It’s hard to understate how much energy the sun offers the earth. Reports show that the energy from the sun produced for one hour is enough to power the earth for one year. Why wouldn’t you take advantage of that to produce all the power you need?
The problem is with capturing that energy. Although you can’t capture nearly as much energy as produced by the sun, modern solar panels offer a great way to power anything you can think of.
Are you interested in solar energy and the benefits it provides? Read the guide below to learn about the solar benefits you’ll see when installing panels.
1. Free Energy
Of all the benefits of solar energy, free energy is the one you’ll look forward to the most. Instead of spending a ton of money monthly on power, you’ll generate it on your roof for free and use it to power your home.
The amount you generate is up to you. You can get a partial installation if you have a small roof or limited funds. You can still tie into the grid to meet the rest of your power needs.
However, you can also completely power your home if you’re in the right location and have a large enough area. In those cases, and with the right system, you can completely eliminate your power bill.
2. Tax Rebates
One common reason people don’t invest in solar is the cost. While it is true that the price is lower than ever, that doesn’t mean you won’t spend a lot to get a proper installation.
However, the price you see on a solar quote won’t be your true cost. The government wants to incentivize individuals to invest in solar energy to help the environment. It does this with tax credits.
You can get extra money back yearly until you get your tax rebates. This will reduce your total cost and make solar more affordable for you.
3. Energy Credits
Even if you don’t produce enough energy to power your home entirely, that doesn’t mean you’ll pay for all the power you pull from the grid. In many cases, you won’t be able to use everything you generate. For that excess power, you can send it to the power company.
Many electric companies offer credits to customers who do this. You can then use these credits to pay for grid power instead of paying for it with cash.
If you generate enough power during the day, it may be enough to fully offset your energy costs.
4. Property Value
Are you worried that the solar improvements you make to your home won’t impact your home’s value?
You would have good reason to have this concern in the past. Solar wasn’t as widespread several years ago, so home inspectors didn’t know how to value installations.
The same isn’t true today. Now that solar is popular and a known value to homes, inspectors include them in a home’s valuation. This means your home’s value will increase when you install solar panels.
The increase you’ll see will depend on how big your installation is. You can usually calculate it by calculating how much cash you’ll save yearly on power costs. You can work with a solar company to get a better idea about your savings, so click the link for a company and contact them for more information.
5. Blackout Protection
With how much strain today’s weather puts on power grids, it’s not out of the ordinary to go without power. Hot locations are experiencing cold weather that’s too much for the grid, and colder areas are experiencing hotter weather.
The extra strain caused by these conditions greatly strains the power grid.
Many power companies deal with this problem by using rolling blackouts. They shut down parts of the grid to relieve stress and avoid a total blackout.
You can avoid losing power when you have solar energy. If you have an installation large enough to power your home completely, you’ll be the only one with power when everyone else goes dark. This is a significant benefit if you have electronics and other items you need to stay on to keep your home running correctly.
6. Low Maintenance
Maintenance is one concern many homeowners have when considering installing solar panels at home. They’re adding complicated hardware on their roofs, so it makes sense to wonder what it takes to keep things running.
The good thing about solar panels is that there isn’t much maintenance. They will run well most of the time without you needing to do anything.
Much of the time, the most you’ll need to do is keep them clean. It’s hard to generate solar energy when the debris is on solar panels, so you’ll need to brush everything off.
You can also work with a solar company to schedule future maintenance. This usually only happens every few years, so it isn’t much of an additional cost.
7. Avoid Higher Bills
Eliminating your power bill is only one part of how solar panels save money. You’re also paying an upfront fee today to avoid paying higher electricity bills in the future.
That means if power costs rise, as they usually do, you’re protected from those costs. Unlike your neighbors who will pay more monthly, you’ll continue generating free energy and won’t pay another dime.
This can drive down your payoff period even more and save a lot of money in the long run.
Take Advantage of Solar Energy
It can be intimidating to get started with solar energy. You have to spend thousands of dollars on an installation and trust you’ll be able to make your money back.
But as you can see above, solar has many benefits that make it worth the money. If you’re interested in purchasing solar panels for your home, reach out to a local installer to learn more about the process.
Are you planning on making any other changes to your home? Check out the blog to learn a few ideas that will help you improve things.