 |
Northern Virginia Home Energy Audits |
703-912-4710
703-328-4057 |
Serving the DC METRO area since 1998 |
Doing Energy Audits to save you money and fix your
problems |
|
Solar - The Cost
PV system is a significant financial investment, with important environmental
and economic ramifications. So it is important to think carefully about what you
want your solar energy system to accomplish in both the short and long term.
PV panels last a long time and have long warranties. Most manufacturers offer 25 year guarantees for rated power output.
Inverter technology is constantly evolving and improving. Warranties of 10 years are becoming the norm for grid tie inverters. Efficiencies are quite high and little power is wasted in conversion from DC to AC.
If you should decide to add more PV panels or replace the inverter with a more updated unit, this can readily be done, when your system is designed with future expansion in mind.
You may want to build your system in stages or perhaps a tax credit change might make it more attractive for you to increase size. But you should be thinking of these things before you settle on your design
And don’t forget to explore the TAX CREDITS !
There really isn’t such a thing as an “off the shelf” PV system. Each site has its own unique aspects which need to be taken into account when pricing a system.
Here are some typical pricing guidelines:
| GRID TIE |
1KW to 3KW |
$8 to $10 per watt |
|
> 3KW |
$7.00 per watt |
| GRID TIE W/ BATTERY BACKUP |
|
$12.00 per watt |
| OFF GRID |
|
$15.00 per watt |
|