Did you recently purchase your first home? Or maybe just relocated to a new home? Either way, it’s an exciting time! As you’ve probably come to realize, with every new home comes some other new expenses as well. Most of them can be a one-time ordeal, such as new furniture or light fixtures, and some of them are recurring fees… like your new utility bills. A good tip to help you estimate what your electricity bills will look like is to call the utility company and see if they have the previous owner’s electrical bills for the upcoming months. While it won’t be exact, it will give you a good idea of what to look forward to. If your energy consumption is going to cost more than $100, it might be time to consider investing in solar panels. Going to solar can benefit you in multiple ways:
1. You’ll Save Money
One of the main reasons so many homeowners are making the switch to solar is the money-saving potential. Depending on the size of your new solar system, you can reduce your energy bill by half, if not eliminate it all together! It varies between states, but as of right now, both Arizona and California also offer homeowners tax credits, rebates, and incentives for solar. And not only that, but solar panels give you the ability to lock in your energy costs for upwards of 20 years — while energy costs rise, your bill will remain relatively the same!
Please note that the US Federal Government is reducing the amount of money they are going in 2021. If you are thinking about solar or even curious, now is the time to act.
2. Solar Panels Add Value To Your Home
Although you just bought your house, one day you might be looking to resell it. The Department of Energy stated that homes with solar sell for a $15,000 premium and buyers are willing to pay more for a home that has energy saving features (like programmable thermostats) along with solar energy systems. You can bet that the new buyer will be interested in saving money too! According to Forbes.com, on average, homeowners in California who install photovoltaic solar panels to power their homes can recover nearly all the investment costs if they move–and that’s on top of the annual energy savings. Whether you lease or buy panels, buyers will see them as an added bonus. For more information, take a look at our blog post “Do People Prefer Homes with Solar?”
3. You’ll Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
The average American household produces 7.5 tons of CO2 equivalents per year, greenhouse gas emissions, and equivalents per year. When you switch to solar, you can offset that number drastically by harnessing the power of the sun as a source of energy rather than fossil fuels, which release CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the environment. If you want to see what your personal carbon footprint looks like, the website Carbon Footprint has a great calculator. The average residential solar project offsets the same amount of carbon as two vehicles on the road for a year. The sun is going to shine either way, so why wouldn’t we use it to power our homes?
Ready to make the switch to solar? Get a free quote here and we’ll come up with a custom solar proposal to best suite your family’s needs.
