized their system to save initial cost only to have a (sometimes surprising) annual true up. As everyone knows, CA energy costs are some of the highest in our nation.
I am very happy with my solar. The numbers were compelling.
ROI. Look at my winter bills. I would need roughly 40kWh system to even hope to not have a bill in winter. So, I settled for eliminating my bill 50% of the months minus meter fee, and allowing a couple of winter months to suck, and the rest fall somewhere in between.
This year has been hot. This is a typical year:
Also, I now pay with CC. It's just smarter to get that 1.5% cash back, plus it provides a credit runway should I for whatever reason have a disruption of the checking account (hospitalized, balance transfer issue, whatever), it will autopilot for a great while on its own until I can tend it again, as I keep the card at a $0 balance 90% of the month (wait until monthly bills post, then pay it off near the 8th of every month.
Also understand I have a 13 SEER unit that was installed in 2005, then the outdoor unit replaced in 2014. It is FAR from peak efficiency. When I do end up replacing it, this will drastically lower demand, enough to offset probably 50% of my PEV (calculated to cost me $120/mo max, $80/mo min, depending on driving amount).
Point being, as you can see, I would need 3-500% larger system to cover winter, as it stands, so I went with a symmetrical layout that fit in the space I wanted and called it a day. Since I have net-metering/grid tie, it's not a big deal. If I did not, I would have sought other solutions.