Tigard Solar Panel Installations 101
Solar energy is a smart investment to save money even in areas that aren’t known for sun, such as the Pacific Northwest. Tigard, OR is a perfect example of a place where homeowners and business owners alike can benefit enormously from installing solar energy systems despite the region’s notoriety for rain and gloom! At Sunbridge Solar, we strive to make solar installations affordable and accessible to everyone in Tigard and the rest of the PNW.
Solar Panels Installed on Your Home
A home solar energy system can reduce your carbon footprint, decrease your reliance on fossil fuels, save you tons of money on your energy bills, and even increase your home’s value. In fact, across the nation, home equity rose by an average $14,000 when the owner installed a solar energy system, regardless of the size!
How Can Solar Panels Power Your Home?
Solar panels are generally installed on the roof of your home – specifically, on a sloped, south-facing part of your roof that ideally does not get any shade throughout the day. Panels produce power when the photons from the sun’s rays hit the panels’ surface, knocking electrons free from particles of elements that are embedded within the silicon layers. Those free electrons create an electrical charge, which flows out of the panels, through an inverter that changes it from DC to AC, and into your home to provide power.
How Many Panels Do I Need?
The exact number of panels that you need will vary based on your average monthly electricity consumption rate and the efficiency rating of the panels that you choose. The number could also be limited by budget constraints or the size and orientation of your roof. However, in general, the average home can be powered by a 5 kW solar system, which equates to somewhere between 15 and 20 solar panels depending on the size and wattage of the panels.
What Happens When I Generate More Electricity Than I Consume?
Conveniently, Oregon allows for net metering, which is a policy that allows you to sell your excess energy to the utility grid. You will then be compensated in the form of credits on your account, which can be applied against your bill in the winter months when energy consumption rates are up and solar power production is down. This effectively lowers your energy bill for the entire year, rather than just during the summer months when your panels produce a lot of energy.
How Long Do Solar Panels Last?
Most solar panels last about 25 years on average. The warranty period will vary based on the manufacturer, but some panels have warranties guaranteeing their output levels even after 25 years. Naturally, production will drop over time as the panels start to wear, but many panels can be expected to produce around 85% of their initial production rate at the end of the warranty period.
Home Battery Backup
Home battery backup systems allow you to store the renewable energy that your solar panels produce onsite at your home. You can then use this stored energy in the case of a grid outage or just to avoid high time-of-use rates if necessary.
What is the Payback Period for Solar?
Across the state of Oregon, the average payback period for home solar energy systems is 10.32 years. That means that in just over 10 years, you will have saved as much on your energy bills as you initially paid for your solar energy system. After that, you can continue to reap the benefits of solar energy at no additional cost for the remainder of the system’s lifespan.
Solar Panels for Businesses
Business owners can benefit in many of the same ways as homeowners when they add solar panels to their properties. The systems are quite similar, but often scaled up significantly to provide more power for a commercial setting. Many business owners maximize their solar production by installing panels on the roof of the business, on ground mounts, or even on parking or shade structures.
How Does Solar Help My Bottom Line?
The biggest benefit of solar energy is that it will greatly reduce or even nearly eliminate your electricity bill, which is often one of the biggest overhead costs for a business. By producing your own power, you will also insulate your business from future rate hikes and inflation of electricity prices and you may also become eligible for certain solar-related tax breaks.
Solar Incentives in Tigard, Oregon
Tigard has some of the best local solar incentives that can be combined with state and federal offers as well:
- 30% 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
- Oregon Net Energy Metering
- Portland Clean Energy Fund (Only available in Portland, OR)
- USDA REAP Grant (Rural-areas Only)
Why Choose Us to be Your Tigard Solar Provider?
At Sunbridge Solar, our mission is to make solar energy affordable and accessible for all. We also want you to be able to make an informed decision on solar investments based on your specific location, so we do everything in our power to share the most important and relevant data.
Free Consultation and Solar Quotes
Contact us today to get started with a free consultation and solar quote!
Try Our Solar Calculator
Still shopping around for answers and prices? Try our free solar calculator for Oregon homeowners. Within minutes, you’ll have a better idea of what your costs and payback period may be. Ballpark estimates only.
