Pros and Cons on Residential Solar Panels

Sometimes utility bills are just plain annoying. Money put into the headaches of basic living means it can’t be spent elsewhere. But thankfully due to modern technology, we have an answer: and that answer is installing solar panels for your home.

Why Solar Panels Make Sense For Your Residence

From a residential perspective, it’s mostly upsides for the consumer. There’s not even really a con if the house is still connected to the grid, not unless the panels in question are hideously expensive and financing isn’t an option. The first advantage of solar panels is the obvious: you start saving on electricity, thus the system pays for itself out of those savings. How long the repayment period is depends on several factors, that being upfront cost, anything for financing, overall maintenance, and electricity prices of the utilities. Generally speaking, a solar PV system should pay for itself in about five to fifteen years, or fewer if there are any government incentives in play, like tax credits, and the like.

Also, for those worried about their house value, don’t worry; solar panels increase property value. A lot of homeowners are interested in solar, but either haven’t looked into installation, or don’t have the financial means to install a system. If you’re looking to move elsewhere, it still may be worth it to install solar panels for when you sell the house as this will certainly help increase the value of your residence.

We should also look at the situation from the view of the electricity provider, which is by necessity, a bit different. First and most important is that solar panels produce the most energy during the peak times when energy is most in demand, which helps relieve the burden on providers. Not only that, but it also means they won’t have to invest in more equipment to cover peak load, which helps keep electricity prices down.

There Aren’t Really Any Cons For Solar Panels

From a residential perspective, it’s mainly a matter of cost. True, solar panels have gone down in price, and will continue to do so, but the price is the only con at the present. Without the option to finance, or any tax credits or rebates, the cost of a system may be too much. Further, some homes may have difficulty installing solar panels due to the roofing on their residence: slate or cedar tiles are found in older homes, most notably; solar installers often have a hard time working on these types of roofs.  Other difficulties on the roof are skylights or roof decks. The option of ground mounted solar panels also exists; though that has its own difficulties for residences lacking enough ground area.

On the provider’s side, there’s the problem of actually having too much residential solar connected to the grid, such that solar generation covers more than 20% of the load. The grid becomes unstable at such a percentage. However, this is easily compensated for by energy storage, either on the consumer side or the provider side.

Conclusions

On the whole, solar is the future, especially in the face of public opinion and investor choices. There are practical and financial hurdles to consider, but they’re hurdles, not roadblocks. If you think you can jump over them, consider your future well secured.