What Is The Cost Of Solar?
There are many factors including the size of your home and your power needs.
How Much Is The Cost Of Solar On Average?
If you are looking into a solar panel installation, that means you’ve probably heard that adding solar energy can lower your electric bill. But you still want to know how much solar panels cost, and more specifically how much they will cost for your home. Because every homeowner’s needs are different, so too are the costs. The price of solar will depend on several factors, including your current power usage, how much you want your solar panels to offset your total electric bill, and the direction your home faces, to name three. Solar is not a one-size-fits-all option.
Two families could be living in the same size house, yet their power needs can be drastically different. That’s why power companies don’t charge you for how large your home is -- they charge for how much power you use. Solar works similarly. While the average-sized solar panel system installation may be approximately 6,000 watts, that number will depend on how much you want your solar panels to offset your current energy use. That’s a number you get to decide, and that will determine your solar panel cost.
Size Matters
With AIS Solar we review your home and energy usage to customize your home solar panel solution. With a customized system built with your needs in mind you can maximize your savings and focus on being excited about your new solar energy system and going green.
If you take advantage of our $0 down loan program it is even easier to get solar on your home and start saving money.
Solar Is More Efficient Than Ever Before
The efficiency of solar has reached 21-22%. With the newest technology it's more than enough to supply your power needs. The increased panel efficiency means it's never been a better time to go solar than now!
Consider that the typical home gets an annual average of 4-5 hours of peak sunlight per day. Each square meter of solar panels is thus exposed to 4-5 kWh of solar energy a day. With 20% efficiency, each square meter captures, converts, and delivers 0.8 to 1 kWh of energy to your house.
The average home in the U.S. uses about 30kWh of electricity each day. You only need 30-38 square meters of panels to generate enough energy for this ideal home. This works out to about 300-400 square feet, which is about one-sixth of the size of an average home. With more efficient panels you need less equipment to meet your energy needs, bringing the cost of your new home solar panel system down lower than ever before.
What Costs Are Included In Installation?
An AIS Solar quote provides you with an all-in price of your solar panel installation. It may be helpful for you to know what that price includes.
Going Solar Vs. Your Current Bill
Our designers take your energy usage, sun exposure, and installation method into account to maximize the energy your solar system will produce vs the cost of the system. Your new solar system cost and adjusted power bill from the solar energy generated will be equal to or less than what you're paying now.
And you're savings only increase with time as the cost of energy from your power company continues to increase with rate hikes. This means you are locking in the cost of your power with your solar system protecting you from rate hikes in the future.
Solar Fun Facts
The price of oil and natural gas is very volatile, but even when the prices go down, utility companies still raise their rates. And, fossil fuels won’t last forever, and the more these resources are depleted, the higher the costs will be for them.
Conversely, solar energy costs are going down. In fact, solar panel installation costs have dropped more than 70 percent since 2010. As solar panel installation prices continue to drop, and electric rates from your utility company continue to rise, solar energy seems like a no-brainer.
Additional Cost Savers
Many local and federal incentive programs are available such as the 26% federal tax credit. You can use these programs to increase the savings on your home solar panel system, bringing your cost to go green down even further.
What Is Net Metering?
During the day when your home solar panel system generates the most energy, the excess unused energy can be sent back to the grid earning you credits on your power bill. During the evening and night hours when you're system may have trouble generating your needed electricity, you use those credits to offset your power usage.
