solar powered house number

solar powered house number

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There are more and more articles on the internet and in the newspapers about the value of putting solar panels on your house and there are almost as many which say that the figures just don't add up. So which is the case? Is it worth getting a solar power house or not?

The question depends very much on where you live, your local power costs, the local costs of putting panels on your house, whether you house is shadowed by trees, how many sunny and cloudy days you have, and the issue of government incentives. There are many variables which contribute to your decision.

If your concern has to be governed by the financial aspect the question is simple. Is going solar going to work for you and your family in a financial sense? After government incentives, and taking into account any contribution for feeding unused electricity back into the grid how long will it take to pay for your solar power system in savings.

Start with checking whether your house is suitable for installing panels, for example whether you have overhanging trees or buildings which will prevent good use of the sun. If you do then don't pretend to yourself that solar panels will work. They just do not work well in the shade! Simple, but there are a surprising number of people who manage to talk themselves into thinking that they will work.

Assured that there is no shadowing problem look at the basic cost for the solar panels and inverter fully installed and then deduct any government incentives. Find out from the company, from online forums and from any friends who already have solar power how much power they expect to make from the size of solar system you are considering purchasing. What you really want is a friend in the same street who has been keeping daily records of the power production over a full year. However that is very rare and more likely you will need to be guided by other means. We were fortunate in that the company we used were conservative in their figures but salesmen being salesmen may not always be as honest.

Take this figure and multiply it by the current cost of power and the number of days in the year. This will give you your yearly return from your investment.

One rule of thumb for many is that it is a good financial decision when the pay back period is around eight years. Once it gets much over twelve years you need to be a true believer to be prepared to go ahead. And there are places in the US where the payback period is as high as 32 years given the amount of electricity generated for the cost of putting in the panels. I have seen figures in Australia where using cheap Chinese panels and inverter (of unknown longevity) and with the government incentives that the payback period is as little as two years. Do your own figures and base your decisions on these and do be practical.

Harriet P shares her experiences of solar power at http://www.solarpowerhousenow.com/. Check her blog for the up to date impact of having solar panels on her house and its cost effectiveness, account by account.

Super Easy To Build Home Solar Power