Going solar has major financial benefits: it reduces your monthly electric bill and can even increase the value of your home. Tax incentives and rebates, like the federal tax credit for solar and local net metering rules, can reduce your net cost by 30 percent, but solar is still a big investment, and the price tag can result in sticker shock.

To save money, it’s no surprise that many homeowners are considering “do it yourself”, or DIY, solar, and asking themselves “can you install solar panels yourself?” Simply put, yes you can — but, there are some advantages and disadvantages of doing it alone. In this article, we’ll break down the top pros and cons that you need to know about do-it-yourself solar panel systems before making a decision.