SEVEN REASONS YOU SHOULD GO SOLAR IN 2018!

As utility bills continue to rocket skywards, climate change is causing people to use more energy in order to feel comfortable in their own homes, and higher taxes and fees on grid energy purchases are being implemented, more and more people are seeing the (sun)light and realizing that the only way to free themselves from painful monthly utility charges is to go solar, and with solar energy system pricing reaching an all-time low there has never been (and probably never will be) a better time to take advantage of rebates and incentives to save money, help the environment and increase your home’s value by installing a solar energy system for your home.

Here, we will list the seven most obvious reasons why you need to go solar.

1. Solar Ownership Has Never Been More Affordable

In the past 10 years, the price of residential solar has decreased by over 70% and the power output of panels is up to 150% greater than before. This, coupled with the (soon to disappear) mean Federal Tax Credit of the entire system and associated costs (electrical upgrades and roof work where applicable) means that most homeowners enjoy a cash flow payback of 4-6 years and after that you will, in effect, be enjoying FREE Solar Energy for you, your family and your home.

2. Save Money Instantly

When you purchase a home solar system you will have numerous ways to pay for it. Obviously, a cash purchase is the most cost-effective but even with financing, you will get immediate savings compared with not going solar. Imagine you are paying $250 per month now to the utility (which INCREASES 3-4% per year) and the solar repayments are $139* per month for a system that will cut your energy purchases by 100% then you see immediate savings of $111 per month(or $1,332* for a full year) on your energy purchases, and remember these savings grow as utility rates rise. Additionally, after a few short years, you will be getting FREE Solar Energy from the sun. Adios utility dependence!

3.Federal Tax Credits And Other Incentives

The Federal Government currently allows you to deduct 30% of the entire cost of your solar system from your tax liability. These 30% tax credits are due to be phased out on December 31, 2019, so now is the time to act. Additionally, some utilities offer cash rebates for going solar and these too will soon disappear. For the average solar system cost, this can be worth upwards of $6,000. What would you do with that extra $6,000?

4.Net-Metering Solar Program

Net-Metering is a system where the utility will pay you for the excess energy you send back to the grid.

When you go solar you will be on TOU rates or Time of Use.

TOU rates mean during the night time electricity is cheaper and in the daytime, it is higher.

What that means is if you are on time of use billing with solar and you are sending back more energy than you consume during the daylight hours then you will get approximately the same kWh rate back from the utility for every kWh you send to them. This not only offsets your night time use but as the graph below shows, during the months when you typically use less energy (March, April, May, and June) because you are not using so much A/C you will get credits that you will utilize during the hotter summer months. A well designed solar energy system will reflect your historical usage and will be sized so that you will benefit to the maximum during these seasonal changes. Your solar engineer will explain to you how the system will supply you with 100% of your energy needs going forward.

5. Electric Vehicles, Driving on Sunshine.

Electric vehicles are fun to drive and in California allows you to ride in the carpool lane (HOV lane) alone.

So, if you are planning on buying an Electric Vehicle to save money on unpredictable gasoline prices. That’s great but you must take into account the cost of plugging that beautiful new Electric Vehicles into your home to charge the battery. Depending on how many miles you will drive the Electric Vehicle for,  you will most certainly see a significant increase in your electricity costs after buying an Electric Vehicle. Some customers have seen utility costs increase by over $1,000 a year! But by going solar for your home you are also getting FREE fuel for your car. Even if you haven’t purchased the Electric Vehicle yet but plan to in the next couple of years your solar energy management specialist will be able to calculate the size of the system you will need to not only power your home but also your car.

6.Increase In Home Value

Studies have shown that homeowners that have purchased solar installations not only benefit from a significant increase in their home’s value but also find that the home sells much faster compared with households that do not have solar. Some people are skeptical about this, but when we step back and look from a perspective of simple logic, it is easy to understand why this added benefit of installing solar is fact, not opinion. Imagine you are buying a home and you look at two similar properties in the area you wish to live. One of these homes comes with electric bills that will be in the range of $2,500-$3,000 per year while the other, with solar, will only cost you the mandatory utility interconnection cost of just $144/year, or $12 a month. Which home looks to be the most attractive? Even if that home is $25,000 more expensive with energy costs increasing 3-4% every year, you will have broken even after four or six years, and then you will be enjoying free, clean energy for the rest of your lives! It’s a fact, it’s logic, and it makes sense!

7.Today’s Solar Technology

With modern solar energy systems, you are able to monitor the performance of your solar panels every day. You will have an app on your smartphone that will not only tell you how many kWh you have produced that day but will show you weekly, monthly, annually and lifetime production numbers. It will even allow you to compare past years with the current one so you can manage your energy use to save even more money going forward. Ask your energy management specialist to show you how it works. You will be amazed at how some of your neighbors are generating huge amounts of clean, reliable solar energy every day! Additionally, by going solar you are using the most advanced energy system available, the very same type of technology that NASA uses in its multi-billion dollar space programs! Who wants to be using dirty coal and gas energy when you can use non-polluting solar and be able to tell your friends that yes, you have decided to make a real difference while you also save $$$$!

*number can vary with system size, roof shape, solar access