Wondering what do solar panels really cost to have installed? Thinking on making an investment but not sure? We can answer that.
On average solar panels still cost around three dollars per watt landed on your roof and working. Two dollars of this is for a good rated monocrystalline panel and one dollar of this is for the installation. This takes into account any government rebates that my be offered.
Have you seen them for less than 2 dollars per watt? Often times yes but be aware that sales gimmicks usually come into play to make the numbers look better to the buyer.
1.So What Do Solar Panels Really Cost?
Decent solar panels on average can range around $3 per Watt installed. These are usually mono crystalline type solar panels. The cost of the panel themselves is around $2 per Watt. The other dollar for what is used for the installation cost.
This includes brackets and the proper mounting system for your roof support. It also includes labour costs and any permit fees that are necessary involved installing the system. There’s also a grid tie inverter that is incorporated into the cost so you can sell the energy back do the utility.
This is the most cost effective way to install a solar system. The other method of installing a solar system is off grid however the cost of solar batteries. Can cost you much more do I have this system installed and you could reach 4 or $5 per watt providing you get the proper batteries installed with the system.
2. How Much Can The Install Costs Come Too?
The average roof in the US has a size of 8 feet x 9 feet, 1.2 m2, or a lot of watts to bring to light. That’s LOT of space that you need to line up these panels with the house so they are not blocking any skylights or similar roof structures..
There are many options available for ground mounting and this is the most common approach. Ground mounted systems can be a wiser approach to return on your investment. It is safer for the install as you will have no weight on your roof to deal with. Proper ground mounted systems will give you maximum return on your investment and life span on the solar panel product. Keep in mind you can evenly match the $2 per Watt price for a $2 per Watt install cost for ground mounted system. This puts you in the $4 per Watt range so you should always check out what’s available for government rebates in your area.
Keep in mind anyone that tells you last or tries to sell you unless for smaller solar system is probably trying to sell you on a sales approach gimmick. It’s almost the same as when you try to buy a new vehicle and they tell you the price when you go to purchase the vehicle result types of added costs and hidden fees.
3.Are Solar Panels A Ripoff?
The short answer to the question is no. Here’s why. This doesn’t include the installation. If you take your average example you’ll find that the installation is between $1.50 and $2 dollars per watt. So the panel is half of your total cost. There’s no way to beat this rate no matter what type of solar panel you have. Secondly, solar panels are good in most cases.
This is true of panels as well as any other technology. Solar panels can be expected to deliver at least 25% of the maximum power an average home can consume. Furthermore, most solar panels offer a warranty of at least 25 years pro rated. That is a lot of money they are supposed to guarantee your investment. You can’t say that about your roof or windows! In the end solar panels are worth the cost under the right circumstances.
4. How Long Does It take For Solar Panels To Pay For Themselves?
How long do solar panels usually take to pay back the cost of the panels? Three to five years for the panels themselves but usually 5 to 10 years if you count the install costs. In the long run these panels save you around $30 to $70 per month. However if you rent then you’ll lose out on a few hundred dollars per month. At this point this would be a good investment for you. We are talking about solar electric PV panels.
Solar hot water In the winter it can get so cold that you can’t use your hot water heater. By installing a solar electric water heater you can still have hot water. However there’s some steps you’ll need to take. First you need to choose a solar hot water heater.
5.Cost Of Solar Panels For A 3 Bedroom House
To install the solar panels you are considering you would need some land. To calculate how much land you would need you would need to do a rough calculation of how many watts of solar power you could produce on the land. A rough calculation for a 3 bedroom house will be around 10 watts per square foot. In normal use (without weather effects) you should be able to get around 15% more out of the panels on the same sized land.
If you have a large garden you might be able to get closer to 20% more. The cost of your panels will also depend on the efficiency of the panel you are installing. The efficiency of the panels is the ratio of how much energy is generated in energy divided by the area. The higher the efficiency the less energy you will need to pay for to produce your power.
6.Are Solar Panels Worth It?
The simple answer is yes. If you take into account all the solar energy you can expect to get and pay $2 per watt, then each kilowatt hour of solar energy you get is worth about 7.4 cents. (Of course you can get a refund on your energy bill, and this will lower your cost considerably.) Solar panels pay for themselves with one generation if you have several thousand square feet of roof to power.
By having your roof covered in solar panels, you only need to pay for maintenance once every year or two. Of course, you do need to consider whether or not you can afford to have the solar panels installed. While some people can do the installation themselves, installing solar panels is most often an all or nothing thing.
7.What Happens To Solar Panels After 25 Years?
In general. solar panels of decent quality still operate at a pro rated capacity. We have seen some panels reach 40 years in lifespan without a problem. Proper maintenance is required to extend the life of your solar panels to their maximum lifespan. Most solar panels will come with a 25 year prorated warranty anyhow. But it’s a good idea to still keep your solar panels clean free of debris and perform any maintenance checks that you need to at least on a buy annual year basis.
8. Do Solar Panels Last Forever?
Obviously nothing last forever. However like mentioned above if you do your proper maintenance and take care of your solar panels they will last a very long time. Most solar panels will outlast the rest of the related equipment.
The biggest thing is to take proper care. if you have them along a wooded area it is important to keep trees trimmed to protect your investment. The number one issue that destroys solar panels are falling trees.
9.How Long Do Solar Batteries Last?
Most solar panels become only a collector of electricity or they become a power generation and they may even be decommissioned. Depending on the level of energy from your solar panels , the efficiency to convert solar energy into electricity decreases with time.
There are different levels of solar storage batteries. Deep cycle lead acid is the most common. They are also the most cost effective. The downside to these batteries is that the life span isn’t very long. It is only 5 to 7 years before they need to be replaced. In some cases they can last longer but they can only take so many charge and discharge cycles before they will eventually give up.
The next common would be gel lead acid these type of batteries still have the same reaction but the lead acid is in case or encapsulated inside of gel. The Joe makes the battery more sensitive and can have less variances in its charge cycle. However the lifespan is about 10 years.
The most popular for lifespan and cost would be AGM batteries. These absorbed glass matt batteries have a fibreglass mat wrapped around the plates inside the battery. These batteries have a lifespan of 15 years or longer before they need to be replaced.
10. Should I Run Solar Batteries or Grid Tie?
From a building supply’s standpoint, the grid is very easy to work with. Depending on the form factor of your solar energy source and the source that your battery bank supplies, you should be able to maintain a DC voltage from your solar panels.
This means that you will be able to drop a single cable from your batteries, up to about 20 feet or so, and to your solar array. That one cable will supply power from your panels to your battery bank. One of the reasons that storing the power that you don’t use for electricity is so important, is that the sunlight coming to your panels that you don’t use, is converted into heat, and the heat can cause melting of your panels, or even fire.
11.What Is The Difference Between Solar Batteries And Grid Tie?
It should be noted that to be truly grid-tied, you don’t have to have any wires that are touching anything that is not part of the system. If you’re unsure of which option to use, you can find a detailed description on this page. Buy this solar panel Of course, if you choose to take on the entire Solar PV installation yourself, there are some expenses to worry about.
Solar grid tie means the solar panels connect to the grid through an inverter without the use of batteries to store the energy. This cuts costs on battery maintenance. A bi directional meter is used to sell back to the grid.
Solar off grid means there is no power grid to use to sell back to. It also means you will need to store the solar power in batteries or use it when it becomes available. This method tends to be more expensive due to the cost of the upkeep of the batteries.
They solar off grid is common in remote area where the grid is not an option or extremely expensive to run power poles to the property.
12. Solar Panel Rebates
To get federal rebates for solar power, you must install at least 25 kilowatts of solar power and own at least half the building. To be eligible, your solar system must not exceed 20 percent of the space occupied by your home. State Solar Rebates This figure is a ballpark based on estimates by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Check with your local utilities or energy companies to get their current rebates and incentives. These are the largest state solar incentives. When there are not any incentives in effect, we take a look at more local solar incentives. New York: (Blue) New York State Tax Credit. A 0.47 cents per kilowatt-hour tax credit in 2014 for residential systems of 10 kilowatts or more. (Red) New York State Small Systems Credit. A 2.
Rebates only apply to the amount of time that you’ve used your panels (or if you let your panels accumulate a certain amount of solar credits in a year). So if you’d installed a dozen panels last year but you have solar credits from last year that are more than you need now, then you are out of luck.