14 Best Solar Companies in Durham, CA (Aug 2022 Review)

The Cost and Benefits of Solar in Durham

For most homeowners, the decision to invest in a solar energy system depends the most on the cost. Some key things that influence the upfront cost and potential savings over time include:

• The model of solar panel system you can buy: This is dependent on your income and budget.
• How much energy your household consumes: Households that need plenty of energy each month may require more solar panels and, therefore, be more expensive, but will also save more on their energy bills over time.
• Your household's power bills: Based on the fairly high monthly energy bills in Durham, you could save about $1,100 a year with solar.
• Incentives: Along with the federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which lets you receive a tax credit curretnly worth 26% of your overall installation cost, your local government may offer additional tax exemptions, credits or rebates that will help you save even more. Not including incentives, you can save an average of $32,000 over the first 20 years with your solar system, too.

There are lots of wonderful benefits of solar even with the upfront cost of installation. It can help the environment and your bank account. Plus, it can raise the value of your home, leading to even more benefits if you want to sell your home later.

Solar Incentives in Durham

One of the great things about installing a solar panel system is earning incentives from the government. Everyone can take advantage of the federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which will let you claim 26% of how much you paid for your solar installation on your tax return, lowering the amount of taxes you owe that year. Additionally, there may be some state and city incentives you can benefit from too. Check out the table below to find out what incentives you can take advantage of.

Environmental Impact of Switching to Solar in Durham

If you're considering adding solar panels to your home, one of the primary reasons why may be to lower your carbon footprint. But how much can switching to solar actually help the environment? If your home consumes a lot of energy, you can help the environment even more by switching to solar power. Although solar panel manufacturing emits carbon dioxide, the panels make up for it by considerably reducing the amount of CO2 you would have been responsible for if you still used nonrenewable energy. In Durham, you can reduce your carbon footprint by 50 pounds a year with solar panels. Since energy from the sun is renewable and generates electricity without CO2 emissions, adding solar panels to your home is one easy step you can take to help the environment.