If you look out of the window today, it may be a bit overcast, but in a few months, the sun will be bearing down on the Sacramento region with promises to scorch the valley. We know those 100-degree days are not too far off. Solar technology seems to innovate regularly. Sacramento would seem to be an ideal place to capitalize on solar power, so why don’t we see more solar panels installed on our neighbor’s roofs, much less our own roofs?
Google’s Project Sunroof can help you determine if solar is a good option for your wallet and home. Depending on your current electricity rates, solar power may not be a cost-effective strategy for you. When we ran the Project Sunroof calculator for our own homes, it gave us 17-year payback periods – that’s a long time to wait for your investment to start paying off. If you are looking for a quick payback, you may want to wait to invest in your own solar panels.
That said, you may not want to put solar panels on your roof; maybe you rent or will be moving soon. How can you take advantage of Sacramento’s solar benefits if solar roof panels are not for you?
- Consider enrolling in SMUD Solar Share – https://www.smud.org/en/Going-Green/SolarShares beginning in 2019.
- Hang dry your clothes on a clothes rack
- Consider using the sun to charge commonly used batteries
- Use a solar blanket for your pool
We’ll check back on solar later this year.