Collaborative Post¦ When fitting solar panels, we are considering what our long-term heating costs will be and what good we might be doing when it comes to the environment. It is not many things that offer a double benefit. Usually, it is profit versus environment. However, with solar panels, both the householder and the environment can benefit. If you are looking for a local provider of solar panels, then look no further than Illinois Solar to provide and fit them for you.
So, this article will consider three factors that might affect our decision whether to have solar panels fitted.
Initial Cost
There will be an initial cost to having solar panels fitted but long term you will see gains through lower heating costs. Your decision can be compared to a long-term investment plan. In the same way, it is money well invested if there are going to be gains made in the future from outlaying the money. Like an investment plan, you can also receive a regular income from your solar panels if you sell your surplus electricity back to the grid.
Running Costs
Solar panels are known to have low running costs compared to powering a home with gas or electricity produced in other ways. Once installed, they will serve a householder well as the solar cells go about the process of storing and generating electricity from sunlight. The science has all been worked out and technology continues to make solar panels more and more energy-efficient and cost-effective.
To make use of all your available roof space there is nothing to stop you from having more solar panels than you need to generate the electricity for your home. Generating this extra electricity that you sell back to the grid, as mentioned, will not only generate an income but help pay for these running costs as well as seriously reduce the carbon footprint of every householder. This leads us on to our next section.
Benefits to the Environment
Solar energy is a renewable energy source. This means that we cannot use it up in the way that gas or coal becomes depleted. We are not impacting the environment every time we tap into it. It is a waste not to make use of something that is there for free as a natural resource. The power of the sun is immense and we will in the future no doubt find more ways of making use of it. The sun’s power is equivalent to 3.9 x 1026 watts, compared with an entire world energy usage of only 16 TW. There is plenty of power to be made use of that is not currently being used to its full potential.
Natural gas and coal are expected to last a bit longer, but if these fossil fuels continue to be used up at their current rate, then it is anticipated that they will only last until 2060. This is not all that far away when we think of our young siblings and future generations.
To purchase solar panels now is to act early and protect fossil fuels to the extent that they may last longer until alternative energy sources can be found, for everything that we are likely to need to power.
In summary, we need to balance the initial cost of fitting the solar panels against the savings we can make with our future energy bills. Long term we will notice a saving. This is because of accessing the sun’s free energy and benefitting from lower maintenance costs. Apart from the financial considerations, we should think of the environment and the legacy we are leaving for future generations. Not just the solar panels that we had fitted but the idea that they can now always be the way our home is powered. Once you have switched, you will never look back. As houses are being heated using solar panels, we are seeing more and more cars powered by electricity. We must embrace together these alternative energy sources. It is time to make the switch now.
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.