If you live in California, you’ve probably seen a lot of solar panels going up in your area. Due to great incentives and more, panels have been very popular in the state.
But are solar panels worth it in California? Or are people just jumping on the bandwagon without really knowing what’s in it for them?
If you’re thinking about putting solar panels on your home in California, below, you’ll get an overview of the pros and cons of doing so. This will help you decide if it’s worth it for you to add them to your home.
Are Solar Panels Worth It In California?
For a lot of homeowners in California, the short answer to this question is yes.
The longer short answer is that there are a lot of things that make solar very worth it for many residents of CA. The main reasons for this include:
- There are great solar incentives available in the state (though some may be going away soon, so you should act sooner rather than later to make sure you get in on them)
- High electricity costs in the state that are only going higher
- Frequent and prolonged power outages
- Panels increase the value of your home
- The state gets plenty of sunshine
- The environmental benefits of going solar
So if you are a resident of California and you are thinking about going solar, it is definitely worth looking into and getting a customized quote.
However, do not jump the gun just yet. Solar is not the right fit for everyone. For example, if your roof gets a lot of shade, then solar may not be worth it for you.
A Deeper Overview of Going Solar in California
There are things that you need to know before you decide to install solar panels on your property.
If you live in California, then I am pretty sure that you already know that utility rates there are pretty high. In fact, it is nearly twice as much as the national average utility rates in the country.
In June 2021, the cost of electricity was 23.11 cents per kilowatt hour. On average, households in California use 532 kiloWatt hours each month. And costs are certainly only going to go up. That means only higher electric bills.
Adding solar panels can be a great way to slash or eliminate your monthly electric bill.
So we know that electric bills are high. What about the costs of solar panels?
The average cost of installing a solar panel ranges from around $11,000 to $15,000. If you put it on a cost-per-watt basis, then the installation of a solar panel unit ranges from $2.41 to $3.27. But the cost differs depending on the size and watts of your solar panel installation.
Given the electricity usage in the state, you may need a 5 to 8-kilowatt-hour solar system to fully power your home. But, even if your solar system doesn’t completely power your home, you should still see significant savings from solar.
Another reason solar panels are great for your home in California is they add to the resale value of your home. And they can help your home sell faster if you go to sell it.
Installing a solar panel on your property in California also makes you eligible for a 30 percent federal tax credit. This takes a big chunk out of the upfront costs of installing panels.
Solar panels are also good in California, thanks to the weather. As stated early in the article, California is a pretty bright state during the day. And this allows for more solar power production.
California also has a generous net energy metering program (though some politicians and utilities are trying to get rid of it). So if your solar panel produces excess energy that goes into the power grid, your utility company will give you credits.
If your solar savings amount to $100 a month, then it would take 13 and a half years for a $16,000 solar panel installation to reach its break-even point. But many homeowners in California will see much greater savings and will break even a lot faster than that.
So, are solar panels worth it in California? Again, for many homeowners, the answer is definitely yes. But the best way to know for sure is to get a custom savings and cost estimate using a solar calculator.
