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Residential Solar Power: Do You Know How Much It Will Save You? (more than you think)Posted by Solar Energy Advantages in Residential Solar Power | no responses
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The average home in the United States uses 10,000 kWh of electricity annually. Many people could lower their energy usage by replacing old windows and appliances with newer, more energy-efficient models, and by updating their insulation. The average homeowner could see a savings of hundreds of dollars a year from making these improvements. If you’d like to do something a little less expensive, try changing your incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent ones. You can also save money by turning lights off when you leave a room and unplugging those things that you don’t use all the time. However, residential solar power is the only way for homeowners to completely eliminate their electricity costs. The initial not-so-inexpensive costs of having the system installed will pay off once you can power your own house.
What Size Does Your Home Need
Homeowners can choose from several different types of residential solar power systems. System capacities range from 1,000 watts to cover 50 square feet, to 25,000 watts, to cover 1600 square feet. A 10,000 watt system can produce the same amount of electricity per year but at a savings of nearly $50,000 over 25 years. Because of the different sizes of homes and the amount of power each household uses, homeowners’ savings from using a residential solar power system may vary. Many homeowners have opted to use a residential solar power system to supplement their energy supply and power certain sections of their home. For many homeowners, the $75,000 cost associated with the installation of this kind of system is not possible, even for the promised thousands of dollars of savings.
Tax credits and Government incentives are available for those homeowners looking to upgrade their home that can be used to lower the initial set-up fees. For example, if your $75,000 solar power system is eligible for a tax credit of $35,000, that means you will only have to pay $40,000 out of pocket. The Government has instituted these tax credits to help stimulate the economy and encouraging people to “think green” at the same time. As electric cars become more the norm, people will see a dramatic increase in the amount of power required from our power grid. Switching to residential solar power will ensure that our power grid is available for our grandchildren, decrease our household expenses in a time when costs are going up, and preserve our environment.