Did you know that in just one hour, the amount of energy that the sun produces would be enough to power the entire planet for one whole year? The benefits of solar energy are astounding and you could harness that power to keep your home running.
Solar power is a technology that has been around for decades now, but the sight of solar panels on rooftops is becoming more and more frequent all the time.
But exactly what are the benefits of solar energy and why should you consider getting solar panels for your home?
In this article, we’ll shed some light on some of the solar energy benefits and fuel your desire to consider going green.
Solar Energy Reduces Air Pollution
The burning of fossil fuels to create electricity produces a lot of different pollutants. Power stations burn coal and can release CO2 and other harmful greenhouse gases out into the environment. Natural gas, another common source of power in the Texas electrical grid is also not without its greenhouse gases issues particularly around methane. (Read more about the environmental benefits of going solar here and about emissions here).
If you’ve ever been to a big city, you’ll know what pollution looks and feels like. Smog is not only bad for the environment, but it is also bad for our health.
Because solar panels produce clean energy, there is no nasty pollution as a byproduct of its production. Now we’d be remise to say that solar has has no environmental impact. To be clear solar does have some environmental issues in the manufacturing and extraction stages. However, it produces clean energy for the life, often 25 years or more, of the system.
Solar Energy may Reduce or Eliminate Your Electricity Bills
While many people choose to get solar panels because of the environmental benefits of using solar energy, there are other very attractive benefits too.
One of the reasons a lot of people choose to get solar panels is that they can completely cut your electricity bills. This is why we typically will design a system to cover 110% of usage. In jurisdictions where net-metering exists it may also be possible to sell your power back to the grid. You can read more about net metering here. Now, it’s not to say that every day or every week you are producing more power with your solar panels than you consume. Remember, there’s cloudy days, rainy days, and the night to contend with. That’s why when our design team is designing your system our software analyzes how much sun your location receives over the course of the year and we model that. Also, we factor in the rise in utility rates based on historical data. With solar, particularly if you finance the system, your monthly solar payment is fixed. In the months when you under produce you may receive a electric bill from the utility. If you over produce and you have net metering you can receive a credit.
Solar Panels Add Value to Your Property
If you’re planning on selling your house, one of the advantages of having solar panels fitted to your roof is that they may add value to your property. Solar panels can provide long-term financial benefits. You can read more about that here.
Solar Panels Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
One of the most popular advantages of getting solar panels fitted is that you will drastically reduce the carbon footprint of your household.
Did you know that the average carbon footprint of homes in the US is around 5 times higher than the global average?
So, for every household that makes the switch to solar energy, that can lead to a significant reduction in carbon emissions.
The more homes that convert to solar energy and become self-sufficient and carbon-neutral, the better. One of the most effective ways of reducing the carbon footprint of your household is to invest in getting solar panels on your property.
Solar Energy Reduces Water Usage
Did you know that we’re running out of clean drinking water? While the world may be made up of 71% water, many parts of the world are struggling to find suitable water for healthy living.
If you’re not already utilizing solar energy, the chances are that your electricity needs to use water in its production.
The burning of fossil fuels in a power station uses an immense amount of water to help in the cooling process. While hydroelectric may be a cleaner solution, the building of dams has a huge negative impact on the water table and local ecosystems.
Solar energy uses no water at all in its production, making it one of the most environmentally sound means of energy production available.
Solar Panels Are a Great Long-Term Investment
The longer you have solar panels, the more likely they are to pay off for you. Although there is an initial outlay involved in having solar panels installed, over a period of time, the solar panels pay for themselves. Paybacks times vary on factors like your energy consumption, your size of system, whether or not you add battery storage, and a host of other factors that are specific to your homesite and situation. This is why Texas Direct Solar offers free consultations so we can customize a system to fit your specific needs .
The great thing about solar is that once you’ve covered the cost of your solar panels the financial savings accelerate.
You’ll Enjoy Energy Independence
There is often a misconception commonly propagated by solar advertising that you have complete independence from the grid with solar. However, unless you pair solar with battery storage that is simply not the case.
When we say energy independence with solar what we are saying is that, if the system was sized correctly, you shouldn’t have an electric bill or if you do that electric bill should be severely reduced. Be aware, that unless you combine battery storage with your solar panels you will still pull power from the grid from time to time however, over the course of the year when you produce more power it should offset your grid consumption.
Now, combining solar battery storage with solar can offer you some protection if there is a local or national power outage. This is because you will create your own power and store it in your battery storage system. Texas Direct Solar is a Generac Certified Clean Energy installer and we are proud to offer their solar battery solution.
Solar Panels Are Low Maintenance
Because there are no moving parts on your solar panels, they will be relatively low maintenance. If you get your solar panels installed by a professional company like Texas Direct Solar, you’ll be able to enjoy the piece of mind that they’re going to work for a very long time to come.
There’s also no need to have your solar panels services or inspected on a routine basis. Mostly they will need to be cleaned from time to time. Fortunately, for those of us living in the Houston area the rain does a great job at helping keeping the panels clean.
The Benefits of Solar Energy
There are many great benefits of solar energy. These include making your home eco-friendly, reducing your carbon footprint, and financial savings. There are so many good reasons to get solar panels installed on your home.