Studies have shown that the average American does care a good amount about reducing their carbon footprint and bettering the health of the planet. It’s this care that has likely led to an increase in solar adoption by homeowners over the past two decades.
Solar has increased in popularity, of course, for more reasons than just a green conscious. Those who switch to solar get to enjoy many benefits: they save energy and money.
How exactly can installing a solar panel help you to conserve energy and put more money back into your wallet? Read on and we’ll walk you through everything that you need to know.
How Do Solar Panels Work?
If you’re somewhat new to the concept of the solar panel, you might not be entirely certain how this kind of technology harvests and provides energy in a way that is different from more traditional sources.
Solar panels are made up of cells with conducting material layered inside. When light from the sun shines down on these cells, electrons are released. It is the flow of these electrons that ends up creating electricity.
One solar cell is going to produce only a small amount of usable electricity. However, panels are made up of a great many cells. Home solar systems, also, are usually made up of many panels.
This means you have a great number of cells are producing electricity at one time. The more sunlight these panels get, the more electricity they are going to produce.
This is why most panel systems are set up on roofs or in areas in which they are going to get the most direct sunlight over the course of a full day. Most people have systems installed on roofs to optimize sunlight, but it is possible to have them installed on walls or in yards.
The solar systems installed by top solar companies will have inverters installed that can transfer this harnessed energy into your home. It can be converted from a direct current to an alternating current, making it usable by most appliances and devices in your home.
In this way, solar panels can help power the average American home with relative ease.
How Solar Can Help Save Energy
Solar panels can harness a great amount of energy from the sun at the end of each and every day. On a perfectly sunny day, they very well could capture more energy than you even end up using.
The more energy your solar panels capture, the less you’ll need to rely on power and electricity from National Grid. Saved energy leftover in a solar system can be stored and used in the future, further helping to cut down costs.
It is perfectly possible to run all devices and appliances in a home off of solar energy. As such, switching to this kind of renewable energy resource can help you to cut down on how much traditional energy you end up using as a household.
Cutting back on energy usage is a great way to help the planet out. It helps to reduce the pollution required to create energy from the grid and funnel it to your home.
Solar energy also does not require the production of any type of greenhouse gas in order to create energy. This is an emission-free energy source. You are not, in any way, contributing to global warming when you use the power of the sun to fuel your home.
This is something you can go to sleep at night feeling very proud of! Installing solar can decrease your carbon footprint by a huge margin within one year of installation.
How Solar Can Help Save You Money
The main costs associated with solar will all be upfront costs. The materials needed for installation and the cost of labor itself won’t necessarily be cheap. You need to look at the installation of a solar system for your home as an investment.
Why as an investment? In the long term, your solar system has the possibility of saving you a great deal of money. Once installed, your solar system does not cost any money to run. It requires very little maintenance and care and can last for many years without any updates.
At the same time, all that energy that is being harnessed from the sun is helping to reduce your utility costs. No longer will you face that huge bill from the energy company at the end of each month. With the help of a good solar system, you can reduce your energy bills by a huge margin.
All that money can go right back into your own pocket!
So yes, the investment might seem like a lot at first, but the return on this investment over the years makes going solar well worth considering. There is a reason why many people consider it to be the best way to save energy.
You can also look into more money-saving opportunities as you get your solar installed. There are many federal, state, and local rebates that attempt to incentivize homeowners to make the switch to solar. There may be an opportunity, if you act fast, to save even more money than you may have thought possible.
The Many Benefits of Solar Energy
If you’re considering making the switch to solar, it’s important to understand the many benefits that might come your way as a result. Switching to solar can help you save energy, money, and help the planet out all at the same time.
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