14 Best Solar Companies in San Leandro, CA (Sep 2022 Review)

The Cost and Benefits of Solar in San Leandro

For the majority of homeowners, whether or not to invest in solar energy boils down to the cost. There are quite a few factors you should consider when trying to determine how much it will cost and how much you can save, such as:

• How much you spend on energy: If your local energy rates are quite high, there's a good chance you'll get a higher return on your investment in a solar panel system. In San Leandro, you can save an average of $88 a month on your electricity bills.
• Your income and budget: This determines what kind of solar panels you can get.
• The amount of sunlight your roof gets: If your rooftop doesn't see much direct sunlight, your solar system won't be able to produce as much energy, which will leave you with lower savings on electricity bills than a roof that gets lots of sunlight.
• Incentives: Along with the federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which gives you a tax credit currently worth 30% of your total installation cost, your local government may offer additional tax exemptions, credits or rebates that can help you save even more. Aside from incentives, you can save an average of $33,000 over 20 years with your solar panels, too.

Thanks to solar panels decreasing in cost as well as several solar incentives, they are a sound investment for most homeowners.

Solar Incentives in San Leandro

In an effort to increase solar panel installation and usage, incentives are offered by the government — and even some utility companies — to help make solar more economically viable and accessible. On top of the federal solar investment tax credit, there are also some local benefits, which in most cases, can be claimed in addition to the federal incentive, so you can save even more. The table below lists out the incentives you can take advantage of in San Leandro.

Environmental Impact of Switching to Solar in San Leandro

There are many reasons to switch to solar power, like saving some money on utility bills and helping to reduce your carbon footprint. Something many people might be thinking about is how much can they really help protect the environment by switching to solar power anyway? Something that can severely shape your carbon footprint is your commute time and how much you drive in general. If you switch to solar power and have an electric car, you can greatly lower your carbon dioxide emissions by charging your car at home. Because solar panels don't release CO2 emissions into the atmosphere when generating electricity, they're a good substitute for traditional energy sources. In fact, you could look forward to lowering your carbon dioxide emissions by about 50 pounds each year. Since solar power is plentiful and makes electricity without releasing carbon emissions, adding solar panels to your home is one easy step you can take to help preserve the environment.