17 Best Solar Companies in Mill Valley, CA (Feb 2023 Review)

The Cost and Benefits of Solar in Mill Valley

Solar panels run off a free energy source — the sun — but to take advantage of this you must first pay to set up your system. Some important things that affect the upfront cost and potential savings over time include:

• Incentives: The federal solar investment tax credit currently lets you decrease your taxes by 30% of the project cost. Your state and even local utility companies may also have various incentives that you can use. In addition, you can save about $32,000 over 20 years on your utility bills, without incentives.
• Where your home is: This affects how much sunlight your roof receives, which helps determine how many panels you need.
• Choice of solar panels: The type of solar panels you choose will affect your total cost. High-efficiency monocrystalline panels will cost more upfront but can also lead to more savings over the lifetime of your system. If you don't need to maximize efficiency, you can opt for a higher number of more affordable panels.
• Your energy bills: This will dictate your savings. In Mill Valley, the average resident can save about $1,100 a year on their electricity bills.

So is installing solar panels worth it? Whether you're trying to reduce your electric bills, greenhouse gas emissions or both, solar panels are a great investment for many Mill Valley homeowners.

Solar Incentives in Mill Valley

Since solar power is a cleaner source of energy than burning fossil fuels, there are quite a few government incentives available to encourage its adoption. On top of the federal solar investment tax credit, there are also some local programs, which in most cases, can be claimed in addition to the federal incentive, so you can save even more. You can learn about the incentives you can use in our article on solar incentives

Environmental Impact of Switching to Solar in Mill Valley

There are a few main reasons why homeowners are considering solar energy: to put more money in their bank account and to help the planet. But how much can switching to solar actually help the environment? Something that can drastically affect your carbon footprint is your commute time and how much you drive generally. If you switch to solar power and drive an electric car, you can significantly cut back on your carbon dioxide emissions by charging your car at home. In fact, if you adopt solar power, you could expect to reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by about 50 pounds each year. Since solar energy is renewable and produces electricity without releasing carbon emissions, adding solar panels to your home is one easy step you can take to help preserve the planet.