Everyone wants to save money. There’s no argument against saving money when it comes to slashing bills at home without sacrificing the comfort of family or friends. But finding ways to make those cuts and keep a comfortable home can be challenging. There are so many services available to homeowners that promise to lower utility bills, but not all services are created equal, and not all services have the same impact on the environment.
This is where solar panels come in. With solar panels, a house owner can expect to save an average of $84 on their electricity bill per month. For those living in prime locations, like the Southwest United States, those savings could be even higher, some even eliminating a monthly electric bill altogether. And with a host of other benefits, there’s no time like the present to install residential solar panels. Let’s review just a few of the outstanding benefits homeowners can expect to discover when they install solar paneling.
Tax Incentives
It’s not often that anybody hears about the government incentivizing a homeowner for installing a long-term utility solution, but it’s true. Homeowners who take the plunge and invest in solar panels can expect to write off up to 30% of the installation costs when tax season rolls around. Not only will these homeowners see tremendous monthly savings in their energy bills, but they could see extra money in their tax return at the end of the tax season.
Low Environmental Impact
There’s only one planet Earth, and at the rate pollution and natural resources are being burned out, clean energy is more important than ever. Residential solar panels are completely clean sources of energy; harnessing the power of sunlight, solar panels convert that light into energy without producing any negative greenhouse gas effects. Compared to the fossil fuels that are necessary for traditional electricity supplies, not to mention the potential dangers of nuclear power plants, solar energy is an exceptional choice for the environment as well as homeowners and their families.
No Imported Energy
As fossil fuels and the efficiency of electric power plants diminishes over time, the United States has to import one-third of its total energy consumption. Considering there are over 327 million residents in the United States, one-third is an enormous amount of energy to rely on from other countries. With solar paneling, a homeowner consumes a substantially lower amount of energy, meaning that they and their families are significantly less reliant on foreign imported energy. The potential for tense relationships between the United States and other countries is always a possibility, meaning that the one-third of imported energy sources could dwindle significantly. There’s no guarantee that this will happen, of course, but that doesn’t eliminate the possibility that it could, either. There’s no harm in planning for an uncertain future and with the money saved monthly from solar panel use, there’s really no detriment to installing the panels.
Promote Self-Sufficiency
Living off the grid tends to invoke thoughts of radical people who live in hidden cabins deep within the forests, but that type of self-sufficiency can certainly be desirable to others, if not in quite so extreme a way. The installation of solar panels allows individuals to be in better control of their finances and their energy consumption, and it’s possible to eliminate electric bills completely with solar paneling. While residential panels require a significant investment, the benefits of self-sufficiency can certainly be worth it for some individuals.These are only a few of the numerous benefits that consumers will come across when they consider solar panels for their home. Besides saving a significant amount of money on monthly electricity bills, homeowners can expect to find a reduced environmental impact and learn about the ways they and their family can become self-sufficient. Those living in high-sunlight areas, like Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, or California, just to list a few areas in the United States, should definitely consider the benefits of solar panels and how this alternate form of electricity can go to work for them and their family.