The most common concern people have about solar energy, do the benefits of installing solar panels outweigh the costs. Curiosity in this opportunity, as a sustainable energy source, has steadily grown since it was first launched. In fact, the installation of solar panels shot up by nearly 70 percent as recently as 2015 over the preceding year, while the overall costs have fallen since 2006. With this in mind, the obvious benefit of choosing to install solar is the affordable costs.
The average installation costs range somewhere between $10,000 and $35,000. If that sounds a little too expensive, you have to consider the savings, Research has shown that customers have indicated they save an average of $45 to $190 on their energy bills per month. That is a potential saving of $2000 a year from the very beginning. The studies estimate that customers will save between $22,000 and $60000 over 20 years. Outside of the apparent cost benefits, here are five more reasons people choose to install solar panels.
Reduce Your Energy dependence
Installing a renewable and sustainable energy source creates freedom from other costly energy providers. A solar panel is not like a local utility provider; the sun will not send you a notice that they have increased their rates. Over the past 5 years, energy costs have gone up by an average of 3.5%, in the current energy environment, this trend looks likely to continue. You can even cash in on any extra energy and sell it back to your energy provider.
Increase the value of your property
The department of energy conducted a study on prospective house buyers. The results were fascinating; on top of the fact that solar panels make your property more desirable to potential customers, they are also willing to pay up to $15,000 extra for a house that is equipped. The average solar system uses 3500 watts so you could potentially make an additional $4 per watt extra. As of last year, it costs around $3 a watt to install a fully integrated solar-powered system in your home. If this trend continues, it just means that solar panels will add more and more value to your home as time goes by.
Good for the Environment
Research has shown that installing a single solar system will offset nearly 200 tonnes of CO2 over the thirty-year period. If you wanted to offset your carbon footprint by the same amount, it is the equivalent of planting 10 full football pitches of trees. Instead of clogging up the environment with fossil fuels like gas, oil, and coal that are slowly killing the planet. Why not protect the polar ice caps and our all-important ozone layer by choosing an alternative energy source that after installation does little or no harm to the environment.
Save money on your taxes
If you aren’t convinced at this stage about the advantages of solar power. Many governments around the world are now offering grants and or tax relief in the form of solar tax credits to offset some of the costs of installing your units. These are available to both commercial and residential units; in some places, you can even rent your roof space to companies who want to install solar panels. Each country offers different incentives; for more information, you could contact your local government or do some online research. Without a doubt, you will be able to find a scheme to suit your needs and make the whole installation process all the more attractive.
Become energy independent
So many different factors dictate the cost of energy, none of which are in your control if you are fully attached to the grid. The sun we hope will be hanging around for a long time to come. Scientists estimate that the sun produces over four million tons of energy every single second. We, as humans, only use 0.0001% of the potential of the sun. We do understand that solar power still has a way to go before it is entirely cost-effective, but every year that passes, it is becoming cheaper and cheaper to install and operate. The essential being that we should never have to worry about solar energy running out.
Conclusion
There you have it… 5 benefits of installing solar panels.
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