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As home solar power continues to gain in popularity, more and more homeowners in Billings MT are turning to residential solar panels to power their homes.
Factors to consider before installing a home solar system
Billings Solar Power
There is no one size fits all solar solution.
A solar-only system is the most basic type of residential solar power system. It generates electricity from sunlight and feeds it directly into your home's electrical panel. This system is ideal for homeowners in Billings looking to reduce their reliance on the traditional grid and lower their energy bills with battery systems.
Key Features:
- Grid-Tied: Connected to the utility grid.
- Net Metering: Excess energy is sent back to the grid for credits.
- Reduced Energy Costs: Lower monthly electricity bills.
Solar Plus Partial Home Backup
This system combines the benefits of a solar-only system with a battery backup system. The battery stores excess solar energy generated by solar panels in Montana for use during power outages or peak demand periods. This provides partial backup power to essential appliances and circuits in your home.
Key Features:
- Battery Backup: Provides power during outages.
- Energy Independence: Reduced reliance on the grid.
- Increased Energy Security: Peace of mind during power disruptions.
Solar Plus Whole Home Backup
This advanced system offers complete backup power for your entire home. The battery storage capacity is larger, allowing you to power all your appliances and devices during extended power outages. This is the ultimate solution for homeowners who want to be completely energy independent.
Key Features:
- Extended Backup Power: Power your entire home during outages.
- Enhanced Energy Security: Maximum protection against power disruptions.
- Increased Home Value: A significant upgrade that can increase your home's value.
Choosing the Right Home Solar System for you
The best solar system for your home depends on your specific needs, budget, and local energy rates. There is no one size fits all home solar system. Consider factors such as your energy consumption, desired level of energy independence, and local regulations for solar panels in Montana. Consulting with a solar energy expert can help you determine the optimal system for your home.
CAN YOU PUT SOLAR PANELS ON A METAL ROOF?
Yes, absolutely! Installing solar panels on a metal roof is often an ideal combination.
Metal roofs are an excellent foundation for solar energy systems due to their inherent durability, long lifespan, and design versatility. Many Metal Roofing Contractors are now working closely with a solar panel and metal roofing installions expert to offer seamless, integrated solutions.
One of the key advantages of pairing solar panels with a metal roof, especially a standing seam metal roof, is the simplified installation process. Unlike other roofing materials that often require drilling penetrations to secure solar racking, standing seam metal roofs allow for clamping systems. These clamps attach directly to the raised seams, eliminating the need to puncture the roof surface. This significantly reduces the risk of leaks and maintains the roof's integrity and warranty, offering homeowners greater peace of mind.
Furthermore, metal roofs are incredibly long-lasting, often outliving the 25-30 year lifespan of solar panels. This means that once your solar system is installed, you won't need to worry about costly panel removal and reinstallation for a premature roof replacement. The combined longevity of a metal roof and solar panels provides a truly sustainable and low-maintenance energy solution for your home. When considering this upgrade, it's crucial to consult with experienced Metal Roofing Contractors and Solar Panel Installation Contractors who have expertise in these specific types of installations to ensure optimal performance and a secure, watertight system.
Can you put metal roofing under the solar panels only?
Combining asphalt shingles on the majority of the roof with metal under the solar array, makes a lot of sense, especially in a region like Billings that experiences frequent hail and wind. This targeted application of metal roofing is a smart, forward-thinking solution for Billings Solar & Homeowners looking to maximize the benefits and minimize the long-term headaches associated with their home solar systems in a challenging climate.
Your Solar Energy Savings Audit...
All you need to know about home solar systems --- Overall Costs, Savings, Net Metering, Rebates, Incentives, State and Federal Tax Breaks, and Solar Installers.
How You'll Benefit from a Solar Energy Savings Audit
Lower Utility Bills
This is often the primary motivation with Home solar systems. By identifying energy inefficiencies (like drafts, poor insulation, or outdated appliances) and optimizing solar panel placement and sizing, an audit can lead to significant reductions in your monthly electricity costs, sometimes by 20-30%.
Optimized Solar System Design
An audit ensures that Billings solar systems are correctly sized and placed to maximize energy production and your return on investment. It prevents over- or under-sizing of your home solar system, which can lead to unnecessary expenses or insufficient power.
Increased Home Comfort
Addressing energy leaks and improving insulation, as recommended by an audit, can eliminate drafts and inconsistent temperatures, making your home more comfortable year-round, and complementing the efficiency of your home solar systems.
Reduced Environmental Impact
By becoming more energy-efficient and utilizing renewable home solar systems, you significantly reduce your household's carbon footprint.
Identification of Other Issues
Audits can uncover other home issues beyond energy, such as safety concerns with HVAC systems, or even hidden mold or mildew.
Access to Incentives
Many federal, state, and local rebates and tax credits (like the federal Residential Clean Energy Credit) are available for energy efficiency upgrades and home solar solar installations. An audit can help you identify which incentives you qualify for and provide the necessary documentation.
Schedule your SOLAR ENERGY SAVINGS AUDIT
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Saving with Solar Power, Solar Incentives, and Solar News
Solarize Billings campaign attempts to take solar mainstream
YAN BERRY, Billings Gazette
On the grid solar
In the last three years, residential solar panel users grew to nearly 1% of all energy customers in Montana. Most solar users in Montana stay on the power grid with a ‘net metering’ system.
Instead of an off-grid system, which stores extra energy in batteries, when solar panels create energy it is immediately used to power the home. But if no energy is being used, or a residence is using less than the panels generate, the excess power is sent to the power grid.
The exported energy shows up as an energy credit, which essentially gives the owner free power when the solar panels are not creating energy. Brad Van Wert, owner of Harvest Solar in Bozeman, told The Gazette the ideal solar array would allow homeowners to never pay for energy again.
“The term is net zero,” Van Wert said. “Depending on how much power someone uses, and the size of their roof, they could just be paying a membership bill for power.”
Net Metering: What Is It And Why Is It Becoming Controversial?
Update 2/2022
What Is Net Metering?
Net metering allows customers who generate some or all of their own power to offset their purchased power regardless of the time of day that they generate or use electricity. Because it doesn’t matter when the power is generated or used, the impact of generated kilowatt hours (kWh) is particularly helpful for solar power generated during the day and wind power generated at night.
Net metering has been one of the major drivers in growing small, distributed generation, especially for home solar systems. Take, for example, a homeowner with solar panels mounted on the roof of their home. These panels send power into the grid all day while the owner is away at work. When the homeowner returns and turns on the lights, cooks dinner, or watches TV in the evening, the energy used is offset by the energy generated during the day. As a result, when the homeowner’s energy bill arrives at the end of the month, billable kWh can be close to zero. Sounds like a good deal, right?
Anti-Solar Bill Will Effectively Destroy Industry, Cost Montana Jobs
Update 2/19:
Huge Win for Residential Solar Power Installations!
On Friday, Feb. 19th in the House Energy Committee, Rep. Brewster withdrew HB359 before it even had its hearing. Thank you to all of the Montanans who signed up to oppose the bill, submitted comments, and made phone calls. There were more than a thousand comments submitted in opposition to the bill! This loud and vocal opposition helped earn this huge victory for rooftop solar power installations. Onward! House Bill 359 being introduced by Rep. Brewster (R, Billings) will effectively destroy Montana’s solar industry and cost the state hundreds of well-paying jobs provided by local businesses across the state. The issue at hand is net metering, which is a billing mechanism that allows Montanans who invested in rooftop solar energy and small wind systems to get credits…
Montana Renewable Energy Association
APR 2021 Update: A Victory for Home Solar Systems in Billings and Beyond!
April 29, Update: HB448 was tabled in a Select Conference Committee meeting. MREA engineered a last-ditch effort to try and preserve the good parts of the bill, but that effort narrowly failed. The bill was then tabled, meaning it is dead. This is ultimately a great victory! The hijacked version would have been terrible for solar energy in Montana—for solar owners and consumers, as well as for our state's solar power professionals, including those working with home solar systems in Billings Solar. We are both thrilled and relieved that we were able to stop the bad version from moving forward. Thank you to all those who helped and supported us during this bill's long and tumultuous journey this session!
Here's How Much Adding Solar Panels Will Boost Your Home's Value.
Update by Shaina Mishkin 4/23/19
Solar panels are good for the environment, but are they good for the value of your home? A new study suggests the answer is yes — although whether it's enough to actually cover the cost of the home solar system depends on where you live.
Americans are investing in solar power, installing enough systems to power 12.3 million homes in 2018, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group. But whether or not those residential solar systems pay off depends on a lot of factors, from the cost of electricity in your area to the shape of your roof. One of those factors: their impact on your home's value.
On average, solar panels raise a home's value by 4.1% across the U.S., according to a new Zillow analysis of homes across the country— that's a boost of $9,274 on a $226,300 home, according to the study.\
So, what exactly is the federal solar tax credit?
Jim Hilger: The Roofing and Solar Blog
The residential solar energy credit is a tax credit that can be applied to your federal income taxes for a percentage of the overall cost of your home solar systems (photovoltaic, or PV, system). There are other credits available for other types of renewable energy; however, for our purpose, we will stick to those incentives that apply to solar or solar panels, particularly relevant for communities like Billings Solar.
Your tax credit should be applied to the tax year that the system was installed and placed in service, or it started to generate electricity for your home. Typically, your date of installation is sufficient.
Recently, Congress passed an extension of the ITC that provides homeowners with a 26% tax credit for systems installed during the years 2020-2022. From there, it is expected that the credit will be reduced to 22%, with the credit expected to retire in the year 2024. There is no maximum amount that may be claimed.
Explaining the Federal Solar Tax Credit.
Solaria, March 2022
2022 is the last year the Federal Solar Tax Credit will be at 26% for residential properties. Starting in 2023, the credit will drop to 22%, and by 2024 the credit will be eliminated. We’ve said it before, and we will keep saying it— the time is NOW for solar energy.
Solar can be an expensive investment and maybe you’ve been putting it off in hopes that prices will drop. While the price of solar power installations has dropped considerably compared to ten years ago, the current rate of decline has hit somewhat of a plateau. That means the savings associated with the Federal Solar Tax Credit, also called the Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), are significant and something you do not want to miss out on.
Calculate Your Solar Savings
See How Much You Can Save With Solaria Solar Panels
Use the Solaria Solar Savings Calculator to learn how much money you can save on your electric bill using Solaria high power solar panels for home energy. Reduce your energy bills and power your home and EV with beautiful, efficient and high energy solar panels by Solaria.
Have questions about where to start with solar? Schedule a call with one of our Solar Experts!