- It's better than going to the gas station.
Here's what Larry Lukaszewicz told Boston 25 News while installing one of his hybrid cars.
A homeowner in Canton recently installed solar panels on his home.
"The catalyst for me is that I watch the stock market and the energy market, and I just expect the cost of energy to go up dramatically."
More and more customers are getting frustrated with their bills and turning to solar companies.
"It's definitely going up and up because people are complaining about high utility rates," said Thomas Janowski, director of engineering at Devlin Energy in Hingham.
According to the American Public Electric Power Association, traditional energy sources are expected to increase this winter:
- Domestic diesel fuel rose by 19%
- Natural gas went up by 21%
- Massive 20%-60% power boost
- Increasing costs is only half of the equation.
Generous new incentives make it cheaper to go solar.
Homeowners can get a 30% federal tax credit for installing solar equipment as part of the inflation-reducing law signed into law in August.
For example, it could mean $6,000 out of a $20,000 system right away.
Janowski says that's not all. "A $1,000 tax credit is available throughout Massachusetts."
"This money is there, it's there, people are using it, and if you don't understand it and try to figure out how to use it, you're leaving it on the table," John Wookey said. From GreenRoots, an environmental advocacy group based in Chelsea.
"We've had a lot of outages on our power grid lately," Walker added. "We found a bug in our substation, and if you want it to work, it will generate its own power."
Solar investments have taken more than seven years to pay for themselves, but a combination of tax incentives and higher utility costs has changed that.
"Actually, when prices go up, time gets shorter," Janowski said. "I'd say it's time for the sun to be higher than ever."
The sun may be hot, but for most people that's the new frontier.
"When it comes to solar panels, I think we all know nothing," Walker added. "It's all new to a lot of people and that's why it's scary."
Get someone to start looking at the Mass Clean Energy Center website. There you can find contractors in your area and access cost estimates.
Janoski adds, "We recommend that you work through at least half the life of the tiles before you go and invest in switching to diesel."
Even a backup battery like the one Devlin Energy installed in Canton might be a good idea.
"I can run off the grid all night until morning, it's charging again at sunrise, and in the summer I'll get a few good hits from Eversource," Lukaszewicz explains.
Battery systems are also eligible for a 30% tax credit.
Tax credits tied to the Inflation Reduction Act will be available through 2032.
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