Admin
The U.S. has over 2 million solar installations with various types of solar panels, both residential and commercial, generating enough power every year for over 12 million homes. Solar installations are expected to increase, making solar panels for your home a smart move to stay on the cutting edge of energy use.
If you’re considering solar energy, you likely know the general benefits of this power source. Digging deeper helps you realize just how much you gain in many ways.
Check out these reasons to get solar panels on your home.
1. Protect the Environment
Solar panel installation reduces your carbon foot print and makes your home more environmentally friendly. Fossil fuels are dirty, non-renewable energy sources that contribute to climate change and pollution. Reducing how much you rely on fossil fuels for power can improve the green quality of your home.
Solar power is a clean, renewable energy source that helps offset the environmental impact of traditional power sources. When you power your home with solar energy, you’re not creating toxic smoke, emissions, or greenhouse gases that damage the environment.
It’s a simple way that you can contribute to helping the environment. You’re helping to minimize your impact to leave the environment in better shape for your kids and future generations.
2. Reduce Your Reliance on the Power Grid
Getting solar panels installed on your home makes you less dependent on the power grid. Many people like the idea of at least partially cutting ties with utility companies that have control over the power grid.
Not only does that independence feel liberating, but it can also give you a more consistent, reliable energy source. If the power grid goes down for any reason, you still have your solar panels, which can generate energy as long as the sun is out. This can come in handy during a natural disaster, rolling blackouts, or other situations where you’re without electricity from the main power grid.
You can also choose a solar power system with a battery, which stores the excess solar power your system generates. When the sun isn’t out to generate power, you can use the stored energy, even if there are local power outages.
3. Save on Utility Bills
One of the biggest solar panel benefits homeowners enjoy is saving on utility bills. Once the solar panels are installed, you can start soaking up the free energy from the sun. You might still need to draw some electricity from the power grid, but your utility bills will be much smaller when the majority of your energy comes from the sun.
You also don’t have to worry as much about rate hikes from your electric provider. You have a consistent, free source of energy from the sun to power most of your electrical needs, so pricing increases won’t affect your bills much.
In most states, you can take advantage of net metering when you produce more solar power than you use. That excess power goes back into the grid through a bi-directional meter, which measures both the energy you use from the grid and the energy you generate to go back into the grid.
That excess energy essentially reverses your meter that measures how much grid power you use, giving you a credit for the extra power you generate. At the end of the month, you only have to pay for any extra power you used from the grid beyond what you produced.
4. Get Rebates and Tax Credits
The Solar Investment Tax Credit gives you a break on your federal taxes for installing all types of solar panels for your home or business. You get a 26% tax credit for construction starting by 2022 or a 22% tax credit for construction starting in 2023. After 2023, the tax credit for residential projects goes away unless the government decides to extend it, but there’s still a 10% tax credit for commercial.
You might also qualify for state or local rebates and credits for your solar installation. You might get an incentive directly from your utility provider as well. A reliable installer, such as Blue Raven Solar, can help you find the financial incentives you’re eligible to receive.
5. Support Local Jobs
When you have solar panels installed, you’re supporting a growing industry that provides jobs for people in the United States. Unlike many industries that outsource everything, solar energy panel installation is done on the job site. That means you’re helping keep local people employed, which supports your local economy.
6. Increased Home Value
Solar panels installed on your home can make it more valuable when you sell it. When a buyer sees that a home already has solar panels installed, they know they don’t have to go through the installation process themselves.
They can essentially start enjoying all of the solar panel benefits immediately without any of the work. Homebuyers who prioritize a green lifestyle or want lower utility bills will often pay more for the home to get those benefits. Even if you’re not planning to sell soon, the panels increase your home’s value when you do eventually sell.
Since solar panels are usually installed on the roof, they’re discrete and don’t interrupt the overall look of your home. They also don’t eat up any usable space that would make the home less functional.
7. Long-Lasting and Affordable Equipment
When you install solar panels, you’re making an investment in your future. The cost of solar panels has dropped significantly over time. Solar photovoltaic panels have seen a cost decrease of about 50% since 2014.
While you have the initial investment, your solar panels continue collecting energy, usually for several decades. They often last 25 to 30 years. When you compare the cost for the life of the panels plus the utility savings, you come out ahead financially.
Solar panels are designed to be durable to last in their outdoor location. They can handle harsh weather without being damaged. Choose a reputable solar panel installer with high-quality solar panels that can handle your local climate well.
Enjoy Solar Panels for Your Home
Solar panels for your home reduce your impact on the environment and reliance on the traditional power grid. You get the satisfaction of generating your own electricity and seeing a reduction in utility bills.
Explore our archives for more useful lifestyle and home content.
