What is it?
In a nutshell, Residential Solar is the use of solar panels on your own property to generate electricity.
Your electricity wouldn’t come from a power plant miles away, but from your own rooftop.
Of all of the options residential customers have for getting their energy, Residential Solar may be the boldest choice, but it shouldn’t be intimidating. Having solar panels installed on your house is probably cheaper and easier than you think.
The Benefits of Residential Solar
In addition to being a completely renewable and environmentally friendly form of energy, solar panels can provide financial benefits.
- Using residential solar will greatly reduce and sometimes eliminate your monthly electric bills. In fact, when you use less power than you generate with your solar panels, your electrical utility will credit you for the difference.
- Federal tax incentives allow up to 30% of the cost of solar installations to be deducted from your taxes.
- Illinois state incentives include Renewable Energy Credits (REC’s) that provide cash back for the energy your solar panels generate.
- Installer payment plans eliminate sticker shock by allowing you to pay for tyour panel installation at a monthly rate similar to your previous electric bill.
How Does it Work?
Solar panels are typically installed by licensed and insured contractors that specialize in the electrical and structural aspects of putting solar panels on the roof of your house and connecting them to the power grid. More than a dozen solar contractors currently work in northern Illinois. Like any large house project, customers can get competing proposals and quotes and choose the one that works best for them. In almost all cases, one of their main goals is to make the process as simple and easy as possible.
That process usually begins with a phone consultation. A representative will determine if your home is suitable for solar power and what your typical electricity needs may be.
If a solar installation is an option, the second step would be a home inspection, where an engineer would evaluate the surface area and support of the roof, existing electrical panels and wiring, and other factors that might effect the use of solar power.
After an agreement on the specifications and costs of the project, the actual installation begins. In addition to delivering and installing the solar panels themselves, contractors typically take care of construction permits and coordinating with your electrical utility to make sure the work goes as smoothly as possible.