In assessing any investment you should consider the costs vs benefits. Solar power is no different.
There are many benefits of installing solar panels for your home’s energy consumption. Significant savings can be made from day one on your electricity bills, electricity consumption and your carbon emissions. Let’s take an in depth look at the costs vs benefits for solar power.
Save Thousands of Dollars
The average solar array costs between $10,000 and $35,000. If that seems too expensive, consider this: a recent study showed that customers save an average of $44 to $187 per month the first year they own their solar panels. That’s anywhere from $528 to a whopping $2,244 in a single year, meaning your system could pay for itself within five years – and continue to save you money on your monthly utility bill for years to come. According to some estimates, the average solar system saves consumers more than $20,000 over 20 years. In some areas, the savings can reach up to $64,000.
Decrease Your Energy Reliance
Sustainable and renewable energy creates an independence from expensive energy providers. Unlike a local utility provider, the sun will never increase its rates. In the past two years, the United States has experienced a 3.2% average increase of residential electricity prices. If these trends continue, it may be wise to consider solar. You can even sell your surplus energy back to the grid, flipping the script on who’s reliant on whom.
Start taking advantage of these solar power benefits today. To calculate how much solar panels could save you, use a solar cost calculator. The calculator can tell you what your 25-year return on investment could be, as well as the installation’s break-even point.
Do you remember a few short years ago when you weren’t getting four telemarketing calls a day on top of aggressive strangers knocking on your door peddling solar panels?
Solar companies have enjoyed explosive growth in the past decade, and for good reason: Solar works, and it works well. However, as the demand and push for solar raised, so did the scams and shady sales tactics. A quick online search shows the nation’s biggest solar companies all have been hit with citations and lawsuits in the last few years over deceitful practices, predatory leasing programs, shoddy installations, etc.*. In California alone, more than 800 complaints have been filed with the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) against solar companies since 2010.
Despite being billed as a way to save the environment and cutting energy costs for the future, it turns out going solar can be a real intimidating experience with a number of hidden costs and negative consequences. Unethical tactics such as mass telemarketing, aggressive door-to-door canvassing, pocketing rebates & tax credits, intentional misrepresentations, installing outdated systems & products, targeting the elderly & disabled, and annual payment escalation – while continuing to improve the company’s bottom line – are leaving the consumers feeling betrayed and creating the gap of mistrust currently existing in the renewable energy sector.
When solar companies engage in these kinds of practices, the whole industry pays a price. They give the entire industry a bad name, and it’s leading consumers to reject clean energy solutions entirely, unfairly impacting honest installers and slow environmental progress. After all, who wants to pay for an expensive solar system when a good portion of it is for funding annoying sales campaigns??
WE ARE MAVERICK, a consulting firm and a Bay Area solar panel installer on a mission to educate and help communities go green with full transparency. We don’t believe in blowing up your phone seven days a week or blanket your entire neighborhood with armies of canvassers, nor do we engage in high-pressure sales tactics or leasing options that cost you more in the long run. Having seen first hand how sales teams bragged about ripping people off at meetings of large operations, and having been in homes of owners who are stuck with inferior systems they could not afford, we are holding ourselves accountable and taking the opposite approach to disrupt the current trend.