How does solar actually work for my home?

Contrary to what some people think, going solar is not always about going “off-grid”, or becoming completely independent from your utility provider. In fact, that kind of system is rare. Instead, the majority of people who utilize solar power take advantage of an incentive known as Net Metering. Your current electrical meter is a one-way meter, meaning it only measures how much electricity is being pulled from the electrical grid to your home.

When you install a solar system, a Net Meter will replace your current electrical meter, allowing a two-way flow of electricity. This means it will measure the amount of electricity pulled from the grid, as well as the electricity sent back to the grid from your home. When your solar panels produce more electricity than your home needs, a net meter allows you to send electricity back to the grid and store it there in the form of credits. Your meter will actually run in reverse, and will build up electrical credits for you to use later. That way, during time periods when your panels are under-producing, such as night time or snowy conditions, you can use those credits and still receive free electricity. 

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Other Frequently Asked Questions

how much can I save with solar energy?

The amount of money you can save by embracing solar energy varies widely across the United States. The largest factors include your utility provider’s billing rates, and the amount of energy you’re able to produce given your geographical location and the navigational direction of your roof. Currently, national averages estimate net savings for solar energy systems to be $10,000 to $13,000 over the life of the system.

Utility Billing Rates. The amount that you are charged for electricity is even more important than the amount of electricity you use when determining if solar would be a valuable investment for your home. The amount of energy you use is measured in kWhs, and your utility provider will charge you a certain dollar amount per kWh. Some regions are charged very little for their electricity ($0.09/kWh), while others are charged as much as $0.20/kWh. Although $0.11 seems like a small difference, if you were to compare those rates side-by-side on the same home (let’s say it uses 2,000 kWh per month), one bill would be $180, while the other would be $400!

The point of all of this, is that the amount you pay for electricity has a huge impact on the amount you stand to save by going solar. To a certain degree, the amount of electricity you use can also play a role in determining how much you can save by going solar. Households that use very little electricity, or a very large amounts of electricity, may find that it will take them much longer to see a return on their investment. Finding out how well your home would benefit from solar is as simple as requesting a quote. We will look at all of the factors specific to your home and your electric bill, and help you to understand what solar would look like for you.

Your Home. The second factor determining how much you could save with solar energy, is your home. Geographical location plays a large role in how much energy you can produce with a solar energy system. Factors like weather patterns, and how many hours of direct sunlight your region gets, will have a huge impact on a system’s energy production. In addition, the direction of your roof is very important. In most situations, maximum production happens when panels are able to point directly south. The more your roof faces east or west, the more you will see a depletion in energy production. Because of this, roofs that face north are generally not suitable for solar at all here in the United States. By requesting a quote today, we will use our tools to see how efficiently a solar energy system would work on your home, at absolutely no charge to you.

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how much does solar cost?

The cost of solar energy has decreased dramatically in the last decade. It used to be that without government issued tax credits and other incentives, solar was costly and made financial sense to only a small few. However, with the implementation of programs like net metering, 0-down financing options, and a decreased cost of producing and installing systems, thousands of people now take advantage of solar at the same monthly cost as their current electric bill. Only for them, once their system is paid off, they own their electricity and have no monthly payments for the lifetime of their system.

To make things even more affordable, there are still many areas that offer financial incentives for investing in solar. The US Government currently offers a 30% tax credit (ITC) toward the cost of your system. Other state and local utilities will have similar programs, or even cash rebates to help cover the cost of your system. Below is an example of how that could look. For a detailed solar analysis for your home, request a quote today.

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Does Solar Energy Help the Environment?

Solar Energy helps the environment by drastically decreasing your home’s carbon emission. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), each American household accounts for 20 metric tons of carbon emissions every year. Because most solar energy systems are still tied to the electrical grid, this number does not go away by going solar. However, most households with a solar energy system cut back on their carbon emissions by 3 to 4 metric tons. This is possible because by using renewable energy sources like solar, your utility provider emits less carbon to meet the electrical needs of its customers.

While it is true that larger amounts of people will need to invest in renewable energy to make significant cuts on carbon emissions globally, 3 to 4 tons of emission cutbacks for your home is not a small number. In fact, every KW of solar has the same environmental impact as removing thousands of vehicles from America’s roadways, or planting thousands of new trees. Request a quote today to find out just how much you could impact the environment by investing in solar energy.

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More than adding huge resale value your property, statistics show that homes equipped with solar often sell quicker than homes with similar market value. In addition, some studies have shown that adding solar to your home can increase your home’s value by 3 to 4 percent. 4 percent on a $200,000 home is over $8,000 of added resale value. While there is variability in those numbers across the country, it is evident that homebuyers are willing to pay a premium for homes equipped with solar. When you buy a home with solar, you are not only buying a home with panels on the roof, you are also absorbing thousands of dollars worth of energy savings with it. Find out if solar energy makes sense for your home by requesting a quote today.

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