Solar Costs have Gone Down
The cost of solar has gone down every year for the last 10 years. In fact, the cost of the average solar system has dramatically dropped almost 50% in the last 4-5 years. A typical residential system can range from $10k on up to $30k+ so it is on par with a car purchase. The modules and much of the equipment are Warrantied for power production for 25 years so you have many years of power generation.
Small Residential Solar Systems
The cost of solar is within reach of most households. For example, we offer a 3 kW to a 6 kW PV system, that produce around 4,500-9,000 kWh of power annually, depending on shade and orientation, for the equivalent cost of a small car. This is around where most California homes sit for power consumption and to meet their needs. A smaller 2 to 3 kW PV System, consisting of Between 6-9 panels on the roof, will produce about 3,500 to 4,800 kWh a year, depending on shade and orientation. For a typical California home, that’s about half or less of the total electricity used but still has great benefit at power and cost reduction at a low cost of system.
Large Residential Solar Systems
Large homes or large usage of electricity, think central valley heat and air conditioning loads, require a larger system with more panels and more cost due to the larger size. This can often be done on the roof but sometimes it requires a ground mount or placement on a shop or barn. We can do these systems and handle the required utility connections. We have done systems as large as 30kW for estate homes.
Tax credit and cost of solar over system lifetime
When you factor in the Federal tax credit of 30% that you might get back on your taxes, the net cost is very low, talk to your tax advisor about the tax credit and your situation. When you figure the custom designed system will produce power from 25-40 years, your life cycle cost of future produced electricity can be a fraction of what buying the same power from the utility would be, especially with electricity cost increases.
Residential Solar System loans
When combined with a PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) loan or an unsecured personal solar loan, the upfront cost can be often be zero and the monthly payment is often less than or equal to what you pay the utility. The payment will, however, not go up like we expect the utility ‘bill’ to go up. After going solar, you are generally left with a very small monthly charge for fees and NBC’s (Non Bypassable Charges). We can show you what your estimated bill with the utility you are in will look like and a detailed financial analysis of the savings, with a loan or without.
Custom Design to meet your needs
Some households use less and some use more power depending on their lifestyle and where they live. The custom PV system we design and install can replace all or part of the expensive utility power. For homes that use more and the replacement is only a partial reduction of their total use due to space or shade, this replacement/investment is still one of the best returns on investment.
This is because it is gets rid of the highest electricity tiers, leaving you buying the lower cost power at the lowest tiers or at night time if you have time of use (TOU) rate . We can also expanded the system in the future for more power or as your use grows.
Surrounding conditions, such as trees and shade impact the power production. We use special software to come up with a detailed analysis of expected power production due to site specific orientation and shade. We will customize the system to your budget, energy target and what you used previously in the last year.
