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Why Power Your Home with Solar
- 1. Why Power Your Home with Solar THE TOP 5 REASONS WWW.GREENCARLISLE.ORG
- 2. Reduce or Completely Eliminate Your Electric Bill Almost a third of the homes in the U.S. can generate most of the electricity they consume in a year Complete access to the electricity you generate—while you’re generating it Your electric meter runs in reverse when your solar system produces excess electricity Free electricity for 25+ years WWW.GREENCARLISLE.ORG
- 3. Get an Attractive Return on Investment 10%-30% return on your investment ◦ Value of free electricity from your solar system ◦ Protection against rising electricity rates ◦ In Massachusetts, get additional cash by selling renewable energy production certificates (SRECs) Payback in 4-7 years Increase the value of your home ◦ Solar powered homes sell twice as fast and for 3%-4% premium, enough to pay back the initial cost of panels WWW.GREENCARLISLE.ORG
- 4. Solar is More Affordable Than Ever Rebates and tax credits can reduce upfront solar system costs by 40%-65% Finance a solar purchase with home equity or personal unsecured loans … or … Lease the system - with no down payment That’s why solar is at the nexus of both desirability and affordability! WWW.GREENCARLISLE.ORG
- 5. Solar Panels Blend into your Roof and are Maintenance Free Solar PV systems are highly durable and reliable 25-year warranties on most panels No moving parts to wear out Maintenance free No washing or cleaning required As effective in New England as they are in California WWW.GREENCARLISLE.ORG
- 6. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Installing solar panels on your home is like planting 125 trees a year Prevent greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas power plants Reduce drilling, mining, and “fracking” Cleaner air for all WWW.GREENCARLISLE.ORG
- 7. Solar Electricity is a Great Choice NEXT UP … DISSECTING A SOLAR PV PRICING PROPOSAL WWW.GREENCARLISLE.ORG
Editor's Notes
- Solar-generated electric power has been deployed successfully for both homeowners and businesses for decades.With advances in technology, the proliferation of competitive market offerings, and the availability of generous financial incentives, the time to go solar has never been more compelling.If you’re still uncertain that solar energy isa viable option for you to consider for your property, here are five great reasons to do so now.
- Perhaps the most compelling motivator for many solar buyers is the prospect of significantly reducing—and in some cases even eliminating—your public utility electric bill.Statistics show that about a third of the homes in the US are potentially capable of generating most—and in many cases all—of the electricity they consume within a year with a rooftop solar energy system.With solar energy, you have unrestricted access to the electricity your system generates, but only while it’s generating it.At times when your solar system produces more electricity than you’re using, it feeds the excess into the electric utility grid, and your electric meter actually runs in reverse. When you're consuming more electricity than your system is currently producing, you get as much of the remainder as you need from your utility just like you do today. Over the course of your monthly billing cycle, you only pay for the net electricity you buy from the grid … which is where the term “net metering” comes from.And since solar systems typically last for at least 25 years, the savings you experience today will continue like clockwork for years to come.
- As we just discussed, everyonebenefits from a reduced electric bill with solar. Solar energy systems also allow consumers to lock in their energy costs for the long-term, and help mitigate the unpredictability of energy price fluctuations. In addition to that, depending upon how you decide to finance your solar installation, you may also be entitled to benefit from recurring renewable energy production credits to further sweeten the return on your investment. All told, depending upon your individual circumstances, your annual financial returns can range anywhere from 10% - 30%,resulting in payback periods that are measured in years rather than decades. This level of financial performance makes solar a compelling consideration for inclusion in many consumers’ overall financial investment strategies.And to top it off, buildings and homes equipped with solar energy systems have been shown to have lower costs of ownership and increased property values. One real estate publication, The Appraisal Journal, estimates that for each $1,000 saved in annual energy costs, the value of a home increases by $20,000. Additional studies have shown that homes equipped with solar energy systems sell twice as fast and at a premium of 3%-4% over similar—but non-solarized homes—in the same neighborhood. Typically this incentive on its own more than pays back the initial investment of installing a solar energy system.
- A variety of generous state and federal rebates and tax credits can significantly reduce the upfront cost of a solar system.But an outright purchase is no longer the only way to finance a new solar system. There are numerous financingoptions available that allow you to spread the upfront system costs out over time. Examples include home equity loans, prepaid leases, zero-dollar down leases, and even power purchase agreements.It’s no wonder that an increasing number of savvy consumers view solar as representing a unique blend of both desirability and affordability.
- If you’re concerned about maintenance and other ongoing expenses, you needn’t be with solar energy systems.Solar panels are made from highly durable tempered glass, and are resistant to the harshest of weather conditions.They’re typically warranted for at least 25 years, and have been shown to function well for decades beyond that.As with the panels themselves, the other components in a solar system have few—if any—moving or mechanical parts, further minimizing the incidence of equipment failures.And because solar systems are so robust, they don’t require any regular or periodic maintenance.Nor do they need any washing or cleaning in order to perform at peak capacity.And contrary to what you might otherwise assume, you don’t need to live in the South or Southwest to benefit substantially from an investment in a solar energy system.
- If you don’t already consider yourself to be environmentally conscious, chances are you will in the future.Relying on solar power is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, and, in fact, is typically equivalent to planting more than 100 new carbon-absorbing trees per year.Not only does solar power rely on the sun – the ultimate clean, renewable resource, but using solar-generated power helps cut worldwide greenhouse gas emissions by reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.And the cascading effect of that means less drilling, mining, and fracking to extract those fossil fuels.According to the U.S. Green Building Council, a typical residential solar energy installation can avoid 3-4 tons of carbon emissions annually … helping us all breathe cleaner air.
- As mentioned at the outset of this briefing, there are a number of great reasons for you to consider going solar today. We’ve covered just a handful of them here. In our next installment, we’ll help you understand the contents of a typical solar PV pricing proposal.