Residential Solar Panels are a Great Investment with Excellent Return

With increasing energy costs plaguing the nation and global warming on thoughts of millions across the world, adding residential solar panels to your home would be a wise thing to do. With the low investment to install these solar cells you will benefit greatly from the amount of money you will save in energy costs in the long run. The residential solar cells of today are much better looking and more appeasing to the eye than solar panels of the past.

Solar panels don't have to be used to heat and power your entire home although it is certainly possible. You can save money and use solar cells in other smaller uses for your household. Use them for smaller rooms only or for your outdoor gardens or greenhouses. Apply them to heat your pool in the winter months or to light up your sidewalk or driveway at night.

Buying new residential solar panels can cost thousands of dollars which may cut deep into the pockets of most low and middle income households. There is a way around this, a small solution per say. One way to do this would be to buy used residential solar panels. Used solar panels only lose about 10% of their efficiency even after 20 years.

You can try to contact large industrial locations or businesses to inquire about using their old solar panels. Large industrial corporations invest in new solar cells often so as not to lose any production from old solar panels. Much of the time these solar panels are hardly used at all and they may still give them to you for free or at least a very low discounted price.

If you choose to buy used solar panels, there are a couple of things to look out for. First of all you need to examine each panel very carefully. Check each one for any cracks or breaks. It's also important to look for any condensation inside of the panels along with the cracks which are all signs that the solar cells most likely will not work so well. Any repairs you have to make to the panels will be costly and not worth the investment of buying the residential solar panels used.

Besides saving money from energy costs around the house, the government also provides large tax discounts and benefits to those installing residential solar cells. Check into this carefully before you buy used panels because the tax breaks may only be for those who purchase new ones. With this in mind, it only makes sense to do the math and see which type of investment would be the smartest and most efficient way to go. Also keep in mind that buying new residential solar panels will probably come with warranty's which will cover any breaks along with the tax breaks.

Whichever route you choose residential solar panels new or used will save you money in energy costs and will help save the environment.




Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1091150