13 Best Solar Companies in Austin, TX (Mar 2023 Review)

The Cost and Benefits of Solar in Austin

Solar panels run off a free energy source — the sun — but to take advantage of this you will need to pay to install your system. There are a few factors you should consider when trying to determine costs and your potential savings, including:

• Incentives: The federal solar investment tax credit currently lets you reduce your taxes by 30% of the project cost. Your state and city may also have various incentives that you can benefit from. In addition, you can save about $18,000 over 20 years on your utility bills, before factoring in incentives.
• average energy usage: The more electricity your home consumes on average and the greater your current electricity bills are, the more benefits you'll see 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 generate as much energy, which will leave you with lower savings on electric bills than a roof that gets a lot of sunlight.
• Your income and budget: This guides what kind of solar panels you can afford.

Because of solar panels decreasing in cost as well as several solar incentives, they are a worthwhile investment for the majority of homeowners.

Solar Incentives in Austin

If you're thinking about switching to solar power, a variety of government incentives and subsidies can greatly reduce your project costs and expedite the return on your investment. There are a lot of federal, state and local rebates and tax credits that let you earn a decent amount of money back after buying a qualifying system. Our article on solar incentives has more information on the incentives you can take advantage of in Austin.

Environmental Impact of Switching to Solar in Austin

One of the best reasons to use solar power is to cut your reliance on traditional energy sources like burning fossil fuels, which are damaging for the environment. You may be asking yourself — how much does going solar help the environment anyway? Your energy usage is an important factor to keep in mind. The more electricity you use, the greater your impact when you make the switch to solar power. Though making solar panels releases carbon dioxide emissions, the panels make up for it by significantly lowering the amount of CO2 you would have been responsible for if you still used traditional energy. In Austin, you can reduce your carbon footprint by 80 pounds a year with solar panels. If you want to do your part for the environment, you'll no doubt understand that there are many good things about adopting solar energy other than just saving money on bills. You can also help protect the environment, which some would argue is priceless.