18 Best Solar Companies in Mount Rainier, MD (Mar 2023 Review)

The Cost and Benefits of Solar in Mount Rainier

For many homeowners, whether or not to invest in a solar energy system boils down to the cost. There are quite a few factors you should consider when trying to determine costs and your potential savings, including:

• Your current power bills: Solar panels can noticeably lower, or entirely eliminate, your utility bills. In Mount Rainier, you can save an average of $76 a month.
• The model of solar panels you're thinking of getting: More efficient panels have higher prices, so that will affect your budget for your solar project.
• Incentives: The federal solar investment tax credit currently lets you reduce your taxes by 30% of the project cost. Your state may also have incentives and rebates that you can benefit from. In addition, you can save about $16,000 over 20 years on your utility bills, without incentives.
• The amount of sunlight your home gets: Thanks to Mount Rainier's high amount of average daily sunlight, you should be able to save a decent amount on your electric bills.

Although a solar panel system costs a decent chunk of money upfront, it can save you thousands of dollars over time. The question of how much, though, depends on a number of factors, such as the angle of your roof and incentives.

Solar Incentives in Mount Rainier

To increase the adoption of solar power, federal, state and local governments — and even some utility companies — offer incentives to help make going solar more economical and accessible. On top of the federal tax credit incentive, there are also some state- and city-level benefits, which in the majority of cases, stack with the federal incentive, so you get to save even more. Check out our article on solar incentives to find out what incentives you can benefit from.

Environmental Impact of Switching to Solar in Mount Rainier

If you want to add solar panels to your home, one of the main reasons why may be to reduce your reliance on nonrenewable energy. But — how much exactly can you help the environment by making the switch to solar? One thing to keep in mind is your overall carbon footprint. For example, if you spend a lot of time on the road and have an electric vehicle, you can use solar energy for your home to power your EV and therefore help offset your carbon emissions. Since solar panels don't release greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere when generating electricity, they're a good trade for traditional energy sources. In fact, you could be looking at reducing your carbon dioxide emissions by about 60 pounds each year. Since solar energy is plentiful and makes electricity without releasing carbon emissions, installing solar panels is one easy step you can take to help preserve the planet.