18 Best Solar Companies in Williamsburg, VA (Feb 2023 Review)

The Cost and Benefits of Solar in Williamsburg

Solar panels are powered by a free energy source — the sun — but before you can take advantage of this you will need to pay to set up your system. A few main factors that influence the cost of installing a solar panel system on your home and how much money you could save over time include:

• How much sunlight your roof gets: If your roof doesn't see much direct sunlight, your solar panel system won't be able to generate as much energy, which will leave you with lower savings on electricity bills than a roof that gets plenty of sunlight.
• Incentives: Something that can reduce the cost of your solar project is the solar investment tax credit (ITC), which is a tax credit that lets you deduct from your taxes a percentage of the project cost. You can also save a decent amount of money on your utility bills, which can generate an average of $18,000 of savings over 20 years.
• Choice of solar panels: The type of solar panels you choose will affect your total cost. High-efficiency monocrystalline panels are more expensive upfront but can also save you more money 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.
• average energy usage: The more power your home consumes on average and the steeper your current power bills are, the more money you could save by going solar.

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

Solar Incentives in Williamsburg

In order to increase solar panel installation and usage, federal, state and local governments — and even some utility companies — offer incentives to help make solar power more economically viable and accessible. State and city solar incentives depend on the location and, sometimes, utility company. A lot of states offer rebates for home solar power systems, in addition to the federal solar tax credit. In our article on solar incentives, you can see the incentives you qualify for in your area.

Environmental Impact of Switching to Solar in Williamsburg

One of the best reasons to tap into solar energy is to cut your dependence on nonrenewable energy sources like burning fossil fuels, which are harmful for the environment. Something many might be wondering about is how much can they really help the environment by switching to solar power anyway? The more energy your household uses, the better off the planet will be from you switching to solar as you won't have to use as much nonrenewable energy. Since solar panels don't release CO2 emissions into the atmosphere when producing electricity, they're a good alternative to nonrenewable energy sources. In fact, you could expect to reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by about 60 pounds each year. For people who want to help the environment, the upfront cost of solar is a small price to pay for reducing your carbon footprint.