Installing solar panels on your home comes with many benefits that make it an increasingly popular choice for homeowners looking to reduce their environmental impact and energy costs. Below are 10 compelling reasons why you should consider solar panel installation for your house.
1. Reduce or Eliminate Electric Bills
One of the biggest motivators for adding solar panels is the potential to drastically cut your traditional electric bills, or even reach net zero where your solar energy system produces enough electricity to power your home. This depends on factors like your energy usage, solar panel system size, and sunlight in your area. But for many homeowners, going solar has allowed them to reduce their grid reliance and monthly energy bills by 50-100%.
2. Federal and State Incentives Lower Costs
Installing Solar Panels in Los Angeles has upfront equipment and installation costs. However, federal, state and even local incentives are available to make panels more affordable. These include federal tax credits which offset 30% of solar system costs, state rebates, performance-based incentives, property tax exemptions, and renewable energy certificates you can sell. With incentives bringing down the net price you pay, return on investment timelines also shorten.
3. Increase Property Value
Multiple studies have verified that homes with solar systems sell for higher prices compared to similar non-solar properties. This “premium value” is often significantly more than the original solar panel costs. Solar also makes your home more attractive for potential buyers who prioritize sustainability, lowering utility bills, and the desire for energy independence. This value boost ranges based on your area’s real estate market and solar supply and demand.
4. Take Control of Your Electricity Source
Utility electricity prices seem to go only one way – up. And as grids struggle to meet demand spikes, rolling brownouts and blackouts may occur more frequently. With solar panels, you take back control over your electricity. Once your solar system is paid off, you can generate your own essential electricity for decades virtually for free while insulating yourself from utility rate hikes. Though still connected to the grid for nights/cloudy days, you dictate the source for the majority of your home’s energy needs.
5. Lower Your Environmental Impact
Local electricity generation from solar panels produces no greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, water usage, or waste outputs. You’ll feel good knowing your family’s electricity needs are being met sustainably through a clean, renewable resource. Over the 25-30 year lifespan of solar panels, your choice to go solar will prevent tons of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere compared to reliance on fossil fuel-derived utility electricity. Plus, solar works during peak hours when dirtier power plants have to come online to meet surging demand.
6. Backup Power During Grid Outages
Natural disasters, grid equipment failure, and PSPS (public safety power shutoff) events result in power outages that can last hours or even weeks. Solar panels with battery storage offer reliable backup electricity to keep your refrigerator, lights, medical devices, and other critical loads running uninterrupted. Not even a generator provides the long-lasting, quiet, eco-friendly backup power that solar + storage does. No more worrying about losing hundreds of dollars in spoiled food or dealing with candlelight once the sun goes down during mass blackouts.
7. Eligible for Solar Renewable Energy Certificates
If you install solar panels, you’ll generate solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs) which are eligible for sale in certain areas. SRECs are tradable credits produced for each MWh of solar electricity sent back to the grid. These serve as proof for utilities and states to meet renewable portfolio standards (RPS). If your area has an SREC market, certificates are sold to companies needing to offset fossil fuel use. Income from SREC sales provides yet another revenue stream from your solar panels to improve ROI.
8. Low/No-Cost Financing Reduces Upfront Payment
Rather than paying for your entire solar panel system upfront, various low-cost solar loan financing options exist to spread payments over longer terms. Options include secured/unsecured solar loans, PACE financing, solar leases, and long-term power purchase agreements allowing homeowners to go solar for $0 down.
Federal solar tax credits also significantly offset system costs. The wide availability of financing options provides the liquid capital needed for solar adoption. Lowered monthly payments alongside immediate electric bill savings provide cashflow-positive solar energy for homeowners without huge initial outlays.
9. Support American Manufacturing
With solar incentives at the federal and state levels, U.S. solar manufacturing and employment has positively increased over the last decade. Installing American-built panels keeps your investment dollars circulating locally rather than exporting them overseas.
10. It’s Easier Than You Realize
The idea of outfitting your roof with solar panels can seem complex, but the actual process is quite straightforward.
Reputable local installers handle permitting, system design, component sourcing, and installation using proven best practices so everything runs efficiently for decades. System monitoring is app-based or online for easy access. Routine maintenance is minimal for modern solar panels as manufacturers provide 20-25 year power production guarantees. With available incentives and financing options, solar energy is now a turnkey solution for homeowners seeking greater energy independence.
As you can see, adding solar panels to your home comes with many practical benefits beyond helping the environment — from slashing electric bills to powering through outages to increasing property value.
Contact local solar companies to explore whether solar power is right for your household.
