Rising energy costs have many people looking for alternative energy sources to save themselves some money and decrease their carbon footprint. Solar energy has been around for many years but the industry keeps growing faster and faster with more people installing solar panels to power their homes.
There are still people out there that are sceptical about whether the price of purchasing and installing the solar panels and maintenance costs are justified. So, what are the advantages of using solar power in your home?
1. Environmentally friendly
Solar energy is harvested from the sun and turned into energy that can be used to power the home. Solar energy does not cause any pollution. It doesn’t require the burning of fossil fuels and no greenhouse gasses are emitted during or after installation.
The sun is not a resource that can be depleted as we use it to create solar energy. It is a completely sustainable option. Thus, your carbon footprint becomes significantly smaller.
2. Cost-effective
If you look at the price of solar panels, installation, and maintenance costs you might be put off but solar panels are a long-term investment. Prices have come down significantly since demand for them has risen over the years. The panels are durable and have a minimum lifespan of 30 years making them a long-term investment. You will save much more than you spent purchasing and installing the system.
Solar panels do not require regular maintenance because there are no moving parts which mean there’s no wear and tear. You won’t be spending lots of money every year on maintaining them and there are no recurring costs after solar panels have been installed. You only need to keep them relatively clean, so cleaning them a couple of times per year will do the job.
3. Tax rebates
Homeowners can claim 30 percent of the cost of installing a new solar system in their home as a tax credit after buying a solar system. This is another way to recover the costs for equipment and installation of the solar panels.
The investment has a payback period of only 3 and a half years. The solar panels have a warranty of 10 years and are promised to last up to 30 years. This means that you generate free electricity and extra credits for 20+ years. You are performing a social responsibility and profiting from it.
4. Cut down costs of electricity
One of the biggest advantages of solar energy in your home would be the money you would be saving on electricity. How much you save will be determined by the size of the solar system. You can go completely off the grid if your whole house is powered by solar panels.
When you plug in electrical appliances, they use free energy from the solar system. So, you will definitely get a return on your investment because you will have free electricity.
5. Add capital value to your home
The addition of solar panels will increase the value of your home which is an added bonus. Potential buyers will see it as an upgrade and an opportunity to save on electricity. It’s a bonus that they don’t have to spend money themselves to add that feature onto the house after purchasing.
Market research has shown that factors like electricity rates and system size may impact the size of the premium, solar homes can sell for more than homes without solar panels.
6. You won’t be left in the dark
Solar panels get energy from the sun even on cloudy overcast days so there will never be a time when you will be left without an energy source or when you will have to rely solely on the power you get from the grid. The system is reliable all year round. Since you are off the grid if there is a power outage your lights will be on because you make use of solar energy.
There is a reason why the solar energy market is growing and the reasons above are only a few. More and more people are seeing the advantage of solar energy and that the good outweighs the bad.
