The benefits of solar panels: why go solar?
There are a variety of reasons why households choose to go solar, but the two most prevalent are financial savings and environmental benefits. Whether you’re contemplating solar for economic, environmental, or both reasons, here’s a list of advantages to think about.
Financial savings: how going solar saves you money
The majority of people that go solar on their home or company do so for financial reasons. From a financial standpoint, there are four major ways to think about solar:
- Your electric bills will be considerably reduced, if not completely eliminated, if you go solar. Electricity bills might account for a significant amount of your monthly expenses. With a solar panel system, you'll get free electricity throughout the life of your system, which may be 25 years or more. Even if you don't produce 100% of the energy you need, solar reduces your electricity bills, resulting in significant savings.
- Solar energy can help you avoid growing energy prices. Electricity rates in the United States continue to rise year after year. You may lock in the price you pay for electricity now by investing in a solar energy system now, protecting yourself from future increases in electricity rates.
- Going solar raises the value of your home. This is a no-brainer: properties with solar panels sell for more money than those without. And it's easy to see why when you think that solar allows you to cut or eliminate your electricity bills: wouldn't you rather live somewhere where you don't have to pay monthly utility bills?
- Going solar nets you a great return on your investment. At the end of the day, solar is one of the best investments you can make. The average American solar purchaser sees a return on their investment (ROI) of 20 percent or more, with most solar panel systems paying for themselves multiple times over the course of their decades-long lifetime. Try getting that ROI from stocks!
Why go solar: environmental benefits
The benefits to the environment are the second most important reason why individuals install solar.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the electric sector is responsible for 27% of all carbon emissions in the United States. Carbon emissions are produced by fossil-fuel-fired power plants, which also contribute to local air pollution in areas around power plants.
You can lower your own personal environmental footprint by installing solar. When you install a solar panel system on your home, you may avoid buying carbon-emitting electricity from the grid and instead draw power directly from your solar panels. Even if you aren’t directly using solar energy, you are reducing the demand for carbon-emitting generating by putting your solar energy into the grid. At the end of the day, a typical household solar panel system will reduce carbon emissions by three to four tons per year, which is the equivalent of planting over 100 trees.
Going solar can help organizations exhibit their dedication to sustainability, which can boost employee morale while also demonstrating sustainable ideals to potential customers.
Other benefits of solar to consider
Solar’s advantages aren’t limited to cost reductions and environmental benefits. There are numerous other advantages of going solar.
Going solar, for example, helps to create local jobs, which helps to enhance the local economy. The solar sector employs over a quarter million individuals, according to The Solar Foundation’s annual Solar Jobs Census, the majority of whom work for local solar enterprises in your area. By putting money into solar, you’re also putting money into local jobs.
As storms get more severe across the country, home and business owners are increasingly looking to solar with storage as a method to avoid power outages. Many people install solar panels in order to stay on the cutting edge of technology. Beyond the ones we’ve listed, there are a slew of more reasons to go solar.