Facts on Solar Powered Homes
Solar technology becomes more practical and affordable every day and is supported by a soup of governmental subsidies. To determine if your ready, here are a few things to consider. Does this Spark an idea?
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Cost
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Off-grid systems are pricey. If you want to live 'off-grid,' a one-kilowatt home solar system (enough to power the average home), costs around $10,000. This cost assumes no subsidy of any kind and is all inclusive, meaning about ten or so panels, the battery system, inverter and wiring.
An on-grid system (one that is connect to city power but uses solar first) costs about half that.
These systems can be installed in a day or two by an electrician with solar certification.
Subsidy
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Uncle Sam makes it easy Tax credits, rebates and local incentives can reduce the cost of your solar system drastically. It is possible, in some cases, to finance the entire system through these incentives. Unfortunately, these subsidies are always changing. For a comprehensive list of subsidies in your area go to Dsire, a website maintained by the US Department of Energy. Link below.
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Return on Investment
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The sun shines every day How long will it take you to make back your investment? Well, that depends on how sunny your homestead happens to be.
To save you time, there are no surprises when it comes to solar zones. If you live in sunny area, such as the desert, you can expect to pay off your panel in as quick as seven years. Most of the south can expect over ten. Midwest regions can take as long as twenty years to pay off and northern areas even more. It is important to remember, however, that these estimates could improve dramatically as energy prices go up.
A Power Plant at Home
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Power lines can work both ways Since solar powered homes are producers; and not just consumers, of energy, sometimes more energy is produced than consumed. Depending on local law and energy policy, any excess electricity you produce will be fed back into the electric grid. Energy companies will often fit your home with a special meter that can turn "backwards" to register how much energy you are, in effect, selling them. This will either be counted as a credit on your electric bill ,or in some cases, take the form of check in your mailbox.
The Future
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Solar panels continue to improve in efficiency. Not only does the technology underlining these panels improve every year, but the cost to produce PV panels decreases as companies reach an economy of scale. Energy Prices, it is universally believed, are also going to go up in the long term. Consequently, even if you decide that its not the right choice this year, solar options for your home should be reconsidered every few years as conditions change.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Solar Panel image by kuhar from Fotolia.com money, money, money image by easaab from Fotolia.com tax forms image by Chad McDermott from Fotolia.com la tierra image by nuryudijes from Fotolia.com power grid image by brelsbil from Fotolia.com
