11 Best Solar Companies in Columbia, MD (2023 Reviews)

The Cost and Benefits of Solar in Columbia

For the majority of homeowners, whether or not you should invest in solar panels depends the most on the cost. There are quite a few factors you should take into consideration when trying to determine the overall cost and how much you can save, including:

• Choice of solar panels: The type of solar panels you get will affect your total cost. High-efficiency monocrystalline panels are more expensive 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 go with a higher number of more affordable panels.
• How much energy you use: If your family needs to use a lot of energy, you'll reap more rewards from switching to solar.
• The amount of sunlight your roof gets: If your roof 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 energy bills than a roof that gets a lot of sunlight.
• Incentives: The federal solar investment tax credit, which everyone in the U.S. is eligible for, lets you deduct 30% of the cost of your solar system installation from your taxes. Plus, not including incentives, you can save about $14,000 over 20 years on your energy bills.

So is installing solar panels worth it? Whether you'd like to reduce your electric bills, carbon emissions or both, solar panels are a solid investment for many Columbia homeowners.

Solar Incentives in Columbia

In an effort to increase the adoption of solar power, federal, state and local governments — and even some utility companies — offer incentives to help make switching to solar power more economical and accessible. When you install a solar panel system on your house, you can take advatage of the federal tax credit, or ITC. This credit currently lowers your tax bill by 30% of the cost of your solar panels. Additionally, there are often some regional incentives that you can benefit from to further cut back on the cost of solar of solar panels. For more information about local incentives, see our our article on solar incentives.

Environmental Impact of Switching to Solar in Columbia

If you're planning on adding solar panels to your home, one of the major reasons why may be to reduce your carbon footprint. You may be asking yourself — how much does going solar do for the planet anyway? In a city like Columbia where energy use is rather high, making the switch to solar power is a fantastic plan for people who care about the planet. In Columbia, the average resident can lower their carbon footprint by 60 pounds a year after going solar. For homeowners who are worried about the environment, the upfront cost of solar is a small price to pay for the offset carbon emissions.