Across the United States of America today, residents of many states are facing significant increases in their electricity costs, that are only set to increase.
Over the course of the coming year, some residential power customers could face an average annual electricity bill increase of more than $600, or an average of more than $50 per month, which is an increase of $40! Small businesses may also experience a 50% to 130% increase in their rates, which could be more than some small enterprises can afford.
So what’s the solution? Is there one?
Fight rising electricity costs with solar energy
Making the switch to solar is arguably the most cost-effective way to defend yourself against utility rate hikes, and below are just some of the many ways that solar can help you do this:
Once installed, a solar systemgenerates energy over its typical 25-30 year lifespan. Over this period of time, the cost of solar energy to your home is fixed, in something that’s known as ‘Levelized Cost of Energy.’ The cost of solar-generated kilowatts are determined by the net cost of the system minus federal and state incentives (net cost), divided by the energy produced. For instance, if your $12,500 system (after incentives) produces 19,800 kilowatt hours a year, the Levelized Cost of Energy would be 4.6 cents a kilowatt across 30 years. In a great many instances, the cost of self-generated energy is a fraction of what the utility charges to your home.
When installed professionally, a solar panel system can significantly reduce a home’s energy outgoings, and when you factor in the annual cost savings from solar energy, an average system can pay for itself in as little as 8 to 12 years. For any years after that, the solar system is providing free energy to your home, and it could continue to do so for as long as 15 years!
Through a government run program known as net metering (if not available in your state, other schemes may exist, check with a local solar provider), you could gain utility credits from excess energy produced during the day, for use at night time, or receive money on a monthly or annual basis for excess power generated, and sent to the grid.
With the addition of battery backup for your solar system, you could use the energy stored from your battery during the day, for use at nighttime when costs are typically higher, and save any net metering credits you’ve stacked up, for use another day. Helping to power your home during an outage, too, talk to a local solar provider about the advantages of adding battery backup to your solar system.
You might not be able to stop electricity prices from soaring, but with a solar system and battery backup installed, you can make sure you’re not the one paying them.
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