I Love My Solar Power
I just got my recent PG&E bill and I love my solar power! On our last two houses we have added solar power to heat our pools but last spring we also added photovoltaic solar to power our home's electricity. I am "green" by heart and have been a recycler for years. Throwing money each month to PG&E just killed me but the costs to put in the solar system until this year still were too high in my husband's mind so we waited. I think the straw that broke the camel's back was last year's electricity bill of $916.87. For the previous years we had been averaging 67 kilowatts/day/. Last year we used 84.2 kw/day! (FYI-I'm a real statistic freak and record all these numbers each month so I can easily look back!) Though something was obviously wrong with that average, the bill was $300 more than the previous year. It opened our eyes to at least re-evaluating what a solar system could do for us.
We ended up with a SunPower system that comes with a 25 year output warranty and a 40 year design life. Our 6002 watts, 30 panel system cost $33,000 after rebates and should pay itself off in 6.9 years based on our average usage. That doesn't count any rate increases that PG&E might have. This December our usage was 45.2 kw per day, with a $353 bill! And that included lots of non-sunny days.
It comes with a great little monitoring system that tracks your production each day. It calculates the total of lifetime energy we've saved and how it equates to our reduced carbon footprint, reduced emissions equivalent to miles driven in a standard car, and reduced emissions equivalent to planting seedlings and growing them for 10 years. It's actually quite fun to look at.
We are fortunate in that we have great sun exposure here in El Dorado Hills and it was really easy to situate the panels for maximum exposure. We had our system put in by The Solar Company. If you are interested in getting a quote and seeing if one will work for you, contact Dave Shield at 916-836-9054. Though a system is still not feasible for everyone, it's a great thing to look into - I love my solar power!!!!
I am a REALTOR® in El Dorado Hills with Lyon Real Estate.Though living in El Dorado Hills is my passion, I am happy to help you with your real estate needs throughout the Sacramento Valley. For more information on me or our wonderful area visit my website at www.DeeDeeRiley.comor email me at driley@golyon.com.
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Please keep in mind -the views expressed herein are my personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
By DeeDee Riley 2011 *All Rights Reserved*I Love My Solar Power
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