You may have noticed that people are talking about solar power more than ever. In looking for ways to be more environmentally conscious, many are searching out alternative energy strategies for their homes. Researching the best and most effective forms of alternative energy can be a daunting task, but recently there has been a lot of talk about solar power and more specifically, the solar boom.
If you are among those who have looked once or twice at solar power, and decided against it because of the high cost of panels and installation, then news about the solar boom will be good news for you. In the last ten years, installation of solar power has become dramatically less expensive. Add this to the fact that there are great government incentives meant to encourage people to begin using this clean, eco-friendly energy source and many more people are deciding that this is a great time to go solar.
As demand for, and production of solar panels goes up, prices are going down. A good estimate on the price of installation on a family home nears $20,000. Currently the Federal Government will offer you a tax credit of 30% of the cost of your Solar system, which includes installation, and can be deducted from your federal taxes.
Other incentives are offered in most states; however, these amounts vary from state to state. Hawaii is an example of a state that offers a substantial tax credit for a residential installation. This state offers a credit of 35 percent of the total cost of purchase and installation, but that amount is capped at $5,000. Tax credits alone may be enough reason to make you join in this historic solar boom.
There are some very important questions you will want to ask yourself before you make the final decision about solar power. The most important of these being, how much sunlight would your solar panels get each day? Even if you do not have the best location for solar panels, you may want to consider using what solar power you can gather toward a water heater in your home in order to cut energy costs.
Another question to ask yourself is about the angle of the sun in relation to your roofline, or the spot where you would be able to place your solar panels. A qualified installer will often come out free of charge and look at your home, letting you know what changes would need to be made in order to accommodate solar installation. Lastly, figuring out if the solar panel installation will collect enough energy for you to use all year is important as well. In figuring out cost versus saved energy you must factor in those times of year you would collect more and less energy and average the numbers to get an accurate amount per month.
If you have been thinking about lowering your energy bills and doing something to benefit the environment, now may be just the right time to look into solar energy. Falling panel prices, clean energy incentives, and installation financing options all make solar energy a very attractive idea to those who, ideally, would like to use a cleaner energy form and save money. Looking carefully at the costs and the incentives will allow you to find if solar installation is something that will not only use a cleaner form of energy, but may end up paying for itself in only a few years.
