Solar Systems as an Investment

The demand for more efficient homes with renewable energy systems that will likely remain a healthy trend further increasing the future value of your solar home.

A 1998 “Appraisal Journal (Cited by Wells Fargo) sited that for every $1,000 saved in annual utility expenditures a home’s value increases by $20,000. For every dollar saved in utility costs becomes available to be spent on a higher mortgage payment without a net increase in living expenses.

The table below from an American Solar Energy Society (ASES) study shows the approximate cost for a 100% energy consumption system in comparison to the increased appraisal value.  This example compares a home with utility bills averaging $190 per month, or a total of $2,280 in annual utility costs.

Solar Panel
System Size
Final Net Cost After
30% Solar Tax Credit *
Appraisal Equity
Increase @ 20:1
% Cost Recovered
2.6 kW $16,380 $17,600 107%
5.2 kW $32,760 $44,200 135%
7.8 kW $49,140 $72,600 147%

* Net cost calculated rate of $9,000/kW installed

 

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