What to Know Before Going Solar- Part 1

It’s summer in Peoria, Arizona, and you’re seriously thinking about making the switch to a home solar energy system. In this two-part series, we’ll cover important information to help you better understand the process of going solar.

Know Your Energy

You’ll want to understand how much electricity your home uses on an annual basis. A growing family will face growing energy needs, but if you are childless or have college-age kids ready to leave the nest, you can expect your energy costs to go down when you add solar energy to your home.

Know Your Direction

Ideally, solar systems should be installed on the southwest-facing area of your roof. Positioning the panels to face west or south will work, and even southeast, east, and north-northwest give acceptable results, too.

Know Your Rates

APS and SRP offer flexible residential solar price plans so that you can select the plan that’s right for your family. Let’s take a look at some basic details.

APS

Once your solar system is installed, solar will only affect the kWh portion of your monthly bill. You’ll see kWh credits on your bill. Credit is the excess energy in kWh produced by your solar system and sent back to the energy grid. APS offers two solar rates for energy credits, RCP, and EPR-2.
The RCP rate provides solar customers credits for any excess energy sent back to the power grid. For the EPR-2 rate, known as net billing, you’ll earn billing credits for excess kWh and this credit will be deducted from your monthly bill.

SRP

SRP offers demand and solar energy export-based plans for homeowners. SRP has a customer generation demand plan that’s perfect for homes with consistent energy usage. They also offer an average demand plan for homeowners with fluctuating demand requirements who want a more hands-off, stress-free approach.
For SRP customers who generate most of their own energy, there’s a time-of-use export plan. You’ll save money by using energy generated from your solar system and excess energy produced will be exported back to SRP and credited to your account.

Cool Blew Solar

Cool Blew Solar professional installers are available to help answer all your solar related questions 24/7/365 at 623-234-2836. Harnessing nature’s power is the energy that lasts.

FAQ's

Is Solar Energy Expensive?

The size of your panel installation and the needs of your home will affect your costs. The average net cost of a 5.69kW system is $13,838 cash after 30% rebate (according to solar-estimate.org). An average-sized system can cost up to $35,000. Larger installations will require more hardware, planning and construction time. This can further increase costs. While solar panels are expensive, they have many distinct benefits. Cool Blew Electric & Solar’s experts can assess your situation and goals and recommend a cost-effective system to meet your needs.

How Much Can I Save By Installing Solar Panels?

An average-sized system (5 kilowatts) can reduce up to 50% of your monthly electricity bill. A 5.69kW system would offset 100% of your energy usage if your typical monthly bill is $138. Over a period of 20 years, these savings can add up to $30,000, based on your location and energy usage.

How Long Would It Take to Recoup My Solar Investment by Solar Energy Savings?

With a 5.69kW Solar system you would recoup your savings in 7 years and 2 months but with continuous Utility increases every year your Return and Investment will be much sooner.

What is a Solar Lease Program?

The Solar Lease Program has been one the most popular option that homeowners have chosen over the years. Solar Lease programs gives homeowners the opportunity to take advantage and put Solar on their homes and a guaranteed savings from their Utility for little to no money out of pocket. Most Leases are 20 year power guarantee from the solar provider and includes fixed monthly payments, no repair cost, fully insured and warrantied for the life of the system.

Blog