How to Buy Solar Panels

Over the last two or three years, the prices of solar panels dropped tremendously and they have become much more affordable for more households across America. While they do not come a dime a dozen, they certainly are much, much less expensive and thus making them popular investments for many homeowners. On top of that, the government and power companies have joined forces to reward households that invest in renewable energy sources like solar panels with cash or tax incentives for their effort towards building a greener home.

While going fully solar is pretty much impossible except in the home size of an RV, homeowners who use solar power at home along with their grid power are generally enjoying lesser paid energy consumption that reflects to their monthly bills. These advantages are the exact same things that are driving even more homeowners to consider getting their own solar panels at home.

But because this is not some topic as easy to talk about as how to make brownies or French toast, many prospective solar panel buyers may need a little help on knowing how to buy solar panels:

• Know how much energy you consume in a month on average. Check your past bills and try to see how much KWHs you consume on average. This should tell you the size of panels you would need to power your home.
• Find the right manufacturer and installer. More substandard installers are springing up in the market lately so check your local energy authorities and the local Better Business Bureau for verification of credibility of manufacturers and installers.
• Do your fair share of research on which type of solar panels would best fit your needs. Do not solely rely on what your installer says.
• Shop around and compare prices. Do not jump at the first brand and installation companies you find.
• Consider getting a solar loan. More banks are opening up their doors for homeowners looking to get solar panels.
• Research on what incentives from the government are available in your state/region. Make use of government incentives in cash and tax forms to save up on your solar panel purchase.