Solar power used to sound like something from the future or something only the wealthy had. But today, with the cost of solar dropping nearly 70% in the past decade, 4% of all homes in America have solar energy. That number is expected to triple by 2030.
With the cost of electricity rising,
more people are turning to solar power, but why, and is it worth it? Continue
reading to hear about all the benefits of solar panels.
Solar
Panels are Cost-Efficient
This is a no-brainer, but the main
reason why people are buying solar panels is to save money. In the state of
Ohio, the average cost of electricity is $152 per month for residential
consumers. That may not seem like a lot, but with the cost of electricity
rising, and over a 10-year span, that comes out to be around $20,000.
When you switch to solar panels and
pay upfront, you are paying the cost today for the electricity you would have
used over a 20-year span. The cost of solar panels is well worth it, so go solar now,
and see how much you can save!
There are also significant tax
credits for anyone who switches to solar power as well, which can definitely be
beneficial these days.
Benefits
of Solar Panels with Net Metering
Net metering is a tool that uses the
electric grid to store up any access power that has gone unused. This will
become useful on days when your solar panels may not be working as well due to
it being cloudy nighttime.
Because you are still connected to
the power grid, that stored energy you have is then banked as credits and used
toward your energy bill.
You may be wondering if you can use
your solar panels off the grid, and the answer is yes, but it is not
recommended. You would need to provide your own batteries during these times
that are considered less solar efficient instead of using the power grid for
emergency backup.
Solar
Panels Help the Environment
With everyone going green these
days, solar panels are an excellent way to help the environment. Traditional
electricity uses what is called fossil fuels which come from natural gas and
coal.
When these fuels are burned they
produce harmful gases that pollute our air, but solar panels use clean energy
that comes from the sun. Studies show that the carbon footprint of solar panels
is 20 times less than that of fossil fuels.
There are many solar panel
incentives, but this one should encourage us to want to live in a cleaner,
brighter future. With the cost of solar dropping, we may be able to make that a
possibility.
Solar
Panels Increase Property Value
For anyone who is into property
management and real estate, you know that what you put into a home has great
value if you decide to sell your home. Solar panels are a great way to add
value and have estimated that homeowners gave a 4% premium to homes with solar power
There is a $5,000 resale increase
for every kilowatt of power that is installed, so if you install a 10-kilowatt
system, that's a $50,000 home value increase!
Solar
Panels Are No Longer the Future
The day of dreaming about a
solar-powered future is gone because that future of solar energy is here. The
countless benefits of solar panels and solar energy outweighs anything else and
will only increase over the next 10 years. So here's to hoping that every day
brings cleaner energy for generations to come.
If you enjoyed this article on the
benefits of solar panels, then check out our other great articles on this page.
