That guy at the hardware store who told me solar panels are just a gimmick

Was grabbing some outlet covers last weekend at the Home Depot on Robinson Street and this older guy in the electrical aisle started talking to me about my shirt. It had a wind turbine on it. He straight up told me solar panels are just a government tax scam and they'll never pay for themselves. I told him my system was 4.2 kW installed for $7,200 after credits back in 2019. He just waved his hand and said I'd be replacing them in 5 years. I wanted to pull up my utility bills showing my net metering credits but knew it wouldn't matter. Has anyone else run into this kind of pushback from strangers who have never even looked into the numbers?

2 comments

2 Comments

jana_lewis161mo agoMost Upvoted

My buddy Dave got told the same thing at a liquor store and now his panels have already paid for themselves in 3 years.

jamiekim1mo ago

Not sure why some people get so worked up about this stuff lol. Like who cares if that guy at Home Depot thinks solar is a scam? You already installed it, you know it works. @jana_lewis16's buddy Dave has proof it paid off in 3 years, so what's the big deal. Honestly it's just some random dude in an aisle, not like he's your accountant or anything. Maybe just shrug it off instead of letting him get under your skin.