This question is an important question to ask when considering solar. Yes, solar will save a property owner thousands of dollars over the lifetime of the array, but it will also greatly impact the local community and environment. An average household creates about 20 metric tons of carbon pollution each year, which is a staggering amount. Solar has the ability to greatly reduce this, and the results can be measured in CO2 not burned, trees planted, cars taken off the road, and of course, kilowatt-hours produced (kWh). kWh’s is how electric consumption is measured. The US Green Building Council determined that almost 40% of all carbon pollution is from buildings. This means that every home that switches is helping to reduce where 40% of all carbon pollution comes from. At Solar Is Freedom, our average homeowner will plant over 6,000 trees over the 25 year warrantied lifetime of the array. This does not even count the additional decade-plus of carbon off-setting the average owner can count on after the warranty period. The statistics for each property are different and are based on the size of the array, which is in turn determined by electricity consumption, also known as “demand” or “usage”, and available space. To find Going solar is the single most impactful thing the average American can do to help fight climate change, and it happens to be something that will save them a tremendous amount of money as well. To find out exactly how a specific property going solar would affect the environment, go seek out a project quote or bid from a solar installer.
Solar as a whole has the potential to fuel the entire world, and is well on it’s way to doing so. However, change happens at a local and grassroots level, so even though the industry-wide statistics are impressive, solar will really take off and realize it’s full potential when average home and business owners go into the mass adoption phase. This will help create a more stable grid and will help reverse the pollution trends seen over the past few decades. The average solar array not only saves utility companies from burning more dirty fossil fuels, but it also encourages others to do the same. Owning a solar array and spreading the word helps show other property owners that they should be taking this seriously as well. The more people who decide to go green and purchase solar, the closer the country gets to the “tipping point”, where solar will truly take off and come out of the early adopter’s phase and into the mainstream.
Through 2019, the federal government is offering a 30% rebate on the total cost of a solar install. This is a huge help to many of our homeowners and makes it very affordable. The main incentive in Ohio is of course Net Metering (process explained below). State and local incentives include may also be included, such as a property tax freeze in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.
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