Solar Home Installation – Add Home Value and Stop Global Warming

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 1:38 pm

With electrical rates rising, a solar home installation makes good sense. The prices are lower than just a year ago. They’ll continue to drop as more people commit to the use of solar panels, and more companies offer the service. The difficult thing to swallow has always been the length of time it takes to get a return on your investment. Some authorities believe that currently, it can be estimated at 10 years or less.

Most utility companies offer some kind of incentive to home owners for a solar installation. These plans may vary a great deal from one location to another, so let’s just look at the advantages in a broad scope.

One of the benefits of going solar is the instant value added to the home. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates a $20 rise in the value of your home for every $1 reduction in annual utility bills. For people who are paying $300 per month for electrical service, a 50% reduction in that would add $36,000 to their home value!

The use of solar and wind power is a step away from the dirty power that is contributing to the breakdown of the ozone system. Any thing that a person can do to slow down global warming will become more and more important in the coming years.

Government backed tax credits and rebates are available in most cases for businesses and home owners who invest in solar power. In the changing times, you will have to investigate exactly what might be offered now.

If your utility company has a “net metering” agreement, you can effectively sell electricity back to them when you generate more than you use. This is done through the installation of a special meter that runs backwards when you have a surplus in production.

Solar panels have no moving parts, so they have little maintenance. The worst that can happen to them is usually through “acts of God,” and even then the insurance coverage on your house should have replacement covered. Most installations come with a 25 year guarantee, which should cover any other situations.

For many years, the average person has been dependent on the utility companies for a normal existence. If you live at the “end of the line,” you may have long outages when there is a service break. Under the proper setup, you can be ensured of service when storms or equipment failures cut the power around you. A properly designed system can give you freedom from the power company altogether, if you choose that route.

If you are preparing for building a home, it’s a good time to consider a solar home installation. The costs can be incorporated into the loan so that you don’t have a separate payment for it. If you have an existing home, be sure to check what incentives there may be in your area. Some utility companies may pay some of the costs through programs they have in effect.