Help me figure this out ...
 

Just bought a place that is all electric. They pay $3600 a year for power - heat, cooking, AC - everything. There is no gas service, so if I had it plumbed for propane, I would still be paying about $500 for basic electrical service.
I need more space for my stuff (3 cars, shop, etc), so I need to build a structure (gotta have at least additional 2 car space). Here is where it gets complicated.
I'm 75 years old. I don't expect to be "living" in the sense that I am now in 10 years. Who knows if I'll even own my cars and $hit, even less care about them.
How much should I spend on a building and solar panel installation? We expect (hope) to be here 10 years. That's $36000 in electric bills or in other words, $36000 investment in solar panels plus the building to break even.
As more people go solar, the price of gas will come down, but I don't expect gas to be available out here in the next 10 years if ever. Zero cost of power could be a big selling point when it comes to time to be shipped off to "the home."
I dunno, live for today - put the money into my dream shop (again) and hope it doesn't have me living on cat food someday in the future,
OR be cautious and plan to definitely and for sure to outlive my assets and not be a burden.

You’ll need batteries to not have an electric bill. 36k isn’t enough [imo].
Hell 36k for a 2 car garage alone seems low.

How old is the electric heat? You prolly would save a ton if you went with more efficient heat. Heat pumps are great but if you are in north OH it won't keep up so you will still need some kind of aux heat.

Yeah, even assuming you went with a small steel building, with sitework and a big enough concrete pad you'd be looking at 25k or so just for the building. A big enough solar install with batteries for nightime would easily be another 30-50k. You'd also need to maintain electric service for cloudy days.
I like the idea, but its more like a 60k investment to offset a fair amount but not all of the electric bill.

This is even more evident since you need a return on your investment in a decade or less (all things being equal).

(I say this with sincere kindness)

Do whatever you wish. It's not like the 'wrong' choice is going to bankrupt you. It's not like the 'right' choice will put cash in your hand in heaven.

Do what you like. There is no wrong answer. Enjoy your life. 90% of people would love to be in your shoes.

^This all day long.

All of this solar power, batteries etc is great if you want to be an electrical enthusiast and talk with other electrical enthusiasts about what you have done. And your life revolving around keeping it working and making "improvements".

But if you have better things to do with your time, I recon stay clear of it.

What is the existing heat? Electric coils in an air handler?

We've been using high-efficiency heat pumps lately in new homes where gas wasn't available. I wasn't optimistic, but we are seeing heating bills similar to gas.

Assuming WD has plenty of money put away, then just doing what he wants seems like the way to go.

I’m doing the opposite: offloading stuff.

With the exception of having just bought my final new car to drag me over the finish line.

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I will provide the answer you seek, Patrick, but only after you solve this conundrum and save my marriage:cool::

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How is this even a question? It’s B all day long. Unless you have cats or toddlers in the house.

You roll the way she wants to roll ... there is no other way to roll :D

I HAD to change!

There wasn't even a marriage at risk ;)

Don't put the solar in. Put that money into an investment account and draw from it over the years to cover the electic bill.

98% of the time, over the top, but it is somewhat dependent on the restroom design. I have been in some places where the restroom was so small or the toilet was so close to the wall where the TP was mounted, that behind was better than over the top.

I don't understand why people think there's only two options.

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Just from a practical standpoint, make it so that you or your heirs can sell it easily because of the features you put in.

This reminds me of an old military adage we used to joke about:

The US Navy has one regulation defining how to install the toilet paper roll in the Head.

The US Air Force has 17 regulations defining how NOT to install the toilet paper roll in the Lavitory.


Oh and Pat,,,, at this point, simplify and don’t sweat it. Infrastructure is not going to change dramatically in 10 years,,,

A reasonable sized solar install and some heat pump HVAC stuff should keep you in good shape and save money over your ten year period.

Putting a battery system in likely will never pay back. Just use the panels for additional electrical and use grid at night and during low sun periods.