Even though many individuals are looking to switch over to solar energy mainly because it is a great way to save money and help the planet, many individuals think that this is just too expensive to do. Although it is true that you’ll need to spend some cash upfront, with regards to the size of the system, and if you’re willing to do things yourself, you’ll see that you are able to end up saving cash. In this article we are going to be checking out a number of the different expenses involved to switching to solar and also how you can save money while doing this.
The Cost
While many folks end up going out and buying everything separately you will find that they do sell complete systems to make sure folks have everything they have to get started. One thing I should point out is that when you invest in these complete systems, there is one thing that is not included and those are the batteries in order to store the energy you don’t use. If you end up building a large solar panel system you’ll need far more batteries than if you were to just build a smaller solar panel system. The batteries run about $100 a piece, and you’re going to want to ensure that you are purchasing deep cycle batteries, these can be bought in an auto parts store.
If you choose to buy the complete system, you are going to find that it’s going to cost you anywhere between $500 and $20,000 with regards to the size of the system you buy. If you want to buy your solar energy panels separately you are going to see that you are able to purchase three or four, 100 watts each panel’s for about $1000. For people who live alone in a little home you may possibly see that 3 or 4 panels is all you need in order to eliminate your electricity bill, needless to say this will also be an excellent way for other individuals to lower their energy bill. Nevertheless if you have a four bedroom home and also have four or five folks living in your home, you may discover that you will need a larger solar panel system comprised of 10 or 20 solar energy panels.
Things You Need
A couple of other things you are going to wind up needing are a power inverter to produce household electricity and a charge controller to be able to charge the batteries. Something I ought to mention is that I can’t actually supply you with a precise cost for a power inverter, mainly because based on what size power inverter you need, will depend on how much you will need to pay for the inverter.
When all is said and done it’s going to cost you anywhere between $1000 and $1500 in order to set up a solar panel system that will contain three or four panels, the batteries as well as other incidentals. You need to also remember that it could be very expensive if this is a thing that you need to have somebody else install for you, and this will be an added expense on top of your initial investment.