Is Residential Solar Worth Investing In?
If you are looking to energy retrofit your home, solar panels and PV energy are a great consideration. Terawatt Solar is here to help you with your solar needs. Contact us today to begin your journey toward a clean, green and prosperous future!
Environmental Considerations
There are countless environmental benefits to reflect upon when deciding that the energy source for your home is solar. Solar PV does not emit any pollution or greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, you do not have to worry about your residential carbon footprint. Furthermore, it is not a loud energy provider and will not disrupt important species like bats and migratory birds. It is clean and renewable source of energy, and you can feel good knowing that your emissions are mitigated and are a part of the solution in helping curb the impacts of the global climate emergency.
Market Issues:
For a long time, the main obstacle preventing many consumers from purchasing photovoltaic solar panels for their residential homes was the cost. In 2016, the average lifetime cost was 23 cents per kilowatt hour in Canada for photovoltaic powered energy. This was primarily due to solar’s reliance upon incentive programs in order to develop and flourish. At this time, it was higher than other renewable alternatives on the market.
Fortunately, Ontario implemented its Feed-In-Tariff program in 2009 to both encourage and assist in making use of alternative sources of energy, such as renewable energy. The term renewable energy encompasses wind, solar photovoltaic, hydroelectricity, bioenergy and much more. As a result of this sudden redirection in the energy market over time, Ontario now provides net-metering to residential households that wish to implement solar photovoltaic panels. This allows consumers to sell any excess energy/electricity that they produce back to the “grid”.
What is Net Metering?
Net metering is defined as “a billing mechanism that pays solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid”. In much simpler terms, it allows for consumers/customers to generate their own electricity, in the form of solar energy during daylight hours, only use the required standard amounts for their residential homes, while the additional energy that was gathered can be placed into the “electrical grid” in order to be used for additional credit bills or be sold. When an energy consumer/customer generates more electricity than they use, they receive a credit which can alternatively be applied to the following month’s bill.
Solar Saves Money
Many customers everywhere state that one of the key benefits to owning solar photovoltaic panels, is that wonderful savings they receive on their energy bill. Residential home owners can save on the monthly output of electricity for many years to come, regardless of whether the cost of energy goes up, making it a great investment.
As mentioned previously, Ontario relies upon and uses net-metering systems. Once each solar-based residential home owner is set up to a distribution system, the local energy companies which work with solar providers will continue to read the meters, and subtract the amount of solar energy that they supply to “the grid”, as opposed to the amount that they use. The amounts that you will then see on your credit bill, then, would be the “net” difference between the two amounts. If the amount that the residential homeowner produces through solar energy is greater than the amount used, they will receive a credit toward their future energy bills which can be utilized for the next 12 months from that point on.
Solar Panels – Easy to Maintain
Additionally, many residential home owners are extremely enthusiastic about the amount of effort or cost which is required to maintain solar photovoltaic panels once they are installed on their rooftop. Cleaning maintenance for solar panels is similar to any equipment that homeowners would use to wash their windows. As long as the panels are kept clean and free of any debris or environmental components, no issues should come up! If concerns do arise, residential solar homeowners are encouraged to install a monitoring system which can help maintain performance, and track any maintenance requirements as they arise immediately. Rooftop solar panels will generally last 25 years, and consequently, one major replacement prior to installation is shingles.
Consider connecting with Terawatt Solar to assist you with Canada’s renewable and clean energy process. Our licensed consultants and installers can ease you through your transition to solar to ensure that you optimize your home ecologically, affordably and with great ease. We are here to help you with your energy and solar needs.
Consider our free solar assessment today, and book an appointment to learn more: