Solar Nerd articles about: Saving Money

All-electric homes are fast becoming one of the latest home trends. If you want to have cleaner indoor air, the latest technology, or save money (and who doesn’t?), an all-electric home might be right for you too. It also makes a lot of sense if you have solar panels, or you’re thinking about it. If you can generate enough electricity from rooftop solar panels, you can power all of the appliances in your home and still have a monthly electric bill that’s near zero.

Homeowners who want to go solar are usually interested in helping the environment, but for many people the top reason for adding solar panels to their house is to save money. Fortunately, everyone in the United States can be eligible for a federal income tax credit, which is currently worth 30% of the total system costs. For example, if you have a solar system with an invoice price of $20,000, the credit can reduce the amount of federal income tax you owe by $6,000.

People are accustomed to haggling on the price of a car, but you can negotiate the price of other products and services too. Did you know that you can even haggle the price of a mattress? I’ve never done it, but apparently it’s a thing. You can negotiate the price of your home solar installation, too. The general approach is to get quotes from multiple contractors, and then see if the higher priced installers will match or beat the price of your lower cost bids.

Got some old appliances around your house? Perhaps a refrigerator that’s a couple decades old, or a rattling air conditioner that came with the house? Or maybe it’s winter and your just furnace died and you need a replacement NOW or you’ll freeze to death right in your home. These are big ticket items that make a big hit to your pocketbook, often at unexpected times when they suddenly stop working on you.

For many people who are thinking of adding solar panels to their house, knowing whether they will add or reduce the value of your house is a really important question. While it makes sense that any type of improvement to your home, including solar panels, should increase its value, there are a few caveats to be aware of when it comes to solar. First of all, when it comes to the question of whether or not solar will increase your home value, the answer in most cases is yes.

Did you know that many utility companies give sizable rebates when you purchase a Nest, Ecobee, or other smart thermostat? In fact, you can sometimes get one completely free. They do this because smart thermostats help reduce energy loads, and dealing with peak power demands is one of the most difficult challenges for a utility. Reducing demand through improved efficiency is the easiest and most economical way to deal with this challenge, and it can help the utilities delay or avoid costly infrastructure upgrades.