The Need For Solar Panels Is Greater Than Ever, Fortunately The Economics Couldn’t Have Been Better

Going green or eco-friendly has suddenly become very important in the United States. One of the best long-term investments for eco-conscious citizens is to install solar-panels on their roofs. Interestingly, now might be the best time to get it done.

Earlier, solar panel installation companies were primarily concerned with cutting down costs involved in installation. Now they are equally interested in enhancing the capability and capacity of the solar panels. Installers wanted cheaper solar panels, fewer workers in a crew, faster racking installation, and any other improvement they could make. Surprisingly, the technology behind the panels they installed didn’t seem to matter.

However, priorities have changed almost overnight. Interestingly, there are multiple subtle reasons for the change apart from cost of panels and efficiency.

There are multiple incentives: It is always recommended to get solar panels installed by professional authorized agencies. While these may certainly be more expensive than other non-official teams, you can get back almost $3,000 dollars in installation costs alone, reported Energy Informative. But whatever you do, experts advise, never take up the project as a Do It Yourself (DIY). Home insurers often require the installation of solar-panels to be carried out by authorized agencies only, or else your beloved home might not get the adequate coverage it requires.

Apart from the rebates, the cost of generating electricity from solar panels has dropped substantially. Based on trends, the average cost of solar panels has dropped from $76.67 per watt in 1977 to about $0.613 per watt today, reported CleanTechnica.

Your neighbors may not have a say in your installation; you can go ahead and install solar panels over your roof and your neighbors won’t be able to object. However, some home owners association can and do object to the installation. While these reasons can be quite trivial, one must ensure their compliance in order to get solar power.

Thankfully, the local governments and utility companies have slowly changed their stance towards solar panels. In fact, the governments offer multiple incentives to people who opt to spend on solar panels, an investment that is initially quite substantial. By purchasing a solar or other renewable energy system, you are an environmental patron, and therefore entitled to a 30 percent solar Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) until 2016.

Moreover, utility companies have to mandatorily accommodate homes that draw part of their power from solar panels. Interestingly, there are provisions that allow solar paneled homes to offload surplus power back to the utility companies and earn energy credits.

[Image Credit | Inhabitat]