One of the big initiatives in both the public and private sectors is the idea of clean energy. This idea is actually a combination of two others: energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. Of course, the most recognizable source of clean energy is solar energy. It can support more electrical generation per area than wind, isn’t nearly as constrained as hydroelectric power plants, and doesn’t require on fuel like biodiesel. Because of its increasing popularity and huge advances in the past decade, residential solar energy costs have fallen constantly for the last few years.
Upgradable Systems
If you already own a solar system, perhaps you want to upgrade it. Perhaps you’ve installed central air in the past few years or want to make the switch from propane-based to electric heating. Residential solar energy costs are now such that you can cheaply add panels as needed to your system, without emptying your wallet. Depending on the brand, a typical solar panel which generates 300 watts at peak times will cost anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000. As efficiency in solar panels increases, they will generate more electricity while getting smaller, meaning that you’ll get more energy along with lower solar energy systems costs. While it’s unlikely that they will become truly mainstream for years yet, residential solar energy costs fall every single year, and these systems are sold by more companies.
Ultimately, residential solar energy costs are still high enough that they still feel like a bit of a novelty item to many people, although this misconception withers away in the face of high energy prices at home and global warming. Why there aren’t government subsidies for making homes green is a bit of a mystery when they extend that favor to businesses, but people would hardly need subsidies if they just compared residential solar energy costs to the savings that they would keep each month on their electricity bills.
If you don’t own a solar energy system yet, then you will end up having to purchase some other equipment to use solar panels (which don’t turn solar energy into usable electricity). Residential solar energy costs also cover storage equipment to save power for when the sun is down and the electric generator, which does turn solar energy into usable electricity. Once you have this equipment, all you need are solar panels, and you can upgrade at will. Most of the residential solar energy costs will be found in the solar panels themselves as you install enough to generate enough electricity for your home, and even if you spend $25,000 on a solar system, you can save that much on your electricity bills within a decade.