Note to Self… Find a Solar Installer….
If you’re visiting at Solar Power Rocks, you’re probably here because you’re curious about getting solar installed for your home or business.
And yet, we know that a lot of people who visit our site meander away without ever checking to get a free solar quote, even though it’s, you know…free. Well, here are 5 pretty damn good reasons why you should get a solar quote once a year, starting with, you know, now:
1) Solar panels are getting commoditized.
Like oil and orange juice, solar panels are now becoming a commodity. Due to an oversupply in the world, solar panel prices have come down 40% to 60% in the last year alone. We’re talking a price drop in parts, not labor, but that parts discount might have made solar finally within your reach. But you won’t know that unless you get a quote.
2) Solar rebates and solar incentives change every year, sometimes several times a year.
States, utilities, and cities can all offer rebates and tax incentives. Sometimes these rebates run quickly out of funding. Other times, they’re brand new rebates that nobody had last year. Also, there are states like California where rebates are reduced incrementally as more people go solar. How these incentives affect your solar budget cannot be predicted without getting an individual quote for your home’s energy needs.
3) Energy prices and utility rates are rising.
As sure as death, taxes, and sunrises, electric rates are going to go up. You will never see them go down. Never. With solar, however, once you buy the system through a home equity loan or PACE program, that’s it. That monthly payment is locked in. So every time electric rates go up, no worries. In fact, that’s money in your pocket that you can invest or use to buy something else, like beer, or a Mini Cooper. Please drink and drive responsibly….separately, I mean.
4) Net metering laws change. So do solar policies.
If you don’t know what net metering is, well, fine. Learn about it here. I’ll wait….Now that we’re on the same page, just know that this law is not set in stone. For example, California almost lost its net metering a few months back, and that would have made solar a lot more expensive and killed a growing green industry. A solar installer giving you a quote could warn you about net metering changes, or new financing programs like PACE. But you don’t know unless you ask.
5) It’s good to benchmark your solar costs once a year.
As we’ve seen, solar panel prices have dropped, rebates rise and fall, and energy prices will rise every year. Therefore, if you know what solar cost you last year, you’ll be able to show yourself and your family that the price has really come down, and now’s the time to go solar. Finally. Or not.
But either way, by getting a quote once a year, you can have the solar facts, and not just guess.
Is Solar Finally Affordable in 2010? In Many States, Yes. »« Another post about New Jersey Solar and SRECs in general (and TRECs)
JTS
Tor a.k.a. "Solar Fred"
S. Mark Florence
Sheryl