Solar Solutions

During the past few years, the price per watt of solar panels has been dropping. As a result, California solar energy installations have grown exponentially, and show little sign of slowing down.

However, the actual cost of a solar panel can only go so low. It will be essential for the solar industry to whittle down soft costs in order to accomplish wider adoption of solar energy in the United States.

Soft Cost Reduction = Lower Solar Installation Prices

There are other costs that go into the final price of installing solar panels on your home or business including labor, marketing, administrative costs and permitting fees.

Commonly referred to as “soft costs”, they have remained relatively flat when compared to the drop in price of “hard costs” (i.e. solar panels and inverters).

How Soft Costs Have Made Germany a Solar Leader

Though roughly the size of New Mexico and with a population about the quarter of the United States, Germany has been the worldwide leader in solar for over a decade.

By reducing their soft costs, the Germans have lowered the price of solar installations to $2.24 per watt (compared to an average of $4.44 in the U.S., according to  GreenTech Media). This is likely a result of easier permitting processes, which allows solar contractors to spend less time on each system and avoid high fees for obtaining permits.

Will the United States Follow Suit?

Even though solar soft costs are higher in the United States, solar panel installation has become increasingly popular in our country. In fact, the solar analysts from SEIA and GTM Research predict that 2013 will be the first time in 15 years that the United States will beat out Germany in total solar capacity installed.

With the Sunshot Initiative, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Technologies aims to make solar energy competitive with traditional forms of electricity by 2020. They fund research projects and market studies that provide solutions for solar price reduction. In time, their efforts could reduce the soft costs enough so that the United States will be competitive with Germany when it comes to price per watt installed.

Even without such reductions, solar power in California is still an excellent way for families and businesses to save money on energy costs. Additionally, those who install a solar electric system will be able to take advantage of the 30% federal tax credit, which is set to expire about two years from now on December 31, 2016. For more information, contact AMECO today at (888) 595-9570 or email gosolar@th2.e81.myftpupload.com.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM ALL OF US AT AMECO SOLAR!

May 2014 be a happy, healthy and very sunny year!

Yesterday we explained  how to access your online account on the Southern California Edison website. Now that you can see your electricity usage in a variety of ways (monthly, daily, hourly, etc.), we will explain how it can be useful when it comes to solar panel installations.

How Online SCE Usage Helps Solar Customers

For those who have already installed solar panels, seeing this type of data can help in many different ways:

1. Keep Track of Usage: While your electricity usage is much lower now that you are using solar energy, checking in online will help you keep an eye on your net usage. SCE keeps track of your usage for 12 months and then bills you for any leftover usage. If you check in online, you will have a better idea of how much you may owe at the end of the year. That is, if you owe anything at all!

2. See How Usage Has Changed: If you recently bought a new electric vehicle or have installed central air, you may be curious about how your electricity usage will change. By comparing monthly usage to previous months and years, you can get of an idea of how much it has increased and if you need to add more solar panels to your array to offset the additional usage.

3. Troubleshoot Possible Changes: Have you noticed a big change in your electricity bill and can’t figure out why? Looking at hourly usage may help you solve the problem. For instance, you may see that you are using more electricity during the afternoon than you were before. This could lead you realize that it’s because a tree has grown over the years and is now casting some shade on your solar panels.

How SCE Online Usage Helps Those Considering Solar

If you are considering solar energy for your home or business, you can use the online data to get an idea of when you use the most electricity.

After reviewing the hourly data, you might notice how much electricity the air conditioner uses during the day or see a large spike when you plug in your electric vehicle in the early evenings. Perhaps, you’ll notice that you tend to use a lot of electricity during the winter months when you put up Christmas lights or the spring is more expensive because you are heating your pool with an electric heater.

Either way, getting a handle on your electricity usage will help you decide whether you would like to install solar panels and offset it with solar energy instead.

Find Out More About Solar Panel Installation

Now that you have access to real time data, you may consider adding panels to your existing solar array or installing a new solar system on your roof. Contact us at (888) 595-9570 and one of our solar consultants. By review your recent usage, we can figure out how many solar panels you will need to power your home with solar energy and provide you with a cost.

They say that good things come in threes, but this week six great things happened here at AMECO Solar.

To start things off, one of our recent customers emailed us about their first “solar” bill. Now that they have installed solar panels and are using solar energy, their electric bill was only $24.79 (plus a $1.76 tax). This is down from a whopping $353.00 for this same time period last year, which means they are saving more than $325.00 this month!

In addition to this positive news, we had a record breaking week for reviews. Five customers reviewed us on Solar Reviews in the past week. They gave us 5 star ratings in categories including sales process, price charged as quoted, and quality of installation.

Here is what they had to say about their solar panel installation experience with AMECO:

#1 “Our September 2013 installation went very smoothly. We had our roof replaced at the same time. The solar installation crew worked closely with the roofer. Overall it was a positive experience. Everything went along on time and as promised. I am very pleased with the result.”

#2 “I’ve had my solar system for over 5 years now. The installation went smooth, and the system is performing better than projected. I highly recommend Ameco Solar.”

#3 “We have had Ameco install the solar arrays on our home as well as our apartment building. They were on schedule for the installations and the team was very good installing and cleaning up the job sites. Both arrays are working well with our home array outputting a little more power than we were estimated. We have recommended Ameco to a friend who is also pleased with the quality of their work.”

#4 “Ameco installed my solar system 5 1/2 years ago. I was very pleased with the execution of the project then and continue to reap the benefits. I recently had a solar tune-up and was pleased to learn that the system is performing so well.”

#5 “Ameco put solar panels on our new construction 4 years ago, and they are still performing in top condition. They were extremely professional, and a pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend Ameco to anyone considering solar panels.”

You may see more reviews about AMECO Solar on our Solar Reviews profile. So far, 57 customers have reviewed us for a solid 4.91 rating out of 5.