13 Best Solar Companies in Fort Collins, CO (Oct 2022 Review)

The Cost and Benefits of Solar in Fort Collins

Solar panels run off a free energy source — the sun — but to take advantage of this you must first pay to install your system. Some key factors that determine the cost of installing a solar panel system on your home and how much it could save you over time are:

• How much energy you use: If your household uses a lot of energy, you'll reap more rewards from switching to solar.
• The amount of sunlight your city gets: Thanks to Fort Collins' high amount of average daily sunlight, you should be able to save a decent amount on your electricity bills.
• Your income and budget: This determines what model of solar panels you can purchase.
• Incentives: Along with the federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which lets you deduct 30% of your total installation cost, your state or local government may offer additional tax exemptions, credits or rebates that can help you save even more. Not including incentives, you can save an average of $18,000 over 20 years with your solar system, too.

Although a solar panel system costs a sizable chunk of money upfront, it can save you a considerable amount over the lifespan of your panels. The question of how much, though, depends on a number of factors, like the amount of daily direct sunlight available and incentives.

Solar Incentives in Fort Collins

In an effort to increase the adoption of solar power, federal and local governments — and even some utility companies — offer incentives to help make switching to solar power more affordable and accessible. In addition to the federal tax credit incentive, there are also some state- and city-level incentives, which in the majority of cases, can be claimed in addition to the federal incentive, so you get to save even more. You can find out about the incentives you can take advantage of in our article on solar incentives

Environmental Impact of Switching to Solar in Fort Collins

There are a few important reasons why people are interested in solar energy: for the financial and environmental benefits. Something many people might be asking themselves is how much can they really help preserve the environment by switching to solar power anyway? For homeowners who care about the environment, switching to solar power is an easy decision, especially since Fort Collins produces a very high amount of carbon dioxide emissions from its energy generation. In fact, if you install solar panels, you could expect to reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by about 100 pounds each year. For those who want to help the environment, the upfront cost of solar is a small price to pay for the offset carbon emissions.