Many people have considered solar energy in the past, but for a variety of reasons they "talked" themselves out it. However, things have changed and a lot of people who rejected solar energy in the past are now finally pulling the trigger and having it installed. What changed? Here is a list of 5 things that I feel are helping people today to "Go Solar Now".
1. Tax Incentives: 30% of the total cost of installation is covered by tax credits provided by the federal government. Most States also have incentives (Arizona is $1,000) and some local electric companies provide additional incentives as well. The point is that with available tax credits that did not exist a few years ago, roughly 1/3 of the installation bill is returned to you in those tax credits. However, those tax credits are due to expire at the end of 2016.
2. Better Financing: A few years ago, if a family wanted to finance a solar power system for their home, it was expected that they would have to pay a sizeable down payment. Not so in today's solar market. In fact, the company that I work for, Solar Solution AZ, LLC, offers zero down with payments that do not exceed their current electric bill. That means that a complete system is purchased with no additional monthly expense.
3. Lower Manufacturing Costs: In years past, Silicon Wafers were expensive to make, which kept the price of Solar Panels fairly high. Today, manufacturing costs have dropped considerably, making it much more feasible for the average family to acquire a Solar Electric power System.
4. Increased Home Values: While it is up to appraisers to establish the market value of a property, there is a great deal of evidence to show that a house with solar will sell for more than an equal house without it. In California, solar adds, on average, about $5.00 per watt to the resale value of the property. That means that a 4 kilowatt system could add $20,000 to the resale value over a similar home without solar power.
5. Massive Savings: When we do a presentation to a homeowner considering going solar, we do an analysis of their past 12 months of electric bills. This allows us to design the proper size system for their needs, but also we can show them the long term savings once that monthly bill is eliminated. Over the duration of the systems warranty, which for us is 30 years, the savings are many thousands of dollars.
There are many other reasons why now is a great time to install a Solar Electric Power System on your home or business, but these five stand out to show that going Solar only makes perfect sense at this time.
Tim Cook
Solar Solution AZ
520-221-8871
