Is Solar Something That You Could Do?

Solar panels are becoming more and more popular as technology improves and costs continue to go down.  All you have to do is start driving through a few neighborhoods and look up at the roofs to see that solar is popping up just about everywhere.  It's like when you buy a new car and you start seeing that make and model of car every place you go, solar is the same way - once you start noticing solar panels, you see them every where you turn.

photo from dreamstime.com

You know it's good for the environment.  You know it would cut down your energy bill.  But can you really afford it?  That's the big question.  At the end of 2016, some of the big tax credits are going away.  Now is the time to figure out if solar is right for you, so that you can cash in on those big credits before they become a thing of the past.


What would it actually look like if you put in a solar system?  Here are a couple of examples:

Solar Electric - PGE customer - 4,000 Watts system

$16,000     Total installed cost
-$3,200      Energy Trust incentive
$12,800     Amount homeowner pays to contractor

-$3,840      Federal Tax Credit (30% of $12,800)
-$6,000      Oregon Tax Credit ($1.90/watt, up to $6,000)

$2,960       Final cost to homeowner

For Utility Customers not served by PGE or Pacific Power - 4,000 Watts system

$16,000     Total installed cost

-$4,800      Federal Tax Credit (30% of $16,000)
-$6,000      Oregon Tax Credit ($1.90/watt, up to $6,000)

$5,200       Final cost to homeowner
 

In order to do solar, your roof has to have at least 10 years of life left.  The best type of roof is a metal roof, because the solar panels can just be clicked onto the metal roof without any penetration of the roof.  Solar panel last about 20 years, of course they could last longer and there are no moving parts, so very little maintenance is involved.  There is an inverter that only last 12-15 years before it'll need to be replaced. 

If you live in Oregon and have PGE as your electric company, you can have solar for just $2,960 (examples from Solar Oregon)!  I don't know about you, but that is much less than I thought it would be.  The big chunk of change comes out of your pocket first and the tax credits come later, but if you can afford to wait for those tax credits to come in... you can really get solar panels for not a lot in the end.  If you live outside of the Energy Trust of Oregon territory, which is any place not served by PGE or Pacific Power, like Forest Grove or Vernonia, then you won't be able to qualify for that incentive, but you would still get the State and Federal tax credits.

Here's where the problem lies in Oregon, your house has to pass the minimum shade requirements.  We do have enough sun to be able to benefit from solar panels, but 75% of the homes in Oregon don't work for solar due to too much shade.  Contact SolarCity to find out if your house qualifies.

An exciting piece of new technology is the back up battery by Tesla called the Powerwall that works with solar.  It goes on the side of your house and can be used like a generator, providing energy when the sun's not shinning or in the event of an outage.

It really comes down to this, solar is possible.  Solar is economical with all the incentives and tax credits.  If 400,000 homes in Oregon had solar panels, that would create all the energy that Oregon needs!  Three thousand dollars and you could be an energy superstar.  Think about that.

Helpful links:
Tax credit information
SolarCity - Solar provider
Sunrun - Solar provider
Tesla Powerwall battery
Solar Oregon
Solar World - Solar manufacturer