Rooftop solar is one of the best things that has happened to my house, but I still feel intimidated when I talk to others about solar. There are repeating concerns, so let’s address them head on.
Myth: Solar is expensive
Reality: Solar panels can hurt upfront, but they’re one of the best bang for your buck.
Let’s start with the obvious first. Solar, like renewable energy in general, comes with a hefty price tag. i have had sun on the roof for about ten years and have gone through the process of installing the panels three times during this period. My wife and I spent about $50,000 on solar panels covering the roof of our current home (although we got about $15,000 of that back in tax credits that have since expired).
$50K is not the kind of money most of us have on hand, and there are many who cannot afford that kind of financing. I understand that. But for people who can afford it—those who would drop the same amount of money on a new gas-powered car that will cost extra to fuel and maintain—it’s a way to make an investment that ultimately saves more money than it costs.
It’s not a luxury I choose to avoid paying for electricity. This means I have two options: pay to generate that electricity myself or rent it from someone else. As with owning a home, buying a car, and renting in general – it’s cheaper to own something in the long run if you’re going to use it often.
- Brand
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Ugreen
- Battery Capacity
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48,000 mAh
Ugreen’s 48000mAh battery pack charges up to 5 devices and offers universal device compatibility, so you’ll never have to worry about your tech dying when you’re out of power.
With the increase in electricity prices, a few hundred per month in electricity bills equates to several thousand per year going to the power company. If my family pays $5,000 a year for electricity, ten years from now we’ll be spending $50,000. In twenty years, we will have spent at least twice that (especially when you consider that utility costs will increase during that time).
As long as my wife and I continue to live in this house, the money from the solar installation could just be enough to put one child through college.
Myth: Solar only solves your electric bill
Reality: Solar can also potentially replace your gas bill
Many people only consider how much electricity their home currently uses when calculating the potential savings of going solar. For families driving gas-powered cars, that’s not the whole picture. You may not have an electric car today, but if you buy one five years from now, your solar panels will generate free fuel you won’t have to buy anymore. If your current electric bill is $150 a month, but you pay $300 a month in gas, that drastically changes the rate at which your panels pay for themselves.
Yes, those electric cars will cost money to buy, but so will the non-electric ones. My wife and I drive two electric cars that were bought about $40,000 each about five years ago – which means we paid less for them. The average price of a new car in the US todayelectrical or otherwise. Since we didn’t pay a lot to fill them up at home, we were able to partially pay for them with the money we used to put into gas. When you are Stop paying for gas, where EVs have become a cheaper option.
I come from a part of the country where $40K is a lot of money, but the gas cars I grew up with sold for less than the electric ones because so many were old. You can’t buy an electric car since 1998, when we didn’t really have a half-decent number of long-range EVs until 2018. On the other hand, electric cars are currently depreciating faster than gas, and over time the used electric car market will continue to grow and lower prices. When the year comes when you can pick up a used Chevy Bolt or Mustang Mach-E for relative pennies, you’ll be glad you already have panels. After all, a A 3-year-old Mustang Mach-E is already $10,000 cheaper than new.
Myth: Solar panels are fragile
Reality: These panels can take more punishment than the shingles on your roof
I’ve heard people express concern about solar panels being damaged, which makes sense—if I’m spending tens of thousands of dollars on something, I don’t want to spend extra money on replacements or repairs. However, like cars, solar panels are designed to handle being outside 24/7. In fact, they drive better than cars.
You see, I have yet to see solar panels get damaged no matter what the sky throws at them. Our panels have survived snow storms, sleet and hail. High winds were never a problem either. Years later, they continue to look as good as new.
Myth: Solar panels damage your roof
Some people have told me that they feel more comfortable installing ground-mounted solar panels because they don’t want to damage the roof. They are quick to ask me if I ever had a leak. The answer is no. i don’t have
I’m not going to tell you that it’s impossible for a rooftop solar system to cause leaks. As with anything related to your home, some contractors work better than others. However, in general, installing leak-proof panels is the rule, not the exception. If anything, the fact that solar installers don’t put panels on an aging roof, the process of replacing old shingles can actually make a home less likely to leak soon.
I think of my panels more as an extra layer of protection. The area of the roof under the panels does not suffer from direct sunlight, rain and other weather like the rest of the roof.
Just because I don’t regret my solar installation doesn’t mean that others haven’t expressed regret, especially those sold under various types of cost-sharing arrangements. I suggest you take out a car loan and then buy the panels outright. Your costs may be higher initially when you make loan payments, but in the end you will be left with a utility bill that is almost completely eliminated.
