You’ve probably seen plenty of advertisements on how going solar can save the planet and put money back in your pocket. You may be wondering if this is all just fluff or if there is any truth to the claims. The truth is that it depends. Just like getting a new roof can be a valuable investment, if you don’t get the right type of roof for the elements or have it installed poorly, the investment could come back to haunt you. Solar installation can be very similar. If you want to add significant value to your home, you need to understand what your solar needs are and what installation options are available to you. You need to find the right solar company who can install quality panels and the correct system size.
Huntington Beach is a beautiful area that offers a great perk to homeowners — lots of sunshine. While having great weather is always a plus, this comes as a serious perk for those considering solar panel installation. Southern California is simply a prime location for solar panels, especially considering the high electricity expenses and general cost of living. With volatile electricity rates, investing in solar can provide stability and sustainability for both homeowners and the environment.
So how do you determine the value of adding solar panels in Huntington Beach? We explore the potential value and benefits below.
Several studies, including one done by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, have confirmed that having solar panels installed on a home in California can add value to your property. But how much value do they add? It seems the average number was around a 3% to 4% increase in property value, with homebuyers being consistently willing to pay the higher cost for homes with solar panels. The study found that this ranged around $15,000 for homes with average-sized systems in place. Before you expect to be able to add that number to your home price tag when selling, however, it is important to think through the additional factors that could impact the added value.
Generally speaking, the following details may factor into the overall price bump from solar panels:
Of course, the starting value of a house as well as current market prices will also impact how much more value solar panels will provide.
You can further increase the actual net value for yourself by ensuring you take advantage of all incentives, rebates, and tax credits available to you at the time as well. By reducing your upfront cost, you ensure that you enjoy the full added value of solar panels on your home.
From kitchen remodels to bathroom upgrades, there are certain projects you invest in with the hope that it will make your home more valuable and marketable. Having value added to your home can be great news, but how does that help you if you can’t sell your home?
Thankfully, solar panels can be one of those property investments that does both. The Department of Energy found that there was evidence that homes in California that had solar panel energy systems installed (and were owned by the homeowner) were selling faster than comparable homes on the market that weren’t as energy efficient. This means that solar panels don’t just add great value to your home, but can actually make it more marketable and easier for you to sell in the long run.
So you want to add value to your home but aren’t planning on selling anytime soon — solar is still a great option. Why? Unlike a bathroom or kitchen remodel, solar panels don’t go out of style. The renewable energy trend is here to stay for decades to come. That means you can have peace of mind adding solar panels to your home, even if you aren’t planning on selling until further down the road.
Solar panels typically come with performance warranties ranging from 20 to 30 years. That’s a long time for a sustainable energy system to be powering your home. More than that, some solar panels could last around 80 to 100 years, performing at solid efficiency despite expected degradation — even after decades of use and exposure to the elements!
Having high-quality panels installed by a trusted solar contractor can also help ensure the lifespan of your solar panels is worth the investment. Though maintenance and upkeep is not usually a concern when it comes to solar modules, having the right company install your panels ensures that if any bumps do occur down the road, someone will be there to make it right and assist you so that you don’t have to deal with any inconveniences!
Going solar is an investment — one that can be very smart based on the value and marketability it can add to your home. That doesn’t even include the benefits you get to enjoy on a monthly basis with reduced electricity bills and a minimal carbon footprint.
If you are interested in finding out more about the value that solar can add to your property, feel free to reach out to our solar experts here at Semper Solaris. We’ve helped thousands of customers save money by installing the right solar panel system for their properties. Our goal is to make the process as simple as possible, getting straight to the point so you can understand how much you’ll save and how much anticipated value you could add to your home. From assessing your roof to determining the number of panels your household would require, we help you think through every detail so you can make an informed decision and start saving today!
Let Semper Solaris help you add value to your home. Get more information about going solar today!
When you live in Southern California, there is certainly a lot of hype and buzz surrounding solar energy. But is there really that much benefit for homeowners who install solar panels in Laguna Beach? Are they really going to save on electricity and put money back in their pockets every month?
The fact is that solar panels have proven to be much more than just a way to reduce electricity bills. They offer homeowners numerous benefits, especially those living in sunny Laguna Beach. Aside from the way more affordable electric bills, solar panels can provide added home value, reduced carbon footprint, more freedom from the grid (and rising electricity expenses), less impact on pollution and public health, and more.
You may be asking, “Do I really need to save on my electricity bills?” Even if you don’t think your bill is that high or you feel like the cost of installing solar panels isn’t worth the tradeoff, the price of electricity isn’t set in stone — in fact, it’s far from that.
With the cost of electricity in Laguna Beach reaching nearly 16 cents per kWh in recent years, local residents already pay over 4% greater than average in California. While those numbers may seem high, they are anticipated to only continue to creep higher over the next few years. That means there will be no relief from the fluctuating and likely extremely expensive electricity costs for Southern California homeowners tied to the grid. That’s why solar has become more attractive in recent years. Laguna Beach residents can gain more grid independence in the face of uncertain electricity costs with affordable solar installation.
You can better determine some of the savings you’ll get from installing solar panels by looking at the following questions below. While every situation and specific home may vary, answering these questions will give you a better idea of what to expect in solar savings!
This one should be pretty easy to answer. With the average temperatures in Laguna Beach ranging from mid-60’s in the “winter” months and perfect 80’s in the summer, there is plenty of sunshine and clear skies to enjoy throughout the year. Even with some cooler, cloudy or rainy days during the winter, the area still gets an extensive amount of sunny weather, making it an ideal place for homeowners to utilize solar panels.
It can also be important to think through how much general sun exposure your roof gets. Are there a lot of trees around your roof? Does your home face the sun or do you get a lot of shade throughout the day? What type of roof do you have and how does it get exposed to the sun? All of these details can impact whether or not you’ll get the right amount of sun to make solar panels profitable.
When it comes to determining if solar panels will be worth the investment, you need to think through the size of your house, how many people live with you, how often people are home using electricity during the day and during peak hours, and so on. While it may be tough to calculate all of those things, you can obviously get a clear idea of how much electricity you are using by simply looking at your utility bills. For example, the average household in San Diego used around 5,599 kWh of energy over the course of the year in 2017. Residents in Fresno reached up to 8,073 kWh while San Francisco was the lowest at 3,790 kWh. Even with conscientious homeowners in Southern California striving to reduce energy usage (below the national average per capita), the cost can be the same — if not more — due to higher electricity costs. This is why sustainable energy resources like solar panels continue to gain popularity in California and beyond.
As the market continues to develop and grow, more and more solar financing options have become available to homeowners. If you are considering solar, you need to think through whether you want to purchase your solar energy system with cash outright, opt for a 0-down payment plan, or even opt for a solar lease or loan through a solar power purchase agreement. Depending on which financing option you go with, your savings with solar will vary. At the end of the day, buying the system outright means you’ll enjoy the most savings as you’ll get more affordable energy bills right away that start paying back the cost of the system itself. No matter which option you choose though, you’ll still be saving potentially thousands of dollars over the years.
With so many options out there, it can seem overwhelming to determine what makes the most sense for your budget. That’s where our solar contractors step in. We discuss your budget, household electricity needs, and desired system size to better understand what you are looking for and what the right financing option is for your situation. Our solar experts take the time to walk through each option with you to ensure you feel confident with your decision.
From household electricity usage to roof sun exposure to financing decisions, there are numerous factors that can impact whether or not solar panel savings will be worthwhile for you. Another way to enjoy a more affordable solar panel system is capitalizing on the federal, state, and local rebates, incentives, and tax credits that may be available. While companies Laguna Beach or California in general may offer some great incentives, by far the most helpful is the federal solar investment tax credit, which allows homeowners to deduct 30% of the total system cost from their taxes. There is a limited window on this credit, however, so make sure to keep this in consideration if you want to optimize your savings on solar panel installation.
Interested in talking to Semper Solaris about saving on your electricity bills? Learn more about Solar in Laguna Beach!
California solar incentives and tax credits have put solar power within range for homeowners and businesses. With California’s new laws requiring solar on new construction, and the goal of phasing into renewable energy by 2045, the cost of solar installations are dropping in Orange County and all across the state and is significantly lower than the rest of the country. Homeowners are cashing in on low prices, rebates and incentives and reducing their carbon footprint.
Bill, a Yorba Linda homeowner, recently installed his solar system using a PPA agreement. With fixed monthly payments on a 20-year contract, he was able to reduce his monthly bill considerably with a balanced billing plan, and receive credits for unused power at the end of the year. Bill is also passionate about saving the planet.
Net Metering is an incentive system in which solar panel generators connect to a public-utility power grid. Meters measure the power generated and how much energy you use. The surplus power generated is transferred to the power grid. When your system produces more power than you use in a month, your utility provider credits your bill for the number of kilowatt hours that went back to the grid. So you pay for the electricity you use, minus the excess electricity generated by your solar panels.
If you want to buy your solar panels, a solar loan is a good option. These loans are similar to any other home improvement loans, and you can find them at banks or solar panel manufacturers. Plus, you can take advantage of the Federal Solar Tax Credit (ITC) and other tax deductions where applicable.
A PPA or lease gives you all the benefits of using a solar panel system without purchasing it. The PPA provider installs solar panels on your property in exchange for paying them a reduced rate for solar the electricity for a set term, usually 20 years. There is a low or no upfront cost. The provider owns, controls and maintains the system, and receives the rebates and Federal Tax Credits for the installation.
You can finance your solar energy installation with a PACE program loan available to homeowners through an authorized PACE lender. PACE financing is affixed to the property and paid through the annual property tax bill. The tax rate determines the interest rate. If you sell your property before paying off the loan, the balance transfers to the new owner.
The HERO program is a residential Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program for home renovation loans. HERO finances home improvements for solar as well as other energy efficiency residential projects.
You can lower your home’s energy expenses as well as increase the value of your property while reducing your carbon footprint.
Contact Semper Solaris for more information on financing and schedule an evaluation for your home or business.
When it comes to solar power in Orange County, there are a lot of myths and misunderstandings floating around out there. Here are some of the most common misconceptions about this clean, renewable energy resource.
More and more orange County homeowners are deciding to go solar. The market for the installation of residential photovoltaic (PV) panels in the US marked another record at the end of the second quarter this year. This data indicates that the PV industry market is shifting to a homeowner’s focus.
GTM Research, together with Solar Energy Industry Association trade group, has produced a report that states this year’s second quarter surpassed the first quarter, which had already set the record in the number of home-installed panels. In the past years, the majority of solar panels in the US were put up for utility electricity, which is then distributed through the grid.
The utility solar market is still far greater than the home one, with more than 700 megawatts in installed panels. At the same time, less than 500 megawatts were installed on home rooftops and in yards. To put this in perspective, all the solar panels taken together are producing little more than a large coal or gas plant.
However, the number of home-installed PV modules is constantly rising across the states. The most recent quarter showed a 70-percent growth over the years, and the number of states with active residential solar markets jumped from four in 2013 to ten.
The marked development of the home solar market is especially interesting because of the shift in control. When homeowners install solar panels on their roofs and in their yards, they take charge of the energy they use. They produce their own electricity and contribute to the decentralization of the energy generation. The utility companies provide the base structure for the grid, but they don’t own the generation.
This isn’t to say that utility solar market isn’t growing, because it is. However, there are fears that an unchecked boom could lead to a crash for the biggest of farms.
A significant subsidy which has helped numerous households achieve substantial energy independence amounts to 30 percent in federal tax credit for those who own a solar panel system. Unfortunately, this enticing incentive could fall to 20 percent in 2019.
Consequently to all this, power companies have rushed to build huge utility solar farms this year, which has over-inflated the market, whereas it’s possible it’ll become under-inflated in the future. Research company IHS published a report earlier that as of this summer the US plans to generate 32 gigawatts of solar power by the end of next year.
On the whole, this year’s combined growth of home- and utility-scale solar markets in the US has been extraordinary. The US solar farms and households are generating 20 gigawatts of solar energy and since the beginning of the year, all the new sources of electricity production stemmed from solar panels.
Solar power is one of the cleanest energy sources, harnessing the power of the sun to provide electricity to a residential or commercial building. Instead of relying on oil or coal, property owners in California and across the nation are turning to solar panels for energy, reducing the need to continue to rely on non-renewable energy sources.
The future belongs to clean energy sources, such as wind, hydroelectric and solar power. Countries across the globe have joined together in a race to heal the planet, meeting to hammer out methods and agreements to reduce reliance on heavy polluters such as coal in favor of clean and renewable power sources. But it’s not just national governments climbing onto the solar bandwagon; in acknowledgement of the need to transition to renewable, environmentally-friendly and health-compatible sources of power, six electric utility companies in New York state and three of the country’s biggest names in solar development — SolarCity, Inc., and SunEdison, Inc.. – have formed a partnership to promote increased use of solar energy across the state, along with funding to maintain a reliable energy grid.
The use of solar power to fuel home energy needs is also being encouraged by many states through solar net metering programs. These programs allow homeowners to sell excess energy generated by their home solar systems back to their local utility’s power grid, thus benefiting not only the individual homeowner but also the entire neighborhood. Clean energy, cost-effectiveness, reduced reliance on other areas of the globe for fuel… it’s a win-win for everyone.
But as with any major transition, the changeover from yesterday’s nonrenewable and planet-destroying fuels to today’s and tomorrow’s use of clean technology requires collaboration between multiple players and on many levels: from worldwide agreements between national governments, to individual countries’ efforts to promote solar and other clean energy sources within their borders, to local state and city ordinances encouraging the installation of solar panels, to innovative thinking at the utility companies maintaining power grids across the nation, to experienced solar installers able to address homeowners’ concerns, to the individual homeowners looking to power their home while reducing stress on the planet. Together, we can make it happen: the changeover to a cleaner, healthier, brighter world.
With so many benefits, it’s easy to see why solar is on the rise. Learn more about California solar panel options and start taking advantage of these benefits at your home.
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