Solar Energy

Solar Energy Info for Texas

Many people are looking into leaving the grid behind. As Energy continues to climb up with no signs of relaxing ( nor do we see any in the distant future) we have to ask ourselves does it make since to install solar energy in our homes. This is a difficult and thorny issue. While we are not going to go into great detail we want to give homeowners an overview of the economic implications of solar energy.

First lets get into the cost. An average house uses between 1500- 2000 kWh per month. Which would means you will have an annual electric bill around $3000.

Looking around the net you can see many solar sites that sell home kits for around $18,000. Then you need to factor in installation which would run around $4000. Currently there is a federal rebate of $2000 for energy saving installations in your home. So your out of pocket expenses would be around $20K. That means that installing a solar kit would pay for itself in 7 to 10 years. Also the average home increases in value roughly half the installation cost. WHich would mean you would see a 10K+ increase in the value of your home. Thus, from a resell stand point you would have to live in the house 3-5 years to recoup the cost of the installation before you sold for it to make financial sense. This number is likely to continue to drop as energy goes up and tax incentives go up. Solar is also going down as more poeple look into it.

How much Solar Energy do you need?

As a home owner the smartest thing to do is first of all spend time and money planing on how you are going to get your electric cost down first. Switch to efficient lights and Energy star appliances. Once you have doen this make sure the house is sealed and properly insulated. Then you need to determine what your average energy consumption is. At this point you will need to start looking for products to fill your needs. There are a few basic pieces to a solar energy house.

  • The panels which sit on the roof usually. They generally install in 100- 200 watt panels.
  • Intertie kit which simply connects all the panels to a single line
  • A DC to AC inverter kit to work with your homes electric
  • Electronics to connect to the homes main power as well as fuses.

Optionally you can install a battery system to power your house at night. But most states now allow home owners to sell electricity back to the utility at retail rates then use them in the evenings. THe big advantage to this is that electric rates are lower at night. TO do this you must have a meter that spins both ways. At the end of the month the electric company sends you a net bill. You may owe them or they may owe you.

Solar Energy Texas