How Much Can You Save by Going Solar?

Guest post by Ovidiu Popescu*

The effects of climate change can be seen all over the planet. We need strong, cooperative and strategic actions to mitigate and adapt to global climate change. Renewable energy such as wind and solar are one of the most effective approaches to tackling climate change, as it offers an immediate solution to reduce global carbon dioxide emissions.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, explains just how effective solar energy could be: “If you wanted to power the entire United States with solar panels, it would take a fairly small corner of Nevada or Texas or Utah; you only need about 100 miles by 100 miles of solar panels to power the entire United States. The batteries you need to store the energy, so you have 24/7 power, is 1 mile by 1 mile. One square-mile. It’s a little square on the U.S. map, and then there’s a little pixel inside there, and that’s the size of the battery park that you need to support that. Real tiny.”

Going solar to reduce your carbon footprint

People usually underestimate the contribution one household can make towards tackling climate change. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average household produces around 20 metric tons of carbon pollution a year. By installing solar panels, your household could slash your carbon footprint by three to four tons of carbon every year.

Among its many advantages, solar energy can actually save people money in the long-term, thanks to modern technologies, declining prices of solar panels and governmental tax incentives.

How much you can save with solar energy?

While there are a couple of factors that will determine how much money you can save, such as location, solar system positioning, system size, energy usage and local utility rates, the main idea is the same: the more solar energy you generate, the less electricity you need to buy from the grid.

On average, U.S. residents use 10,766 kilowatt hours annually, and an average of 897 kilowatt hours monthly. Usually, people will pay around $120 per month for those 897 kilowatt hours of electricity.

A 5 kW solar system will deliver about 7,117 kWh per year, or 593 kWh per month. This means homeowners with an average solar power system installed on their roof are going to cut electricity bills in half. That’s approximately $720 in savings per year, and over 20 years, the total savings would reach up to $14,400 — or more.

A solar panel array can save you money and help the environment so call your local dealer today.

*Ovidiu Popescu runs greentumble.com (together with his wife and few other friends). They try to inspire people to open their minds, and change their attitudes and behaviors towards a more sustainable lifestyle.