Had to pick between solar panels or a heat pump for my house in Phoenix

Honestly, I was stuck deciding whether to drop $15k on solar panels or $8k on a heat pump for my place here in Phoenix. The solar guys said I'd save on my electric bill long term, but the heat pump folks swore it'd cut my AC usage more in the summer. I ended up going with the solar panels because my roof faces south and gets sun all day. Six months later, my electric bill dropped by 40 bucks a month, but I'm still running my old AC unit like crazy. Anyone else face this choice and regret going one way or the other?

2 comments

2 Comments

julia_anderson1mo ago

Big mistake not getting the heat pump tbh. Phoenix summers are brutal and your AC is doing all the heavy lifting while the solar just chips away at a smaller part of your bill. Heat pumps are basically super efficient AC units that can also heat in winter, so you'd have cut your cooling costs way more than $40 a month. Solar panels need time to pay off but the upfront cost hurts way more when you're still sweating through July. Next time pair them together if you can, solar running a heat pump is the real money saver combo out here. Focus on getting that old AC swapped out next, your electric bill will thank you once it stops running 24/7.

miles_young591mo ago

Man that's rough, sorry you're dealing with all that. Phoenix in July is no joke, I've got family out there and their AC basically lives on high from May through October.