How much does solar energy cost?
Today, solar costs less than traditional electricity in many markets. We can install your system for $0 upfront cost, and you can pay less every month for clean, abundant solar energy than you do to your utility company. › more
How will solar panels look on my roof?
In a word: fabulous. Our modern, low-profile design and premium front trim integrate elegantly into your roof. It’s a look that never goes out of style.
How does solar power work?
Our panels capture the sun’s energy, channel it through discreetly placed wires to an inverter, where it’s converted to electricity to power your home. When your solar power system produces more power than you need, it feeds the power back into the electricity grid. › more
How do solar panels affect property values?
For many homeowners thinking about going solar the question of what happens to their property value, heres few research studies completed to answer this question. Researchers have looked at this question as well. Here’s what they’ve found:
- A study conducted by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 2011 found that homes that have solar electric systems installed actually have a better market value and sell for better prices compared to those houses that do not.
- Another study conducted by NBER (National Bureau of Economic Research) also found that solar panels did increase the value of a home at the point of sale by 4 – 5%.
- A survey of 1,600 Ontario residents found that 92% of homebuyers would look for energy efficiency features in their new home
- Canadians would overwhelmingly choose a house with energy efficiency upgrades over updated finishes like granite countertops or hardwood flooring.
- When you sell a solar home, not only are you selling your home but you’re also selling a source of income
What if I want to sell my solar home?
No problem, You might stay in your home for few years. If you move, Envisionmatrix help transfer your solar contract to the new owners.
Additional Solar Questions
- Should I buy the solar energy system or lease it? Need Link Here
- Leasing saves you the big upfront costs of buying. There’s little doubt that for most people the number one stumbling block to going solar is having to plunk down tens of thousands of dollars up front to buy a system. Though terms vary – in part based on your credit rating, the solar capacity of your home and/or on local, state and/or utility incentives in your area — in many cases, with solar leasing you can go solar with no money down. This is a huge plus for people who don’t have the cash sitting around to put down on a solar system or who don’t want to take out, or cannot take out, a loan to buy a system. (Thanks to the housing crash approximately 25% of American homeowners have no equity in their homes, meaning a home equity loan as a way to finance solar is not possible for this group).
- With leasing, you don’t have to pay to maintain the system. Typically, with a lease, you are not responsible for fixing the system if something goes wrong, breaks, or just wears out. In most cases, this includes replacement of the solar inverter, which will have to be replaced somewhere between 10 and 15 years after the system is installed to the tune of several thousand dollars. Not having to worry about the upkeep of the system provides peace of mind for many.
- Leasing can save you money over utility produced electricity. While leasing terms vary, if you have the right roof, meaning a sunny, south-facing, un-shaded roof that will produce lots of solar electricity and live in an area with good solar incentives, it’s likely you’ll save money by buying electricity from a solar leasing company as opposed to from your utility. Additionally, some leases allow you to lock in a static electricity rate for 15, or more, years. Meanwhile, electric rates charged by your utility will continue to rise.
- Leasing gives you affordable access to electricity independence – without big upfront costs. This reason is similar to No. 1, but with a slight twist. With a solar system on your roof, you have the satisfaction of knowing you’re producing all, or some, of your electricity locally and, although you don’t own the panels, you’re still likely to feel more independent about how you produce your electricity than if you were drawing 100 percent of your electricity from your utility. Plus, if you add an electric car to the mix, you get the satisfaction of knowing you’re partially, or perhaps fully, fueling not only your home with local solar generated electricity but your car as well. And thanks to leasing this all comes without having to plunk down tens of thousands of dollars on your solar system up front.
- Leasing allows you to go green – without the big upfront costs. Staring at tens of thousands of dollars in upfront costs is enough to discourage a lot of people from going solar – as the huge popularity of solar leases has shown. Upfront costs stand as a big stumbling block even for some of the greenest greenies who want to say goodbye to Dirty Coal and, if they plan on getting an EV, goodbye to Big Oil as well. Solar leasing allows you to be green while relieving the pressure of coming up with a mountain of upfront green capital in order to go green.
Five Reasons to buy a Solar System
- Buying is a better economic bet. Let’s face it, solar leasing companies have to make money, and, even though you’re likely to save by paying leasing companies for your electricity as opposed to forking money over to your utility, leasing companies will still be making money off of you. For instance, they pocket all solar incentives you’d otherwise get if you bought the system. If you buy, you pocket all of the incentives and all of the long-term electricity savings yourself. Of course, as we’ve noted elsewhere, if you need to take out a loan to buy a system, you’ll want to calculate the cost of interest into the total savings picture, and, if you’re inclined to look closely at the total savings picture, you might also want to calculate how much taking out a loan for a solar system will cost you elsewhere – for instance, how it might affect the rate at which you can pay down other debt (mortgage, student loans, car loans, etc.).
- Buying is more satisfying. When you buy a solar system, it’s yours. All of the electricity you produce is yours and – if you have the right utility – all that you over-produce is yours as well. This can be a tremendously satisfying feeling. Especially if you’re going to use your home solar system to power 100 percent of your home electric use and tens of thousands of miles per year in an electric car or two.
- Buying offers you more flexibility and freedom. You have more freedom in terms of the size system you put on your home’s roof and where you put it when you buy than if you lease. Though if you are dealing with utility rebates, those rebates are typically contingent on all sorts of limits and rules about system efficiency and system capacity.
- It might be easier to sell your home with a solar system you’ve bought. Some have suggested that a solar lease could actually be a drag on the sale of a home, though we don’t necessarily agree with this claim. According to this view, potential buyers of your home will be turned off by having to sign on with a solar lease company. If this happens – which, to us, seems unlikely — you can potentially work with your solar leasing company to move the panels to a new home, buy out the lease, etc.
- • When you buy solar, you make the money on the value solar adds to your home. We definitely wouldn’t recommend leasing or buying a solar system if you think you’re going to be moving within the next five to seven years (or less). But, if you do end up selling your home – ideally, after you’ve benefitted from several years with your PV system, the money you’ve invested in your solar system will repay itself in the price you’re able to ask and the extra money you make will land in your pocket.
Municipal utilities
Municipal utilities face an array of potentially conflicting objectives. On the one hand, you’re tasked with meeting sustainability goals and supporting local economic development and job creation, while on the other hand, you’re challenged to reduce costs. We can help ensure these objectives are not in conflict. No one has more experience helping municipal utilities add renewable solar energy to their portfolios.
Cooperative utilities
Cooperative utilities (or co-ops) depend on cost-effective energy from diverse, local sources. Members demand low costs, high reliability, and increasing use of renewable energy sources to meet Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requirements as well as community goals. At the same time, more customers are demanding clean, renewable energy.
Solar energy can help to address a co-op’s energy and community needs simultaneously by providing a local energy resource that can benefit the local economy.