What Homeowners Need to Know Before They Go Solar in 2020?

If you’re interested in getting a solar panel installation, there are some questions that you are going to want to ask before installing solar panels on your rooftop.

New trends and technologies are being introduced to the solar power industry and because of that, the industry is constantly evolving.

Here’s a list of questions you should as before installing a solar power system in 2020:

How Do Solar Panels Actually Work?

Solar panels are made up of highly excitable, conductive materials. When the sun’s rays hit the solar panels, the direct current (DC) solar electricity.

Because the majority of homes and businesses use alternating current (AC) solar electricity, the DC solar electricity that is generated by your solar panels will be sent to a solar power inverter that will then become usable AC solar electricity. The solar power will then flow through your property’s wiring and behaves just like the electricity that you’ve been using your whole life.

What are the Benefits of Solar Panels?

- The energy savings: they can reduce your utility costs by up to 50 percent, which will be equal $30,000 in savings over a 20-year period. This will ensure that you aren’t as vulnerable to increasing electricity rates.

- Your carbon footprint: solar panels shrink your carbon footprint by reducing pollutants and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

- Home value: more often than not, solar panels are going to increase the value of your home.

Is Solar Power Reliable Enough For Your Home or Business?

The only time your solar panels are going to stop generating solar power is going to be when the sun isn’t out. Meaning that at night, your solar panels won’t be generating power.

Luckily the sun is going to be consistent. It rises and sets pretty routinely. It’s more predictable and reliable than power plants, which will often experience outages several thousand times each year.

Solar power isn’t just a fad, it’s going to be a key to a future of lower electricity bills and a much cleaner environment.

How Can I Size My Solar Power System?

You can get a ballpark estimate of the size that you are going to need by analyzing a year’s worth of electric bills. Your monthly consumption of kilowatts per hour (kWh) is going to be alongside your charges.

An example, a 5 kW solar power system provides 7,000 kWh of solar power per year. This is going to cover over half of the average households’ energy consumption. For a solar power system that is this size, you are going to need around 20 solar panels and 225 to 300 square feet of roof space.

A professional will help you find an accurate size. It is going to help you get a better grasp of what you need before getting some quotes. How many solar panels you need is going to depend on a few different things:

- How much energy you consume.

- The percent of consumption that you are going to want to fuel with solar power.

- The weather conditions are in your area.

- The amount of sun that your rooftop gets.

Can I Install a Solar Power System on a Budget?

Say you have a home improvement fund, buying your solar power system outright is going to be the most advantageous way to do it. The cost of a solar panel installation is low, and you can qualify for solar incentives and rebates that will help you lower your electricity bills, and they might increase your property value.

While there are going to be homeowners that can be offered to pay for your solar panel installation upfront, a lot of home and business owners aren’t going to have that kind of cash sitting around.

Homeowners can get loans for solar and you are going to be able to finance your own solar power system and own it when they make monthly payments over time. You are going to enjoy all of the benefits of solar power while you can pay your loan off.

You can choose a solar lease, or a power purchase agreement (PPA), and you are going to be able to make the switch to solar power with little to no money down.

You can partner with a reputable solar power provider, they will take on all of the upfront costs of solar panel installation, and you are going to enjoy the lower electricity bills each month. You are going to score a low fixed electricity rate and take on zero of the expenses.

What Solar Incentives and Rebates are Available?

There’s a 26% federal investment tax credit (ITC) for homeowners who add solar panels to their homes. Individual states and municipalities are going to have solar incentives and rebates that add to the savings. There are even some utility companies that are going to offer solar incentives and tax credits.

In certain cases, your solar installer can apply for solar incentives and rebates for you. You should be sure to sort out who is responsible, this way you don’t want to miss out on any savings.

Can I Do This Solar Panel Installation Myself?

It is going to be possible for you to install your solar panels yourself, but there are going to be a lot of disadvantages:

- Roof work is going to be very dangerous.

- You are going to risk voiding equipment warranties.

- There’s going to be fewer products that will be available when you do the solar panel installations as opposed to having a professional install it.

- You’re going to need an electrician to connect the solar power equipment.

- A poorly done solar panel installation may reduce efficiency, and waste your potential energy savings.