PV Gap

Henry Said:

why aren't solar panels for your house more affordable?

We Answered:

Technology needs to pay for itself, in other words people have put a lot of money into clean energy alternatives and they need to make that money back. Solar is becoming more affordable than it used to be, and its also more efficient than it was 30 years ago.

Our current energy sources are highly subsidized by the government. If you were to go to Canada or Europe, their energy prices are closer to the world market price, which means that they pay a lot more than we do for their energy.

You should check into tax credits you may be able to receive after you buy some kind of alternative energy source. For example, where I live (MT), if you put $5000 into solar panels, in about 2 years they will pay for themselves. This is because, number one, you save money on your electricity bill, and number two, tax credits, some states give pretty generous tax credits for clean energy alternatives. The catch for that is that you either have to put the money up front.

Some alternative energy companies are also starting to let you make payments (like rent to own sort of thing).

If you have a professional installer (someone who is certified), they are more likely to guarantee their work, so if there is some maintenance, then they would have to fix their mistakes or charge a nominal fee for routine maintenance.

You may want to check out realgoodssolar.com

Good luck!