Learn how to assess your home's solar potential, options, and needs for going solar. Find resources, tools, and tips for choosing and installing a solar system that suit… Contact online >>
Learn how to assess your home''s solar potential, options, and needs for going solar. Find resources, tools, and tips for choosing and installing a solar system that suit
Whether you''re looking to shrink your carbon footprint or just your monthly expenses, there''s never been a better time to go solar. Keep reading for the lowdown on everything from current tax incentives to new tech choices.
A century after electricity started brightening most U.S. homes and powering pop-up toasters, a second electrification of American life has begun—this one aimed at reducing the use of fossil fuels. Car manufacturers will introduce dozens of new electric vehicle (EV) models in the next couple of years, taking affordable EVs deep into the mainstream.
Induction cooktops are seeing a drastic increase in market share, and several cities have banned new residential natural-gas hookups altogether. Meanwhile, all- climate heat-pump technology now makes heating and cooling with electricity less costly than using natural gas.
Largely driven by concerns about climate change, the trend to plug-in power also presents an opportunity to slash your energy costs by generating your own electricity on your roof. A recently extended federal tax credit will give you back 26 percent of the cost for solar-panel installations in 2022, and 22 percent for those in 2023. (The credit will end after 2023, unless it’s extended by Congress.) And even though prices have bounced slightly in the last couple of years due to inflation, they are still way down overall, after dropping 64 percent between 2010 and 2020.
The tech has gotten better, too—a lot better. The standard panel is now all black, without the noticeable white grid lines that make it stand out on the roof, and generates as much as 450 watts, up from 340 five years ago. You can get panels that are more than 20 percent efficient—compared with just 13.5 percent in 2001—and if that doesn’t sound impressive, consider that the best plant photosynthesis is around 8 percent efficient.
What’s more, hidden racking systems help blend the panels into the roof, and you can add EV chargers powered by your system and a battery backup that will eliminate blackouts. Ready to consider going solar? Here’s how to go about assessing your options.
PV Panels: The 60 photovoltaic (PV) cells typically found in residential panels absorb sunlight and use it to knock electrons loose and get them moving—in other words, to generate electricity.
Inverter: This device converts the direct current (DC) electricity generated by the panels into the alternating current (AC) that your house’s electricity-powered systems and plug-in devices need.
Net Meter: Like all electrical meters, this measures how much electricity you draw from the utility. Unlike others, it also reverses and credits you for what you contribute back to the utility grid.
The payback period depends on your latitude, the direction your roof faces, the amount of tree cover, the cost of electricity in your area, and your utility’s policies. For an instant estimate of your total cost, annual dollars saved, and payback period, plug in your address and average monthly electricity cost at Project Sunroof.
Though it depends a lot on where you live, a typical rooftop solar array (20 to 24 panels to cover an average home’s electrical needs in full) runs about $18,000 after the current 26 percent federal tax credit. You can finance the upfront cost—most people do—and the choice you make will have a drastic impact on your payback. Here are the options.
Borrowing from a local bank or credit union allows you to keep it simple with the solar company and just pay the cash price. If you use a home equity loan (which has a fixed interest rate) or a line of credit (which has an adjustable rate), you may be able to take a tax deduction for the interest. Again, you pay for the solar install in full using the loan, own the system, and can easily sell it with the house, collect all incentives, and pay the loan back over time—or in full when you sell the house, as part of the closing.
“Houses with solar sell faster, and they sell for more money,” says agent Theresa Raymond of TN Smoky Mtn Realty. “We’re seeing a $5,000 bump in price for each kilowatt.” That’s about $30,000 for a typical 6.5-kilowatt system, significantly more than you’ll pay for it.
TOH Pro Tip: Solar power makes a lot of sense, and it’s come down so much in price that it’s now affordable for many more people. But like any tech, it needs to be designed and installed correctly to yield the best performance and return on investment.” -Ross Trethewey, TOH home technology expert.
Solar systems are configured in a variety of ways, depending on size and state regulations. For instance, a solar meter to measure the system’s power output may be required to access incentives, as well as additional emergency shutoffs for s
EnergySage is an online solar marketplace that was developed with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to promote the most affordable, accessible solar. Users simply enter their address on the site to get custom bids from multiple prescreened local companies, along with EnergySage’s apples-to-apples comparison and ratings of each proposal’s products, pricing, and net savings, as well as the contractors themselves.
EnergySage customers pay an average of about $5,000 less for their solar systems, after incentives. “That’s because the solar company is spending significantly less on marketing and sales to find customers,” says CEO and founder Vikram Aggarwal. “Installers on the site tend to offer prices that are 10 to 30 percent lower than anywhere else.” EnergySage users can also upload a quote they received elsewhere for comparison and advice. And all these services are free. Ask for all-black monocrystalline panels without obvious white grid lines.
The biggest difference between solar proposals is often the inverter technology. Inverters take the direct current (DC) produced by the PV panels and change it to alternating current (AC) to power your house. There are several ways to do that, each with its own advantages and disadvantage.
Your solar panels are “strung” together like Christmas tree lights and connect to a single inverter either on the side of the house or in the basement. This technology has been used for decades and is the lowest-cost option; however, a string inverter typically lasts only 10 to 12 years, so expect to spend around $1,000 to replace it a couple of times during the 30-year life of the solar array.
Also, because the panels are all linked together, system performance is drastically compromised if they receive differing amounts of light, either because of partial shade or if a panel goes bad. And the high-power DC wiring that comes down from the roof needs to be encased in a heavy-duty aluminum conduit.
Each solar panel gets its own microinverter wired underneath it, providing several advantages: The system can function well even when panels are experiencing different amounts of sunlight or if one goes down entirely; there is no large inverter to find a place to install; and the standard AC wiring that comes down the side of the house doesn’t require a hefty conduit.
Plus, the system can monitor individual panel performance to identify problems. Microinverters, such as those from Enphase, typically add about $1,000 to the cost of the solar system, but the warranty on microinverters should match the full 25-year term of the solar roof warranty.
If you’re installing a battery with your solar system, consider DC optimizers. Each solar panel gets its own optimizer, with panel-level performance benefits and diagnostic tools similar to a microinverter’s, but the network still connects to a string inverter.
The big advantage of a DC-coupled system is that the DC power gets routed straight to the battery, and is converted to AC only when it’s pulled from the battery for use, simplifying the system and providing maximum efficiency. DC optimizers, such as those from SolarEdge, typically add a few hundred dollars over the cost of string inverters and have a 25-year warranty. But you’ll still need to replace the inverter a couple of times over the course of the array’s life.
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