The national average is about 13 cents per kilowatt-hour, according to year-to-date data from the U. Energy Information Administration.
Before you make the leap, learn how your electric bill , location and incentives can impact your wallet over time.
Solar panels generate their own power and can therefore greatly offset your monthly electricity bill , if not eliminate it. The higher your bill, the more likely you'll benefit from switching. But you should note that electricity rates and usage — the main charges on your statement — are volatile.
Department of Energy's solar energy technologies office. Visit the EIA website to view the most recent prices per state. More sun means more energy produced and a greater potential to save with solar. Certain states, like Arizona and California, average more sunlight hours per day. Your home's orientation toward the sun, the amount of shade and its roof type also affect a solar system's output.
You can estimate the efficiency of panels in your area by using the SolarReviews calculator. This will help ensure that you get the right system for your needs. Your energy needs determine how many panels you need, which affects the overall price of your solar system installation. Most homeowners need between 25 and 35 panels to achieve complete energy independence. A solar panel typically produces about one kilowatt-hour kWh per day, so if your daily kWh usage is 30, you would need 30 solar panels to generate all of your energy needs.
If you need to generate extra energy to heat a pool or run the air conditioning for most of the year, this adds to your energy costs. Next, divide your monthly kWh average by 30 to calculate your daily average. For instance, if your average monthly kWh is , then your average daily kWh is Some solar power calculations are based on a satellite photo of your roof and offer an estimate of how much electricity you can generate.
Other calculators use your regional solar irradiation to create the estimate, while others use the size of your roof or your typical electricity consumption with no other factors included. There are two main ways to account for this:.
These additional calculations can be difficult, but they are necessary if you want the optimum solar power system for your home. Solar panel costs in the U. Visit the Solar Energy Industries Association website to learn about local incentives and tax credits in your area. The savings you and your family see will depend greatly on where you live, what the climate is like and your particular energy needs. Many solar energy companies provide a free calculator tool to help you easily estimate the cost and savings of installing solar panels on your home.
Different solar calculators may estimate electricity costs in different ways. Numbers can be based on the national average, regional averages or other information you provide. Depending on how much you pay out-of-pocket for the solar panel system, it could take five to 15 years to break even.
To calculate how long it will take you to break even on savings versus the cost of your solar panels, first subtract your incentives and rebates from your costs. Divide that number by the amount you are saving on utility bills per year. However, instead of asking for payments, you will get net metering credits for the month. The average total cost to install a residential system for solar panels before tax credits or rebates is comparable to the price tag on a new car.
Then, determine what your current utility rate is, keeping in mind that utility rates tend to increase 2. Use an online calculator to estimate your annual savings by plugging in information like your location, energy usage and the current average price of solar panel installation in your area. A common misconception is that solar panels will eradicate your electricity bills altogether. While this is sometimes the case, solar panels will significantly reduce your electricity bill each month, and are worth the investment as a whole.
The primary factor in determining how much money a solar panel system will save you, in the long run, is the cost of electricity, which can vary significantly based on your location. If you live in a region with middle- to upper-level utility rates, you can pretty much guarantee that a solar panel will save you big bucks over time. Solar panels tend to be worth the investment as long as you go about the installation process wisely. Lexie is an assistant editor who is responsible for writing and editing articles over a wide variety of home-related topics.
Select Region. United States. United Kingdom. Rebecca Brill, Lexie Pelchen. Contributor, Editor. The range of prices in Australia below is mainly down to the quality of the hardware used in the installation. Approximate cost of a good quality solar system installation with Tier 1 solar panels fully installed as at August in Australia:. Note that the above assumes the use of W solar panels, so the final solar panel capacity may be a bit more or less than the figures mentioned above.
The costs quoted above are based on thousands of data points. To see real-time, average prices being paid for full system installations of various capacities in your state, check out the SolarQuotes Solar Price Index.
If you want to downgrade to a reputable budget inverter e. I agree.
0コメント