9 Best Solar Companies in Carter Lake, IA (Sep 2022 Review)

The Cost and Benefits of Solar in Carter Lake

The cost of putting up solar panels has decreased immensely in the past several years, but it's still a large investment for most homeowners. Some important things that affect the cost and possible savings include:

• Electricity consumption: The average household in Carter Lake uses a lot of energy, and so may see more savings on electricity bills than other places.
• Average daily sunlight: Since Carter Lake gets a decent amount of average daily sunlight, your solar panels can generally generate enough energy to power your whole home, which impacts how much you can save on your energy bills.
• Choice of solar panels: The type of solar panels you want 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 space isn't a constraint for your project, you can opt for a higher number of more affordable panels.
• Incentives: The federal solar investment tax credit currently allows you to reduce your taxes by 30% of the project cost. Your state and even local utility companies may also have incentives and rebates that you can take advantage of. Plus, you can save about $15,000 over 20 years on your utility bills, not including incentives.

Because of solar panels now being cheaper than ever as well as various solar incentives, they are a solid investment for many homeowners.

Solar Incentives in Carter Lake

Because solar power is a cleaner source of energy than traditional energy sources, there are quite a few government incentives in place to encourage people to make the switch. You can qualify for the federal solar investment tax credit (ITC) for the tax year you turn on your a solar system. You can also potentially pair the ITC with other state and city rebates and benefits. For more information about local incentives, see the table below.

Environmental Impact of Switching to Solar in Carter Lake

A lot of people want to do what they can to help save the environment, which in many cases is the prime motivation to install a solar system. You may be curious — how much does going solar help the planet anyway? Adopting solar power is an impactful choice for the environment, because the greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. is from burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation — all of which can be powered by solar instead. After you go solar, your carbon emissions can be lowered by about 100 pounds a year. For those who are worried about the environment, the upfront cost of solar is a small price to pay for reducing your carbon footprint.