Solar power for homes doesn’t have to be complicated.
Well, that’s not exactly true.
After all we are dealing with electricity here and electricity isn’t exactly child’s play.
Thankfully you don’t have to have a perfect understanding of volts and watts to find out if a solar home is right for you.
In fact, one of the best ways to get a real handle on home solar power for homes is to take a look at some houses that already have solar panels installed on the roof.
You can read about solar power advantages and think about installing home solar energy for environmental reasons, but you might learn more from seeing a solar home in action.
This first hand view will allow you to see how solar power fits into a person’s everyday schedule and lifestyle:
Do solar panels require any maintenance? Does solar power reduce the electric bill? Does a solar electric system affect home insurance premiums?
If you have a neighbor who has recently installed solar panels, have a chat with them and see what you can learn. That neighbor might just be one of the best solar power resources you can find.
Here are some more questions you could ask:
- Which solar installer did you work with?
- Which solar rebates were you eligible for?
- What solar financing options were available?
If you don’t have any solar enthusiasts on your block, have no fear. In this solar home section, we take a look at different people’s experience with solar power for homes. This will let you see how it worked for them and decide if it could work for you.
So, without further ado, let’s head to Florida and take a look at the solar panel installation of Allan Miller as featured in the Miami Herald:
Mr. Miller has truly incorporated solar power into his life.
He has both solar electric panels and a solar hot water heater installed on his Miami home.
Miller’s solar electric installation consists of ten solar panels and, after state and federal incentives, cost a total of about $12 500.
Now this isn’t cheap, but on the positive side Allan’s last electric bill was only $27. At this rate the Miller family will recoup their investment in 5 to 11 years.
Why the wide range for the payback period?
Well, it turns out that the Millers have converted their 1989 Volkswagen Cabriolet into an electric car and are able to charge it with the power produced from the solar panels on their roof.
This means two things:
- The Millers are awesome.
- The price of gas will affect how quickly their solar panels pay for themselves.
The Millers sound like real trailblazers and it shouldn’t surprise us to hear that they are considering adding more panels to their solar array. About their solar installation, Allan says: “It was money well spent. Everyday you look up at your roof and you just smile”.
Florida solar enthusiasts might have even more reason to smile in the near future. A proposed new solar program by Florida Power & Light includes a rebate for homeowners who go solar.
Cheers to the Millers for incorporating solar power into their life and we’ll be bringing you more solar power homes soon.