7 Major Benefits of Having a Solar-Powered Home

Are you considering the switch to solar energy? There are plenty of reasons to make the change, but the up-front costs hold many people back. We’ve compiled a list of seven major benefits of having a solar-powered home to help you make the best purchase of your life. Get ready to start saving money and the environment!

Cost Savings

The top benefit to installing solar panels is the cost savings. The initial investment is high, but most households pay that off within a decade of installation. Ten years may sound like a long time, but when considering solar panels’ 25-year warranty, you’ll realize that you can enjoy at least 15 years of nearly free electricity.

Most Americans pay around $115 monthly in energy consumption. Regardless, 15 years of $10 monthly electricity bills will save you thousands of dollars. That’s an extra vacation every few years, or an extra hundred dollars to spend every month! We know you have better things to do with your money than pay for electricity, so why not install solar panels?

Peak Hours

No matter where you live, energy on summer afternoons costs more money. These are “peak hours,” and it’s an unpleasant phenomenon you can avoid entirely with solar panels. A solar panel system reaches its peak production capacity on summer afternoons, so you don’t need to worry when the electric company spikes the prices.

Incentives

Some people run the other way when they learn the initial investment cost of solar panels. Others look into that price further and learn that several local, state, and federal incentives can help you pay for your solar panel system. You could save several thousand dollars on installation with all the grants available if you apply for the right incentives.

Making Money

Some households don’t use a lot of electricity in the first place. Your solar panels won’t stop producing energy, though, so what do you do with the excess? If you don’t install a solar battery along with the rest of the system, you may find yourself making money! Solar panels are usually grid-connected, and any excess energy your system creates goes back to your local electrical grid.

Home Value

Picture this: you’re looking for the house you want to live in for the next 20 years. You find two properties in your price range—the more expensive one offers solar panels. The owners tell you that you’ll hardly have to worry about paying your electric bill again. The cheaper one makes no mention of that, so you’ll probably be paying upwards of $100 monthly for electricity.

Wouldn’t you rather pay more money now and avoid high energy bills for the foreseeable future? Most prospective buyers feel that way! Solar panels are one of the best home additions for increasing resale value. Whether you’re planning to move in a few years, or you want to keep the option open, solar panels can boost resale value by a few percentage points.

In many markets across the country, this increased resale value is enough to offset the cost of the solar panels and installation. Once you pay off the panels, you can turn around and sell your home for a tidy profit.

Solar Works Everywhere

It doesn’t matter where you live—if your roof receives sunlight, you can enjoy the benefits of solar power. Unlike wind energy and other forms of renewable power, no one is excluded from solar power. If you can find a local solar installer, you can enjoy the benefits of a solar panel system.

Environmentally Conscious

The sun is an excellent source of renewable energy. Unfortunately, many corporations ignore it in favor of burning fossil fuels that harm the planet. As infrastructure improves, fossil fuels must become an energy source of the past.

Solar, wind, and hydropower are the energy sources of the future, so it’s logical to hop on the bandwagon. There are many solar installers, but relatively few people are interested in solar—as demand increases, so will the prices.

Become part of the solution and work toward a cleaner and greener planet by contacting a solar energy company in New Mexico.

Low Maintenance

Many home upgrades require constant check-ins and repairs. Even though solar panels are constantly in use, they’re remarkably easy to maintain. Depending on your location, maintenance may involve brushing fallen leaves off them every few months, cleaning off dust and pollen, or clearing snow from the panels after a snowfall.

If there is an issue with your solar panels within the first 20 years of their life, you can contact your solar installer for maintenance. Most panels are warrantied for 20-25 years, so you can get replacements if something unexpected happens.

Energy Independence

Not everyone wants to install a solar panel system that’s tied to the electrical grid, and that’s okay! You can achieve total energy independence if you want to. Without the grid to fall back on, you’ll want to purchase a solar battery for your home. This stores up all the excess energy you create so you have power to use after dark when your panels can’t generate electricity.

Blackouts

A blackout at your local power grid means an outage at your home. A grid-tied solar panel system won’t protect you from an outage. However, if you opt for complete energy independence, you may be the only house on the block that’s still enjoying power! You’ll need a system of solar batteries to maintain your power during a blackout, but you won’t need a noisy generator to get your power back.

Decreased Energy Loss

Did you know that energy is lost whenever it is transported or distributed? Around three to five percent of all the power you draw from the electrical grid disappears along the journey. That accrues to an incredible waste and significantly contributes to the climate crisis we’re all dealing with. The distance energy travels from solar panels into your home is far less, so virtually no energy is lost!

Now that you know these seven major benefits of having a solar-powered home, go green and save a lot of money while you’re at it!