Sponsored Post – from Revolve Solar
Forget all that “Winter is Coming” nonsense. We Texans have a far more menacing threat than George R.R. Martin could have penned rapidly approaching—summer. Sure, it sounds glamorous with sunnier days and its abundance of roadside peach stands, but we all know summer has its negatives too. Remember the last time you were scorched upon entering a car that had been sitting in the sun all day? It takes a lot of peach cobbler and Blue Bell ice cream to suppress that kind of trauma (trust us, we know).
In the same vein, many Texans also have the nightmare of high electricity bills looming over them during this chaotic time as they seek to beat the heat by blasting their air conditioning units.
It’s the worst, right? Depending on your home, you might be looking at a utility bill of a couple hundred dollars! Fortunately, people all around the world are discovering that they don’t have to be at the mercy of scorching temperatures or costly energy; they have a choice! Nowhere is that more true that here in Central Texas where homeowners are making the sun work for them and slashing utility bills with solar energy.
“How much does home solar cost?”, you politely ask. Well, according to the good folks over at EnergySage, Texas is actually one of the most affordable locations in the U.S. for a homeowner to go solar. At an average gross cost of $3.21/Watt, the cost of solar in Texas was the lowest of all the regions examined for the second half of 2015. This is a fair drop from the $3.25/Watt average cost in H1 (first half) 2015 and is considerably less than the national average ($3.69/Watt).
Bear in mind, all these numbers are referring to the gross cost of the system (including the solar panels, inverters, labor costs, etc.). In actuality, Texans—especially Central Texans—have several generous incentives available to them that help reduce the upfront costs of going solar. These include the 30 percent solar tax credit and local rebates for Austin Energy or ONCOR customers.
See Also: Your Comprehensive Guide to Austin’s Solar Rebates and Incentives
According to the EnergySage report, the net costs associated with going solar (after applying rebates, credits, etc.) actually dropped as a percentage of total costs from 56.1 percent in H1 2015 to 55.7 percent in H2 (second half) 2015. So, in essence, homeowners are paying a smaller percentage of a system’s total cost which is also—on average—steadily decreasing year over year.
Dedicated readers of this blog know all too well that temperatures are on the rise thanks to climate change. Fortunately, going solar has never been more affordable in Texas, and we at Revolve think that deserves a bit of celebration. So look into reducing your bills with solar, enjoy blasting your AC without worry, and treat yourself to another piece of peach cobbler in celebration of your decision! You earned that kind of financial stability this summer.
(Save us a slice)
