The Additional Cost of Solar Panels and How to Save on Them  

There are a lot of expenses that are associated with cost of solar panels. Most of the solar panel costs are for the equipment, but the equipment only represents 25 percent of the solar panel costs.

The soft costs, or the outlays which the solar installer spends trying to get your business is another significant contribution.

The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) did a pricing analyses of residential solar panel installation cost. The NREL broke down the total solar panel costs of a residential system, for one’s house in relation to the total amount of watts that the system should produce. It then broke the average cost down into sub categories.  

Just like with many things there are factors that you can’t control. But there are also many ways that you can use reduce the solar panels cost.

Your installer can help you save  

Do your own research. Solar installers spend a large sum of their time and money educated perspective solar panels. One thing that perspective solar panel buyers can do to lower the cost of a solar panel installation, is buy educating themselves on solar panels. By educating themselves, the perspective solar buyers can reduce the time that both the solar installer and they spend, therefore reducing the costs as well.

Shop around. Don’t just commit to the first solar panels that you come across. When you comparison shop online you can compare bids on different solar installers you can lower the ‘soft costs’ that come with the cost of solar panel installation.

The Hardware

The kind of panels. The higher efficiency that the solar panel is, the more pricey it is. In a lot of cases you won’t actually need your equipment to have the higher efficiency levels, to produce the electricity that your house needs.

The Inverter. Every solar install needs an inverter. There are three main kinds of inverters, the centralized inverters, the string inverters and power optimizers.

The centralized inverters serve the whole system, but string inverters and power optimizers are attached to every single panel in the system. The inverters that can raise the cost of solar are the string inverter and power optimizers.

The Kind of Mounting System: The solar energy system can be installed on the rooftop or on the ground. They can also come with a tracking system to maximize the energy production coming from the solar panels. The more complex the mounting system the more the costs of solar panels will increase.

Labor Installation and Permits

The Warranties. It is important to get warranties on your system, from workmanship to equipment these warranties can really save you. One of the most important things to do regarding workmanship is, make sure that you hire a reputable solar installer. A reputable installer can save you a lot of money in the long run.

Complex Roof. Another thing that can impact the cost of your solar installation is how complex your roof is. If the roof is has multiple levels or is installed at an unusual angle, installing the solar system can be a little more complex than usual. Your solar installer should is the one who will arrange your solar panels in such a way to get the maximum amount of power production from the panels.

The Landscaping. One thing that you will need to be sure of before your solar installation begins is you need to make sure that your roof is clear of any trees and branches and shading. By making sure that this is done before the installation process you can save some money.

Improving your electrical system. Though it is fairly uncommon, your electrical system needs an upgrade it is a possibility that it will need one to be brought up to code for the solar installation. So these costs don’t all spring up on you at the same time.

If you take these steps you can lower the costs of your solar installation. The lower the up front costs of the solar panels are the faster you will break even and then begin to make money off your panels.