Advantages of Solar For Homeowners

solar panels for sustainable energyMore consumers than ever are looking for ways to harness alternative energy in order protect the environment.

Most forms of alternative energy carry a win-win bonus; not only are these systems helping you become more self sufficient and are more sustainable, but these investments help you save money in the long term.

The advantages of solar energy are becoming abundantly clear to homeowners, who see dramatic decreases in their electricity bills and increases in their home values.

Here are the three major advantages to using solar energy:

Financial Investment

Solar power is a lucrative financial investment in a major growth industry, promising over 200% in ROI over 25 years and an average 2.5% annual return.

This is more stable than most stocks you might invest in on the stock market.

Solar power can also reduce your electricity bill by up to 50%.

When you look at this on a long-term scale-considering the fact that energy costs have risen more than 21% in the last five years and are expected to continue to rise-investing in solar energy is an important financial move.

Helping The Environment

Using solar energy mitigates adverse effects on the environment and helps you to do your part to protect the earth.

Part of the lure of alternative energy is the possibility of reducing our carbon footprint. The average household produces 7.4 tons of CO2 carbon emissions each year. This creates harmful cycles of global warming that is detrimental to the environment and to the people and animals that live on Earth.

Over the course of 25 years you could personally prevent over 100 tons of C02 emissions. Imagine if everyone did this.

Additionally, using solar power allows us to conserve our natural resources, preserving both water and non-renewable resources.

Increasing Home Value

Increase the value of your home and plan for future investments.

In the landscape of today’s housing market, this factor alone should be enough to entice homeowners into investing in solar power systems.

Studies show that solar panels for your home increase their value by up to 20 times their annual electrical savings.

Studies also show that solar powered homes sell easier and for more money than non-solar powered homes.

For these reasons and more, switching to solar power is a smart choice.

Fortunately, this option is becoming more affordable than ever due to tax rebates and incentives, which in some states can reduce the cost by 50%.

Whatever the price ends up being, it is worth it to the consumer and local communities everywhere to adopt solar energy.

2 Comments

  1. Steve on May 28, 2012 at 1:06 pm

    Nice write-up on the positive of household solar. I touched upon a further benefit on my blog recently where I speculated about the likelihood of others in a neighbourhood getting solar panels to “keep up with the Joneses” and the whole thing becoming more socially visible.

    If solar panels become the norm in an area then they should hopefully spread out from that area and eventually reach a tipping point where it is frowned upon not to have them installed – at least that is what I hope.



  2. Mrs Green on June 1, 2012 at 6:14 am

    @Steve: Great idea; I think a bit of neighbourly competition could be beneficial. Of course neighbourly co-operation is even better! I love the idea of them becoming the norm; recycling has so why not solar?