Lake Oswego Solar Guide for Homeowners and Business Owners
Located just south of Portland, Lake Oswego is an excellent place to invest in solar energy for both homes and businesses. At Sunbridge Solar, we provide affordable, high-quality options to Oregon residents, and we want you to know exactly what to expect for your precise location.
In this article, we’ll take a look at solar energy specifically in Lake Oswego, OR.
Solar Panels for Lake Oswego Homes
Adding solar panels to your home can provide many benefits, such as drastically reducing your energy bill, lowering your carbon footprint, and even increasing your home equity.
How Many Panels Do I Need?
There are several factors that dictate how many solar panels you’ll need in your system, such as your average electricity consumption, how efficient your panels are, and how much roof space you have available. In general, a 5 kW solar energy system is considered average and can power most homes. Usually a 5 kW system will include between 15 and 20 panels, depending on the wattage of the panels you select.
LO Businesses and Solar
Business owners can also benefit significantly from installing a solar energy system. Commercial solar electric systems work similar to home solar systems, just on a much larger scale in order to produce more power. Many business owners opt to install solar panels on roof space, ground racks, or even on parking shade structures or carports.
How Does Solar Help My Bottom Line?
Electricity costs are often a huge part of the overhead of running a business, especially if your business involves refrigeration or even just heating a large warehouse or office. Adding solar can effectively reduce your monthly electricity costs to almost zero and it will protect you from future rate hikes and inflation.
Additionally, adding solar can make you eligible for significant tax breaks and even draw in environmentally conscious customers whose values align with your business’
Prepare for Emergencies with Batteries
At Sunbridge Solar, we also offer home battery backup systems which allow you to store renewable energy onsite at your home. This can help you ride out long term grid power outage and will also save you money on a daily basis by allowing you to avoid high time-of-use rates.
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Owning an electric vehicle is much more practical if you can charge it at home, which is why we offer home charging stations that can be used in conjunction with solar energy systems and home battery backup systems.
Solar Incentives in Lake Oswego
There are a number of available solar incentives that residents and business owners of Lake Oswego can take advantage of. They are:
- 26% Federal Solar Tax Credit (Available to both residential & commercial solar projects)
- Energy Trust of Oregon Solar Incentives
- Portland General Electric Solar Program
- Pacific Power Solar Incentive Program
- Solar Within Reach Solar Incentive for Qualified Incomes
- ODOE Solar Rebate for Battery Backup Systems
- Net Energy Metering
- Portland Clean Energy Fund (Only available in Portland, OR)
- USDA REAP Grant (Grants for large solar farms)
Solar FAQs
Here are a few questions we get asked a lot. If you have more questions, feel free to contact us.
How Does Solar Work?
In most cases, solar panels are installed on the roof of a home. The most optimal place for panels is on a sloped, south-facing portion of the roof that is not shaded at all throughout the day. Solar panels produce energy when photons from the sun’s rays hit the panel’s surface and knock electrons loose from embedded elements in the silicon, creating an electrical charge. This current then flows out of the panels and into an inverter which changes it from DC to AC - what most household appliances use.
What Happens When I Generate More Electricity Than I Consume?
Fortunately, the state of Oregon has some of the best net metering policies, which means that you can sell excess energy that your panels produce to your utility grid and be compensated with credits on your account. Then you can use those credits against your energy bills in months where solar power production is lower and consumption is higher, effectively reducing your bill throughout the entire year.
How Long do Solar Panels Last?
Solar panels often have a lifespan of around 25 years. Most panels are backed by warranties that cover defects for 10, 20, or even 25 years. But, some other parts of your solar energy system such as your inverter may need to be replaced more frequently.
What is the Payback Period for Solar in Lake Oswego, OR?
In Lake Oswego, OR, solar energy systems pay for themselves in an average of 10.32 years. In that time, your panels will have saved you as much money on electric bills as you spent on installing the panels. Then, you have recouped your investment, and you can continue to enjoy very low-cost energy for the rest of the lifespan of your panels - which, as we mentioned, can be around 25 years.
Is Solar Worth It in Lake Oswego?
Solar can definitely be worth it in Lake Oswego.
Solar provides a clean, renewable energy source that allows you to significantly reduce your carbon footprint. It can also save you thousands of dollars on your energy bills over the system’s lifespan, and increase your home equity by an average of $14,000. Finally, if you opt to add a battery backup system, solar can keep your lights on even during a grid outage.
Really the only disadvantage of solar is that it is expensive upfront to install a system. But, prices are dropping as the technology improves, loans are increasingly easy to obtain, and there are many different financial incentives available to help reduce this upfront cost of solar.
Get Started wit Sunbridge Solar
At Sunbridge Solar, we strive to make solar energy affordable and accessible to all homeowners and business owners in Oregon and Washington. We want to save you money while also working to protect the environment.
Free Consultation and Solar Quotes
We offer a free consultation and quote for your solar energy project. Feel free to contact us today to get started.
