Thanks to a reader’s question, I took a quick look at updating Nebraska. It didn’t take much. In fact, incentives have gotten worse for Nebraskans since our last look. No more state tax credits, but the loan program continues.
The only thing Nebraska Solar people can bank on these days is the 30% tax credit from the Federal government. Also, there’s finally a state wide net metering policy that applies to all utilities. That’s progress, but it’s capped at 1% of capacity. Quite frankly, that sucks, because it puts a low ceiling for net metering on anyone wanting to invest in renewable energy, including folks who are right for wind.
Bottom line: Without the state incentives, the payback on a system is going to be a lot longer compared to the increasing number of solar friendly states. So if you’re a Corn Husker, throw some corn silk at your legislators and tell them it’s time to bring some reasonable solar incentives to home owners and businesses. You’ve got so much sun!
Nevertheless, if you want to do a good green thing and find out if solar is right for you, drop your info here, and let one of our installers in the area give you a free quote. Couldn’t hurt. It’s free, so…
We’ve just updated our State of California Solar page to include more current solar pricing trends and rebates as of 9-2-09. This time, in addition to showing you how to calculate your own rebate and approximate costs, we’ve provide an example of a 4kW system if you lived in the SCE (Southern California Edison) utility area. But we’ve also given you a chart for other areas, as well.
So, here’s a repost of the example of a solar home estimate in SCE territory. Let’s pick Irvine, California, in beautiful Orange County, where you’d be at Step 4 of the California Solar Initiative (CSI) rebate program, or $1.90/watt.
- You use: 595kWh of electricity a monthly, or about a $130/month electric bill as of September 2009.
- You’ll need: About a 4kW (4000 watt) system to cover 93% of your electric bill. If you want to cover less of your bill, you might need 3kW, but we’re assuming you want to be as green and cost effective as possible. (It doesn’t pay to go past 99%, but you could with another panel or two.)
- Cost: The average installed price with perhaps some add-ons is going to be around $7/watt , including panels and everything. COULD BE LESS, since San Diego is quite competitive because you’re reading this in 2010.
- $7/watt x 4000 watts= $28,000 BEFORE REBATES AND INCENTIVES (Don’t Panic!)
- Subtract $7,600 ($1.90/watt x 4000 watts) for the SCE rebate.
- Subtract $6120 for the 30% Federal Tax Incentive.
- Net Cost: $14,280
- Years to Payback: 9.3 years ( based on 3% yearly rise in utility rates and Time of Use D-1 rate.) Keep in mind that your solar panels last 25-30 years!
- Your new 12 month average electric bill: $21/month.
- C02 emissions saved from the atmosphere: 7,335 lbs per year or planting .62 acres of trees a year.
So read over the California page for more info, or if you’re intrigued to get your own custom quote in your area and utility from one of our trusted installers, just fill out this neat form here and see what they say. Quotes are always free, so what can it hurt? Seriously. Okay, it hurts a little time, but that’s it. Enough said.
