The Upsides and Downsides of Residential Solar Power

It is important to inform yourself about all the positive and negative aspects of residential solar power before you make a decision. A solar home can substantially reduce the need for fossil fuels and reduce your energy costs. Like with any investment into your home, you should thoroughly research the pros and cons of solar power.

Why Choose Home Solar Power

Owners of solar powered homes these days can receive generous tax incentives from local, state and Federal government agencies. These tax breaks and credits can go a long way to reduce the initial cost of a home solar conversion.

There can be little to cost for electricity once a residential solar power system has been successfully installed and is up and running. In most parts of the country, it is possible to make money by reselling power to the utility companies.

Using home solar power and being off the power grid means that even when the weather is stormy and the power grid goes down there is still electricity at your house. This does tend to happen frequently in the hot summer month in the southwestern US, due to the high use of air conditioning resulting in brownouts and even outages across entire regions.

Another thing going for solar power is the available option of doing it oneself. With the help of the latest solar power conversion kits and books and information available, it is possible to switch your home to residential solar power by doing it yourself. Do your homework, and make sure to get all the necessary permits.

Why not Choose Home Solar Power

The initial cost of converting an existing home to solar power keeps the option out of range for most homeowners due to lack of funds for such such an investment. However, the cost can be quite a bit less when incorporating solar power options into a new home when it’s being built.

It can be quite a daunting task and most often requires certified installers, permits and more complication to convert an existing home to solar power. A homeowner needs to do their research and have the paperwork ready beforehand.

Solar energy is not available to everyone, everywhere. As long as the sun shines solar power can keep the batteries charged, but many homes in more northern states, homes without a good southern exposure, and homes with large trees or building blocking the sun’s rays may not be good candidates for a residential solar conversion.

Converting a home to solar power can be a rewarding and cost-effective endeavor for many homeowners, but it’s not for everyone. A solar collector for water heating could for save you a lot of money.

But it is likely that there will be many more home solar conversions done in the coming years, partly due to rising energy costs, dwindling fossil fuels and also, in large part, a result of environmental concerns associated with greenhouse gases.