In the United States, 35 times as many homes are powered by solar energy than were in 2008. The combined energy generated by over 2 million solar installations of all kinds in the USA is over 70 gigawatts per year. That’s enough to power over 6 million homes with free, limitless, clean solar power.
Chances are, there are homes near you that are going solar. Here are 5 of the most important reasons why.
Energy Independence
There’s a commonly held myth that you can’t go off-grid in Florida. You do have to have a septic system and a clean water source, but the source of your energy supply is up to you. People who want to free themselves from monthly power bills can power their homes with solar.
Most Floridians, of course, don’t want to go entirely off-grid. They just want to lower or even zero-out their monthly energy bills and have a way to generate electricity when storms knock out power lines. For Floridians who want a dependable power supply, solar is a great choice.
Hedging Against Rising Power Costs
Think about it: When was the last time the power company charges you per kilowatt hour went down?
Even in an era of cheap fuel, nobody in the know is planning for the power company to make generous cuts in their charges. With solar power, there can be months that the power company pays you for the excess electricity your solar installation feeds back into the grid, giving you a positive return on investment in addition to increased energy freedom.
Supporting Local Jobs
There’s another benefit to installing solar power: Your solar system helps your neighbors stay employed. Solar energy really isn’t a do-it-yourself enterprise. You need professionals to make sure that your panels are properly sealed, that your system is protected from birds and snails, that you have the right wiring to take advantage of your system, that your panels don’t have hot spots, and that your whole installation has the right grounding, so it doesn’t leak voltage. A solar installation is a skilled, well-paid job. Good jobs in your community make your town a better place to live.
Local Control
When lots of people in a community go solar, two things happen. One is that your power company doesn’t have as much room to raise rates. The other is that there is less of an incentive to build massive transmission lines near your homes and through the parks and woodland you love. Solar power keeps control over energy local. You are less affected by power companies’ decisions and bureaucrats hundreds or thousands of miles away when you switch to solar energy.
Solar Energy Supports a Healthy Environment
Most Floridians take a healthy view of the environment. They don’t obsess about environmental correctness, but they do care enough to do their part to reduce their carbon footprint. There’s no bigger step toward reducing your carbon footprint you can take than installing solar. It’s a way to do your part to keep the Earth green 24/7, every day of the year.
Vinyasun is your best local solar energy contractor. We are your local experts in the Tesla Powerwall, SunPower, and every aspect of solar installation contracting.
