Why Invest In A Solar Energy System?
Generating your own clean electricity is a great feeling and offers many financial benefits. By owning your own solar energy system, you can enjoy greater energy independence, reduce energy costs, and own a valuable financial asset that will shelter you from electricity inflation over a long period of time.
Each time you pay your electric bill it’s like paying “rent” to the utility company. Why rent when you can own the power plant? For every dollar you spend on energy today, you could instead invest in a solar energy system and earn a solid return on investment (ROI).
How Tick Tock Energy Can Help You
As a full-service solar contractor, Tick Tock Energy can help you from start to finish. We often hear from our customers “we chose you because your staff actually knows what you’re talking about”. From navigating incentive applications, project planning, sizing strategies, utility netmetering and interconnection policies, and perform energy, utility bill, and financial analysis, we provide information to help you make an informed decision.
Solar prices have dropped considerably over the years, and there are creative options to mount solar: from rooftops, ground-mounted structures, trackers, and more. Tick Tock Energy is a leading solar installer winning Top 500 Solar Contractor in the U.S. in 2015, 2016 and 2017. As a full-service solar contractor, we can help plan your project and guide you through all the decisions and equipment considerations.
Check out the benefits of a solar energy system below:
Be Your Own Utility Company & Gain Energy Independence
We have many clients that are generating all of their annual energy needs with solar power (or wind too). You could implement the popular strategy of shifting many gas-fired loads to electricity, and then self-generate your own power.
Also, keep in mind you may be driving an electric vehicle and can start eliminating your gasoline expenses!
Cut Your Electric Bill
A solar system that you own can help generate a portion of all your electricity needs, offering an easy way to cut your electric bill.
Protect Against Inflation
As the value of the U.S. dollar drops, the price of goods and services goes up, otherwise known as inflation. Let the sun be a long-term source of free, clean electricity to shield you or your business from rising energy costs.
Wise Investment
Gold, silver and solar™! Precious metals have served throughout human history as holding their value against the manipulation of paper currencies (i.e “printing money”). Solar energy systems, just like gold and silver, can protect against inflation and become more valuable over time as the price of electricity increases.
Tax Incentives: Federal Tax Credit
At the end of 2015 the federal tax credit that originally was scheduled to end at the end of 2016 was extended for five additional years. The full 30% tax credit value was available from 2017 through 2019. Starting in 2020 the tax credit declined to 26%. In 2021 it declines to 22%. In 2022 the tax credit is discontinued for residential customers but drops to 10% for commercial businesses. If you have tax liability and look to shelter your income, a solar energy system investment can be an excellent way to achieve big tax savings.
5-Year Accelerated Depreciation For Farms & Businesses
Farms and businesses can benefit from accelerated “write-off” of a solar (or wind) investment. The Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) system of accounting allows the depreciation of a solar investment over 5-years. Alternatively, Section 179 or other creative depreciation methods might exist which you should discuss with your tax advisor. The additional depreciation-related tax savings can help improve your project’s return on investment.
Other Incentives
State incentives such as solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) or USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants may be available in your area to provide additional funding for your solar energy system project.
Boost Your Property Value
For commercial property owners and investors, solar and energy-efficiency investments will reduce your building’s operating expenses and in-turn raise your net operating income (NOI). Increasing NOI has a direct positive effect of boosting your commercial property value in many cases. Tick Tock Energy can you evaluate these financial benefits associated with a solar investment.
For homeowners, the Real Estate Appraisal Institute has done studies showing homes with solar typically sell for a higher value. As a rule of thumb, they’ve concluded that a home’s value may often increase by up to twenty times for each one dollar lower in annual operating costs. This is still somewhat subjective as all appraisers are not necessarily trained in solar home appraisals. When it’s time to sell your home, your future buyer may appreciate the lower energy bills and likely willing to pay a higher price for your home.
Save a Mountain! Invest In Clean Energy
A solar energy system provides clean, locally generated electricity that can offer tremendous environmental benefits. Local power reduces reliance on nuclear, coal or gas-fired power plants that have considerable indirect environmental impacts. For example, large central coal power plants require large quantities of coal mined through destructive mountaintop mining techniques. From mining, air pollution, water pollution, and waste disposal issues, traditional power sources create large environmental impacts.
Large nuclear plants are on-going threat to an area due to nuclear contamination and potential radiation accidents. All radioactive waste generated from nuclear power plants in the U.S. still resides on-site with nowhere to go. The U.S. still to this day does not have a long-term waste disposal solution for spent nuclear fuel. Further, consider the widespread nuclear contamination of the Pacific Ocean from Fukushima in Japan. Or the large radioactive “no-go” zone surrounding Chernobyl in the Ukraine. Nuclear accidents like these remind us of the extreme hazards of nuclear power that can last many, many generations.