Cheap Solar Houston TX

Choosing a Solar Installer offers advice for customers in selecting a solar contractor, questions that customers should ask a solar contractor, and information that should be included in a solar contractor’s bid.

Will Solar Panels Save You Money? discusses key questions homeowners should explore when assessing whether going solar makes financial sense, including how the cost of solar compares to savings from solar, how the federal tax credit works, and how much a homeowner’s electricity bill can be offset by solar.

If you have a question that you think we should add to this list, please let us know.

Is solar really expensive?

This is the biggest myth of all and our favorite to address. Most home owners actually have no idea how much a solar system costs, and the fact is that the price of solar is absolutely at an all-time low.

As the prices for solar continue to drop, the utility companies’ rates will continue to rise. Electricity is not cheap to produce, and as our communities and population continue to grow, so does the requirement to produce more energy.

How much do solar panels cost?

That depends on which solar panels you want to use. They are more expensive when buying them in small quantities, and not all solar panels or associated equipment are available to individual consumers.

There are several companies in many countries, including the USA, and a professional installation company will provide you with information regarding the differences between the least expensive, middle of the road, and high-end solar panels.

You pay for an entire solar system, including its installation, you don’t pay for separate pieces and parts.

How many panels do I need?

That depends on how much energy you want to produce to offset your current energy usage. It also depends on how much appropriate roof space you have where solar can be installed.

What does it take to get a solar energy system installed?

We recommend you choose a professional solar installation company who has a NABCEP certified solar professional and a master electrician on their team. Some rebate programs (such as Inexpensive Solar Houston TX) require that the solar installation teams include NABCEP certified professional installer.

Do I have to install solar panels myself?

No – this is a solar electric system which is creating its own electricity and which will be electrically connected to the existing utility grid. This does not qualify as a do-it-yourself weekend project, unless you are licensed to work with this equipment. All systems that are connected with the utility grid must be officially approved with paperwork signed before the system can be commissioned.

There are National Electric Codes that must be followed, and permits that need to be pulled, so we recommend you hire a professional, qualified installation company to install your system for you.

If you are an Inexpensive Solar Houston TX customer and wish to take advantage of the solar rebate program, there are program requirements that must be completed in order to be approved for the rebates, and working with a company who has NABCEP certified installers is one of those requirements.

How much is a solar system installation?

That depends on these main points, to start:

1) How much roof space do you have that is viable for a solar system?

2) What is your budget for this long-term investment?

3) Are there any additional expenses due to bringing your home’s current electric system up to code (distribution panels, etc.)?

4) Which technology will be used, regarding the panels and the inverters?

5) Does your utility company offer rebates or other incentives?

To give you an idea of what fairly standard solar installation inverters and no additional electric upgrade expenses looks like, a 6 kW solar system could cost approximately $18,000.

If your utility company offers rebates ($0.80 per watt, for example), that amount would be deducted: $18,000 – $4,800 = $13,200

30% of the final amount can be used as a tax credit on your taxes (see more info & links below): 30% of $13,200 = $3,960

$18,000 – $4,800 – $3,960 = $9,240

Your out-of-pocket investment could be only $9,240 for a no-to-low maintenance solar electric system that will generate its own electricity for the next 25 years!

What would a 6 kW system do for my home and my utility bill?

This is specific information your solar installation company will be happy to provide you with. This information is determined by the location of your home, and the direction of your roofing that is viable for solar. This is also dependent on how much energy you use in your home. This is one reason why energy efficiency is crucial: the less energy used, the more benefits you will reap from the energy your solar system will produce.

For example: A 6 kW system in Austin, TX on a 30° roof with a direction of 180° (azimuth) will produce a conservative average of approximately 8,700 kWh per year. An average single family home in Austin uses 10,740 kWh per year, so this 6 kW system will produce about half of the energy that is being used in an average home. Inexpensive Solar Houston TX will credit you based on the Value of Solar (VoS) rate. If the VoS rate is $0.09 per kWh, you would receive bill credits throughout the year totaling about $783, and the payback would be about 11 years and 10 months. These credits roll over from year to year, as long as you are an Inexpensive Solar Houston TX customer. Your solar installation company should provide you with a report in advance that denotes a conservative approximation of how much your solar system will produce for you on a monthly basis, with respect to your monthly bills and usage.

What about financing a solar system?

Inexpensive Solar Houston TX partners with Velocity Credit union to offer loans for solar and energy efficiency upgrades. Many solar installers now work with lenders and can give you information about financing options when you get a quote. Your credit union or bank may also offer solar loans.

How long before they pay for themselves?

Prices have dropped so much in the last few years that the average 6 kW system now has a pay back period of less than 9 years. Return on investment (ROI) is not the only money math to consider. You immediately begin to save money on your utility bill, and if you were to buy the energy from your solar system, the cost is less than 7 cents per kilowatt-hour, which is well below today’s current utility rate.

How do I get the solar rebate from Inexpensive Solar Houston TX?

First, find a qualified, approved solar installation contractor (listed on this webpage) to make sure your home can have solar installed, find out how much can be installed, and have them answer all other pertinent questions specific to you. If your house is 10 years or older, you will be required to get an energy audit from an approved energy efficiency contractor (listed on this webpage) in order to qualify you for the solar rebates. Although you won’t be required to make any energy efficiency upgrades, doing so is often cost-effective, because reducing your energy use will either reduce the size of the solar system you need or will allow your system to meet more of your needs. Inexpensive Solar Houston TX also offers rebates for energy efficiency measures for your home. As your home is being approved, your chosen solar installation company will be working with you to schedule your solar installation and answer all remaining questions for you.

What considerations need to be made regarding my roof?

Your roof optimally should be less than 10 years old. Your solar system will last for 25 years and needs to be installed on a roof that is structurally sound and does not need replacing within the next 10 years.Things happen (like hail), so if your roof needs to be replaced due to such storms or other events, make sure you tell your insurance agent when you contact them about the damages so they include the removal and re-installation on your claim.

Do I need to worry about storms and hail?

This technology was developed for use on satellites, in which there are no expectations for a service call and/or maintenance, so we reap the benefits that under the standard test conditions, the solar panels will withstand hail up to one inch in diameter, traveling at 50 miles per hour. Since your panels are not positioned in a way that the hail will hit them directly, the tempered glass will further protect itself – and your roof.If a storm is bad enough to destroy your solar system, your roof will also be destroyed – which is why we carry home owner’s insurance, yes? The solar panels used in your solar system should last for 25 years – your installer should provide you with all warranty paperwork for your personal records. You can also find this information in the specification sheets for the solar panels.

True Install Company

With Cheap Solar Houston TX SOLAR, not only will you find the Solar Solutions you need; you’ll get the best Equipment at a fair price.

​With over 10 years of combined experience in the industry, we have the expertise to thoroughly and efficiently serve our customers to ensure they’re never disappointed.

​Whether you’re a one-time buyer or looking to buy in bulk, you can count on us to provide great products and excellent service, every step of the way.

Don't take it from us. See what our Customers have to say.

HOW MUCH MONEY CAN I SAVE WITH SOLAR?

30% Investment Tax Credit

Aside from generating free power from the sun, one of the biggest reasons people are going Solar is the Federal (ITC) Investment Tax Credit. This allows taxpayers to receive 30% of the System Cost back as Tax Credit when they file the year following a Solar Install. However, this Tax Credit will go away according to the Department of Energy.

Contact us now for questions regarding the latest Residential & Commercial Incentives in your Area and ensure you are covered.

HOW LONG DO SOLAR PANELS LAST?

Maintenance-Free + Warranty

Solar Panels have been around for over 100 Years. Along with being typically Maintenance-free, they have also become extremely reliable.

​Most Manufacturers offer an extensive Warranty at 25, 30, or 30+ Years. Will the Panels stop working after this time? Absolutely not! They will work!

​This just means even after the Warranty Period, the Panels will have about 88% Efficiency!

HOW MANY SOLAR PANELS DO I NEED?

Real question: How much energy do I use?

Every building carries a different energy footprint. A single-family dwelling may use less electricity than a large warehouse. To get an accurate estimation on your energy needs, check your electric bill for the kW Usage.

Example: A standard two-story home using an average of 1000kW per month could use 20 Panels (6kW System) to nearly eliminate their electric bill.

Since every rooftop is different, our Solar Consultants are always available and ready to use our Proprietary Technology to assist further. Contact Cheap Solar Houston TX to set up your 15-minute Consultation.

Cheap Solar Houston TX Solar Policies and Incentives

Unfortunately, Houston offers very little in the realm of incentives, tax rebates, and credits. If you install solar panels in your home, you are eligible for the federal tax credit of 30 percent, which is nothing to sneeze at. Keep this in mind when talking with installers about your costs, as an eye-boggling quote will actually be 30 percent less than it appears.

The good news? So long as you have equity on your home, you can take out a lease that will actually give you a better return on investment than buying the equipment outright. The reason for this advantage is because using a loan to install solar panels is essentially the same as investing in a business (your own electricity generating business) that is guaranteed to succeed, earn you that nice 30 percent tax credit, and increase the value of your home. The loan allows you to pay over time, but you’ll reap all the money-saving benefits of solar energy now. The decrease in your energy bill should offset the cost of your loan by about half—if not more. For this reason, we recommend taking out a home-equity line of credit (HELOC) with a fixed rate of no higher than 5 percent. If you pay it back over 15 years, you’ll be making money in no time.

Unfortunately, Texas doesn’t allow solar companies to lease their systems to you (typically the third financing option in most states). It’s not exactly that they prohibit it, they just offer so little incentive to do so that solar companies don’t even bother. Another bummer is that the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (the amount of energy the state is required to obtain through renewable resources) is middle of the road — 28th in the country to be exact — which is disappointing for such a large state with an abundance of both sun and resources.

A couple other things to know about Texas’s state laws regarding solar energy: There’s no solar carve out, meaning no percentage of the Renewable Portfolio Standard is allotted towards solar energy. That leaves the state with very little motivation to subsidize or offer rebates on solar energy systems. The final thing to remember is there are no net-metering laws. Net-metering allows solar energy system owners to earn money back by funneling the excess energy their system makes back to the utility company. A few utility companies do offer net-metering, but the lack of laws surrounding the issue means it’s by no means a guaranteed thing.

What to Expect

Houston receives 1600 harvestable kWh (kilowatt hours) of sun every year. Though the average cost of energy in Texas is 13 cents per kWh of electricity, Houston residents pay less at a rate of 11 cents per kWh. Even with those fairly low electricity rates, solar is still the more cost-effective option. Check out our calculations below to understand how much money’s worth of power your system could produce every year in Houston.

Buying solar panels for your home is a big investment and so it is natural you want to do quite a lot of research before making a decision. Most people buying solar panels for their home want to know that they are getting a good quality solar power system and that they get a good price for the type of solar panels they are buying.

This article will give you details of current live solar offers in your area from solar companies near you and also explain the factors that might make buying solar for your home more or less expensive than the average home in your area.

How much do solar panels cost in your city today ?

The Inexpensive Solar Houston TX and Solar-Estimate websites each publish data on the prices they see for residential solar systems across America based on the interactions they see between consumers and local solar companies through their websites. Inexpensive Solar Houston TX and Solar-Estimate are both major destinations for consumers seeking competitive solar quotes for their homes and businesses

Inexpensive Solar Houston TX puts average residential solar panel cost across America as at September 2018 at $10,800 after claiming the 30% federal solar tax credit . This equates to a cost of $15,428 for a 5kw solar system before the tax credit which is $3.08 per watt. This is a cash solar price.

Consumers have many zero down solar finance options in 2018. Solar systems purchased by way of zero down solar loans are usually around $0.30 per watt more expensive, or around $1500 per system, dearer, (before the solar tax credit). This extra cost is because solar companies usually have to pay an origination fee to the solar finance companies to get you a cheaper rate on the loan.

You can find out more about the best solar loans available in your state by speaking to solar companies near you. Generally speaking each solar company will have a relationship with one or more solar financing providers and will be able to offer you loan options. Here is an article comparing Greenky and Dividend Solar two of the largest solar loan providers in the US.

Solar-Estimate.org is the other website that publishes solar panel cost for each city from current solar prices being offered by local solar providers through that marketplace. This site does not publish a national average but it publishes state and city average solar prices for full installed residential systems.

Average solar panel cost for each state can be found on its home page but it also publishes solar panel cost data for specific cities based on the solar offers it is seeing in those cities at the time.

At the very bottom of this article are links to solar panel cost data for specific cities in some of the major solar markets around the country:

How much will solar cost for your home ?

Whilst it is great to have a ballpark average solar panel cost for your city your home is unlikely to be average and what you really want to know is how much it will cost to install solar panels on your home.

This is a much more complicated thing to work out because it depends on a number of factors including the location of your home, the size, tilt and orientation of your roof, any shading you may have, your electricity usage and the electric rates charged by your utility.

Generally speaking, the aim of a solar panel installation is to install a solar power system that will produce the same amount of electricity that your home uses. This is the case because the net metering laws in most states limit the size of eligible solar systems to a system size that produces a similar amount of energy to what your home uses.

In some cases, however, the aim may be a zero electric bill which means installing a solar system that produces more than your electric usage to cover fixed daily charges from your utility or make up for a lower rate being paid for excess solar power compared to what you are charged for power you buy (this is the case with APS in Arizona, NV Energy in Nevada and with the investor owned utilities in California under the NEM 2 net metering program )

So to work out the cost of installing solar panels for your home you first need to work out a few basics such as:

How much electricity does your home use?

Here is a link to an article that shows the average electricity use of homes in each state. This same article also answers the question how many solar panels do I need to power a house in each state assuming an average sized home with average electricity usage.

How many solar panels do you need for your home?

To answer this question more information is needed than state averages. You also need to know how much power you are actually using. In this regard there is a trade off between producing an easy estimate of the number of solar panels needed to power your home and producing a more accurate estimate. An easy estimate can be produced by a solar power calculator just from an average monthly power spend. This is often the way that online solar panel calculators work because it makes them super easy to use without requiring consumers to dig through their power bills.

However, to get a more accurate estimate of the amount of solar panels you need for your home you need to have more accurate information about your power usage and this requires copies of your power bills. When you speak to a solar company the first thing they usually ask you is for a copy of your power bill.

How much power do solar panels produce in your city on a south facing roof?

We are fortunate in America that the National Renewable Energy Laboratories (or NREL ) have produced sophisticated and accurate data that answers the question, how much electricity do solar panels produce (in Kwh) for each of the more than 3300 weather locations around America. This is why almost every solar energy calculator uses the NREL PVWatts data for their solar panels kwh production calculations

This will show you how much solar panels will produce per kilowatt of peak DC panels installed at your home. On the PVWatts calculator you can also vary the direction of your roof and it will change the forecast electrical output of the solar panels.

If all this is a bit hard you can use the links to the solar panels calculator above and elect to request quotes from solar providers near you. Solar companies hoping to get your business will do all of these calculations for you and give you an accurate solar estimate of how much solar panels will produce on your house, how many solar panels you need, the cost they will charge you to install them and the savings and return on investment you can expect.

How much will solar save you?

The solar savings estimator will also calculate how much solar will save you. Solar savings come in the form of avoided utility power cost over the life of a solar system. The gross solar savings is the total avoided utility power cost and the net solar savings figure is the gross avoided cost less the cost of the solar panels and any interest you pay on your solar loan

Most consumers are surprised at how large solar savings become over the life of a system. Savings that begin at only $30 per month in the first year of a project can grow to savings of $500 per month in year 25 of a solar systems life and see you make a profit of as much as $100,000 (in some states) over the life of the system. The size of your solar savings depends largely on how expensive utility electricity is in your region and what the future rate of utility price inflation proves to be.

If You’re in Houston, The Cost of Solar is Just Right (Incentives, Tax Rebates, and more!)

A lot has happened in the solar world over the past few years.

The government renewed massive tax breaks for homeowners that want to install solar panels on their homes.

The price of solar panel equipment continues to decline.

Basically, it just makes sense at this point to install alternative energy sources on your home.

Fill out the form above to get more information from trusted providers who will give you the best deal.

Just an hour of sunlight generates sufficient solar panel energy to power the world’s homes for a complete year. Texas has plenty of sunlight, but solar electricity generation in the state as a whole lags because state policies do not strongly support solar. But Texas is a big state and there is lots of room in it for communities to do their own thing. The City of Houston does the rest of the state one better with its own pro-solar programs. And, when you add in the Federal pro-solar programs and the falling cost of photovoltaic equipment, you can save a lot of money by going solar.

Plus, switching to renewable energy generation is the right thing to do. It’s good for the planet, good for your finances, and since fossil-fuel-based energy generation is sure to get ever more expensive going forward, it’s good for the economy as a whole. The more people go solar, the easier it will be for other people to follow your lead.

Swanson Effect: Why Is Solar So Cheap In Houston?

The more people go solar, the less solar equipment will cost. That, in essence, is the Swanson Effect, named for Richard Swanson, who noticed that solar photovoltaic modules dropped 20% for every doubling of global manufacturing. As you can see from the graph, if home solar panel systems used to be expensive, they aren’t anymore.

Houston solar panels. Unrivaled Solar is an American based company for panels sold at wholesale prices, off-grid / grid-tied kits and home backup power systems. Our company takes on the challenge of helping homeowners and independent minded people create their own energy. The products you see here are not just manufactures sales pitches but seasoned systems designed by experienced solar people who have spent years field-testing equipment. We can provide all the equipment, panels and drawings necessary for both stand-alone and grid-connected installations as well as expert technical advice.

Endless home electricity from the Sun. Use your Houston property to generate cash.

• Expandable, scalable, silent, affordable electricity. Solar kits that are easy to install and adapt to a wide range of homes.

• Fast DIY installation. Time tested reliability. Panels are guaranteed to produce electricity for 25 years.

• Maintenance free convenience. DIY solar on your Houston home is simple equipment with no moving parts.

• Homeowner installation friendly. AC power that will reduce your home electrical costs.

• Enhanced your homes value. Increases the value of your Houston home without increasing your property taxes.

• Your home solar generator qualifies for cash incentives in many states as well as federal tax credits.

• Have the satisfaction of knowing you're part of the sustainability solution. You will be the envy of the neighborhood.

Houston solar panels kits are a cheap way to reduce your installation costs. Most Houston home or RV owners who can do simple DIY projects around the house will find it possible to install their own systems. By installing your own small solar panels kits, you reduce your costs and increase your rate-of-return on your system. Solar panels kits for Houston home and RV owners serve three main rolls in grid-tied and off-grid systems. The first for home and RV owners is to reduce their cost. For the homeowner that would be the utility bill. For the RV owner a solar panels kits would allow them freedom off-grid from RV parks. The second role of home or RV solar panels kits would be hedge against inflation. The third role is to lower your heating costs by offsetting your electrical usage.

Solar panels come in many shapes and sizes. They are often made of flexible materials that can be folded, rolled, or bent to easily fit on a roof or inside a window.