How Can Solar Benefit You and Your Home?
Insulwise works with Sunnova (the longest operating and most reliable solar provider in the US!) for financing and system design to create solar panel arrays that allow home owners to save significant money on their electricity bills, generate power sustainably, and establish a level of grid independence (when solar panels are combined with battery storage).
Click here to see the type of modern, integrated system that can be designed for your home!
Why Solar with Insulwise?
Insulwise is unique in Pittsburgh in that we are the highest rated, building science based, residential insulation company in the Pittsburgh area. We already possess a deep skill set in making homes far more energy efficient and comfortable, and when we add solar to the equation, the value proposition of using Insulwise as your trusted partner with a solar install and possible insulation upgrade can yield you dramatic benefits.
How Does Solar Work?
As the diagram above shows, solar panels once installed on your home convert sunlight into DC electricity. That DC electricity is then converted into AC electricity by top of the line Enphase microinverters that are installed on each solar panel. From there the now usable electricity can be used by your home directly, stored in a battery (if purchased), or directed back to the grid. If it is sent back to the grid it is measured and counted against your electricity bill by your utility.
How Much Money Can I Really Save on my Electric Bills?
1) The average PA homeowner saves about 75% on their electric bill, or about $1,000 per year.
2) The typical payback time for solar panels is about 10 years (assuming you purchased them and used the 30% federal tax credit on them for paying down the loan).
3) Perhaps most importantly, you can LOCK the rate that you pay for electric, and avoid the significant rates hikes we are now seeing in the Pittsburgh area and region.
What Financial Incentives are There for Going Solar?
1) The most important is the federal Residential Clean Energy Credit. This federal tax credit covers an amazing 30% of the combined cost of installing solar panels on your home (with some caveats).
2) Net Metering. Net metering means that when your solar panels produce more energy than your home needs, that your utility company actually BUYS that power back from you. That excess power is then counted against whatever power your home needs to pull from the grid (at night, etc), thus reducing your electricity bill further.
3) SRECS. SRECS stands for Solar Renewable Energy Credits. Homeowners earn 1 SREC for every 1,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity that their homes produce. In Pennsylvania the average home uses just over 10,000 (kWh) of electricity per year. If a homeowner had a solar array that produced that amount of electricity, they would earn 10 SERC’s. As of the summer of 2024 SREC’s were valued at around $30 in Pa, but they fluctuate in price. But at $30 per SREC, the homeowner could earn an additional $300 per year from their solar panels. SREC’s can be utilized for 3 years after the date of installation.
How Does the Process Work?
1). You first contact Insulwise. We’ll ask you a few questions, you’ll need to send us a copy of your most recent electricity bill, and then we’ll create an appointment to come and evaluate your home for solar.
2) At your home we’ll use Sunnova’s proprietary software to map out the most efficient way to install solar on your home. We will also show you you 3 options for paying for it: 1) buying / financing the purchase 2) leasing the panels 3) using a power purchase agreement (PPA) to get the panels installed on your home. We will explain the difference between all three. Click here to see the differences in how direct purchase, leasing, and power purchase agreements (PPA’s) work!
3) If you choose to move forward a different site evaluation team will come to your home to confirm all of the necessary details such as the quality of your roof, tree cover, etc.
4) The installation team will arrive to install the panels on your home and get your system hooked up to the grid.
What Are Some Other Benefits of going Solar?!
1). By adding battery storage to your solar plan, you can become grid independent! This would mean that if the power is knocked out due to a storm, etc, you home will still have power (in some cases for several days with paired down usage).
2) You will increase the value of your home! According to a Zillow study, homes with solar panels sell for about 4% more than homes that do not have solar installed.
3) You will be using clean, fossil fuel free energy to power your home, reducing your carbon footprint significantly.
Conclusion
Having solar installed on your home with Insulwise will permanently lower your utility bills and save you significant money over time, allow you to be grid independent (with battery storage), allow you to dramatically lower your carbon footprint with clean renewable energy, and increase the value of your home. So contact Insulwise for your FREE solar evaluation today!