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It’s no surprise that you’re interested in solar panels. You regularly hear about how they are more environmentally friendly and how much money they save. And now that 3.2 million homes in America have solar panels today, they are more popular than ever.
The problem is that they cost a lot of money to install, so you’re taking a significant risk when installing them.
Are you concerned about the cost of a solar panel system installation and not sure if it’s worth the money? The guide below looks at the benefits of solar panels and why investing makes sense.
Reduce Your Power Bill
A lower power bill is the first benefit most people consider when installing panels — and for a good reason. Countless people completely remove themselves from the grid by installing solar.
You can do this too if you live in a good location and have exposure to the sun. If you have enough space, you can install enough solar panels to eliminate your power needs completely. You can sell power to the grid to get power to get credit for when it isn’t sunny or install batteries to store your excess energy.
Even if you can’t cover all your power needs with solar, you can still drastically reduce your electricity bills. Calculate your average power usage and the total amount of energy you can draw to determine how much you’ll save each month.
Receive Subsidies
One of the biggest hurdles people have with installing solar is the cost. Yes, it will help you save money on your power bills or remove them altogether. However, doing this comes at a cost.
Although some people may have the cash to buy solar panels, it’s still hard to justify the purchase since it takes too long to get a return on your investment. But with tax subsidies, that equation changes.
You can save thousands of dollars on your solar installation with tax credits. There are options for local and federal governments. Learn how much you can save with tax credits to learn how much the real cost of solar panels is for you.
Improve Your Property Value
One overlooked benefit of installing solar panels is the value it adds to your home. It wasn’t always the case in the past — when home appraisers didn’t have the facts about solar panels and how they were valued. But that’s no longer the case today.
Solar installations will likely increase the value of your home. In most cases, the increase you’ll see depends on how much you save each year on energy. Calculate your yearly savings to determine your home’s new value.
This also means you’ll make extra money if you sell your home. If you break even with your solar panels, that’s pure profit for you.
Future Energy Savings
One factor many people don’t consider when calculating their power savings is the future cost of power. You can get a reasonable estimate of how much you’ll save if prices remain static. However, that probably won’t happen.
Prices for everything usually trend up over time — including the price of electricity. This means your power bill in the future will likely be higher than the one today.
This means you’ll save more money than you expect in the future. Consider this in your calculations when considering how much money you’ll save using solar panels.
Avoid Utility Hookups
Do you dream of living off the grid and still want to power your home? If so, it’s hard to do that without solar panels.
Traditionally, you would need to run utility lines to your home if you wanted power. Those lines cost a lot of money to run and can drastically increase the cost of your build.
But you don’t have those costs when you have solar panels. With the proper setup, you can power everything you need without turning to the power company. As a result, you’ll get the grid-free lifestyle you imagined.
Avoid Blackouts
One big problem with being tied to the power grid is blackouts. Yes, the power will work fine most of the time. But what happens when a storm or another disaster knocks everything offline?
You’ll be out of luck when this happens. That means you must worry about preserving your food and other items to ensure they don’t go bad. You’ll also have trouble working if you work remotely.
Having a solar installation helps you avoid this problem. Your lights will stay on while everyone else is without power.
Help the Environment
Helping the environment may not immediately impact your bottom line, but it will pay off in the long term. As time passes and people continue doing the bare minimum to reduce their carbon footprints, the environment will worsen. When that happens, more extreme weather events will start appearing, and the environment will become more challenging to live in.
This will lead to price increases and other problems in the future. But if you do your part to contribute to a greener future, the problem won’t be as bad, and some of the negative impacts can be avoided.
Contact a Solar Panel System Installation Company Today
A solar panel system installation isn’t just a way to bring down your electricity bills and do your part to protect the environment. It’s also a significant investment that will take a chunk out of your savings account. Because of that, it’s not an easy decision to invest in a solar system.
However, with some research, you can learn what to expect when installing solar on your home. Now that you understand the benefits you’ll see, reach out to a local solar installer to learn more about how you can use solar to power your home.
Did you find this post helpful and want to read more tips that will help you make smart home upgrades? Head to the home improvement section of the blog to find more insightful posts.
