Tag Archives: solar panel cost

Federal solar tax credit in 2023: complete guide

The investment tax credit (ITC), also known as the federal solar tax credit, allows you to apply 30 percent of your solar energy system’s cost as a credit to your federal tax bill. The 30 percent tax credit will be available until 2033, at which point it will drop to 26 percent. The ITC applies to both residential and commercial systems, and there is no cap on its value. The average EnergySage Marketplace shopper saves nearly $6,150 on the cost of going solar as a result of the ITC.

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Purchasing solar panels: tips for buying or leasing

Whether you buy a system or lease it, going solar is one of the best ways you as a homeowner can save on energy bills and use renewable energy to power your home. That said, the financing option you choose influences a number of factors, including the costs, maintenance responsibilities, terms, savings, and the return on investment (ROI) of your solar panel system. Going solar can be an expensive proposition, with the average solar panel installation upfront cost ranging from $17,538 to $23,458 so financing may be the best option for you instead of paying in cash.

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The most popular solar panels on EnergySage in 2022

Before going solar, one of the biggest decisions you’ll need to make is which equipment to install. But there are hundreds and thousands of solar panel products – so where’s the best place to start? In this article, we’ll explore the most popular solar panels on the EnergySage Marketplace.

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SolarApp+: fast tracking solar across the United States

In July 2021, the Department of Energy (DOE) kicked off the Summer of Solar 2021–a national campaign aimed at progressing the Biden Administration’s goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 through the expansion of solar energy. While the cost of solar has continued to decrease each year in the US, delays in the solar permitting process have made it difficult for the US to achieve costs as low as some other countries, such as Australia. To kick off the Summer of Solar, the DOE launched a tool to help expedite this process: the Solar Automated Permit Processing Plus (SolarApp+).

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How have solar equipment costs declined over time?

Over the last decade, the costs of solar have decreased from over $8 per Watt in 2009 ($/W) to $2.75/W in 2019 on EnergySage, a decline of more than 65 percent in 11 years. Over this timeframe, a primary driver of the declining cost of solar in the US has been technological improvements in the actual hardware that’s included in solar energy systems: solar panels and solar inverters.

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When should you go solar?

Since the cost of going solar falls every year, many homeowners wonder: should I buy solar now or wait to save money on installation costs? There are many variables that influence the total financial returns you can expect to see from solar over its lifetime, all of which you should take into account when making your solar decision.

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Why is my solar panel system more expensive than my neighbors?

It probably doesn’t surprise you to learn that the cost of solar varies by state, but what other factors make a solar panel system more or less expensive? If you’re comparing quotes with your neighbors and notice a big difference in cost, it’s probably due to one of five main factors:

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Why did my cost to go solar increase after a site visit?

Many shoppers, especially those using EnergySage, receive all of their initial solar quotes online before ever having a company visit their property. Occasionally, we hear back from customers about instances where they received an original, online quote for one price and, after a site visit from the installation company, the price increased. What happened?

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Highlights from the ninth EnergySage Solar Marketplace Intel Report

This week, EnergySage released our ninth Solar Marketplace Intel Report™. The publicly available report provides data on the state of the solar market nationwide and at the state level. In this report, we introduced a number of new analyses, from a direct comparison of EnergySage quote data to installed cost data nationally, to a breakdown of the quality of equipment quoted and installed both on and off the EnergySage Marketplace. A couple of key takeaways are outlined below, and we look forward to your analysis and feedback on the report.

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Costs of solar after installation

For the most part, solar panel systems are “set it and forget it,” requiring very little (if any) maintenance over time – but what costs can you potentially encounter after installing your solar panel system? In this article, we’ll discuss four factors that could impact post-installation costs, and what you can do to avoid some of these costs from the get-go.

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