Solar panels have become much more common than they used to be. As prices have dropped, more people are considering solar energy to either supplement their energy needs, use solar energy as an emergency source of power, or replace their dependence on the grid altogether. It has to be pointed out that although we said prices have dropped dramatically, we don’t mean the systems are cheap. Far from it. If you look at the typical costs, you will pay between $8 and $10 per watt installed. That means that depending on the output you want, the tax breaks and other incentives you receive, you could pay between $12,000 and $40,000 for you complete system. Not cheap indeed.

With Solar Energy, Think Long-Term

Unless you’ve saved for a while and simply have the money to drop on a turn-key system, most people look to finance out over some years. Some people finance out to 30 years, although that makes your investment a very long-term play. Some people have rolled the cost of their systems into a refinance with good results. Your mileage may vary though so make sure you get solid financial advice. In the end, at least it’s not a swimming pool.

DIY Solar Systems

While most homeowners go with any number of established solar energy reseller companies, there are now kits on the market that allow you to mount your panels yourself. If you of a mind to do this, it could be a good alternative to the markups you will get with larger companies. Assuming you are familiar with the engineering needed to reinforce your roof to withstand the additional weight (or even if that is necessary on your roof), the basic installation of the panels, although arduous, isn’t very complicated. The other big event is actually hooking up these panels to your home so that they behave the way that you intend them to. If you are simply supplementing your home current, a battery array isn’t necessary. But battery arrays add a lot of utility to your solar system, in that they extend the ability to use your stored power at night when the sun isn’t shining. In addition, it gives you an electrical system that is hardened (if not immune) to power outages.

So you will need to know how to:

  1. Connect your panels to an inverter
  2. Connect your inverter to your home grid or
  3. If you have a battery array, connect your inverter to the battery array and then your home grid

If that doesn’t sound completely familiar to you, we submit that discretion may be the better part of valor. If you contact us at Mr. Electric of Chapel Hill, we can help you get your solar system connected correctly to your home system. Safely. Then you can start reaping the benefits of your shiny new solar array. And the first time you get credit from the electric company for any additional juice that you pushed back into the grid, you’ll know that setting things up intelligently was all worth it.