No initial cost solar plan for Tokyo area, anyone tried?

[theworstsinner14]

https://www.tepco-ht.co.jp/about/index.html

https://www.tokyo-co2down.jp/subsidy/initial-cost0-zokyo

https://www.tepco-ht.co.jp/enekari/lp/zero/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=7623707394_12465484772_118935337375_611213777238_kwd-298034420148&utm_campaign=02NN_SCH_%2​

https://www.tainavi.com/?gad_source...1fux4Ri5WYtDx3oDKWaRDDOmr_UsWoUwaAgjKEALw_wcB

https://www.tepco-ht.co.jp/release/1116.html

We are going to be building a house soon, and was wondering if it is a good deal to apply for this. The Tepco plan featured (assuming you were accepted after applying) they do a zero cost initial installation, and then you pay 17,000 Yen a month for 10 years (reduced to 5,000 Yen through a govt subsidy ) plus sell some of the excess electricity at a fixed rate.

My wife and I are a bit strapped as the house is costing more than we initially thought it would and not having to initially pay for solar might be a better deal. There are some other plans where you do an installation and get some rebates that might take a year to come back for half of the cost depending on where you live in Tokyo. Not sure how the different area play on this, we are building in Akishima.

 

[dee436]

@theworstsinner14 How much more per month would it cost to include the solar system in your home loan? That's generally a better option than the 0 cost solar. One of the problems with the zero cost solar is that the company selling it only cares about the system working so long as they are profiting from it. So they aren't motivated to use solar panels that will last any longer than the time they receive money from it (10 years in the example you gave). Be weary of the quality of the solar panels that will be used if you'd like to be able to continue using them.

 

[theworstsinner14]

@dee436 Thanks, that is something to look at, the quality.

 

[bunny22]

@theworstsinner14 I would be very careful with those feed in tariff rates. Already you pay 17 and they get feed in profits. Afterwards do you get feed in profits or is it just so tepco gets your generated electricity for free?

What about maintenance etc?

Those fit rates if that is what you are after, be careful, our company has basically stopped with solar except maintaining old system we installed due to legislation changes on fit rates.

 

[theworstsinner14]

@bunny22 The 17,000 is/was being reduced to 5,000 a month. Afterwards, from what I understand you keep the electricity or can sell it back to the grid if it is surplus.

 

[katstephens]

@theworstsinner14 Read carefully the guidelines. They still need you to pay for the installation.

 

[theworstsinner14]

@katstephens Yes, but you pay over 10 years instead of all at once. And the government also kicks in a share of your monthly payments.

 

[flor]

@theworstsinner14 I don’t know about those plans and contracts. The devil is In the details.
We paid for our system outright, and are very happy with the results. I’ll share our experience as an alternative reference.

I used https://www.solar-partners.jp to get 3 companies to come out and give estimates
for installing a new solar system for home. I also asked another builder for an estimate, so I was able to compare 4 companies estimates. There were big differences and we could go with the best deal for us. We have a big family and all-electric home.

Tokyo-to currently offers very good assistance in the form of rebates both for solar panels and batteries. We went with a large solar array plus a 9.8 kWh battery. The current subsidies for batteries make it well worth it.

Not counting electricity sold, we expect the payback period to be 4.5 years. The contractors calculated a shorter period by including electricity sold, but we excluded that from our calculations.

Government subsidies make a huge difference. The system has a 20 year extended warranty, so it will be our primary source of electricity long after it’s paid for.
With the battery we expect to be 90% self sufficient from March to October.

One other issue to consider is your heat-pump hot water heater (エコキュート). Making hot water during the day takes less energy because the ambient air temperature is warmer. That also allows use of solar power. Make sure you install a hot water heater that can run during the day. (Ours worked simply by charging the clock, but some new systems do not allow it so be careful.)

 

[billyheir]

@flor If you don’t mind, how much did you end up getting that system for? We’re similarly looking at a 9kWh array and comparable battery during our new construction, curious how our existing quotes line up.