A financially savvy homeowner has shared the methods they used to drastically reduce energy costs.
"First electric bill after full month of generation — OMG," read the headline of their post to the r/solar community.
"My electric bill has been running about $500 in the winter months, and between $800-$1,000 in the summer," they said, adding that they have now added an approximately 14-kilowatt solar panel array.
"Today, I got my first bill after a full month of generation," they continued. "I only used a whopping 500kWh from the grid, for a total of about $100."
They also detailed the reasons their household is so "power hungry": There are nine people living in a home of about 5,000 square feet, with two dishwashers, a powerful air conditioner — "largest without going commercial" — two washers and dryers, and a septic system that requires three strong electric pumps.
The U.S. Department of Energy recommends that homeowners use the Utility Rate Database to help figure out exactly how much they might save if they went solar.
Companies like EnergySage can also help customers compare quotes from local installers and figure out their "solar payback period" — the time it takes for a solar panel system to recoup the cost of installation.
This Redditor added, "I am thinking of adding another 10 panels next year. That should bring my bill down even closer to zero."
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With EnergySage's help, homeowners can save up to $10,000 in incentives for solar purchases and installations. There's even a helpful mapping tool that shows the average price of a home solar system by state. Together with their price comparison assistance and access to local incentives, the savings can be substantial.
And since solar is a renewable resource with a small carbon footprint, it is what the publication Environmental Protection calls a "greenhouse gas emission killer."
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I'd pay for it myself 💪 Commenters on the Reddit post were in awe.
"Holy moly that's a lot of power you use. … Since you seem to use more power in the summer time, solar seems like a great fit!" one person said.
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Another made an interesting prediction: "Utility operators are going to be faced with a customer revolt in the next few years; as people realize just how cheap solar power is, they're going to seriously question why they're paying so much."
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