Still confused on your options? Read the details below or just get in touch with one of our solar experts!

Cash Payment - Purchasing Solar Panels with Upfront Payment

Indeed, having cash readily available is a great advantage. If you have the necessary funds accessible, similar to other home improvement projects, you may consider covering the full cost of solar panel installation upfront. The significant benefit is the elimination of monthly payments, interest, or additional fees. However, the time it takes to break even can be a consideration. For example, if you invest $30,000 in a solar panel system that completely offsets your yearly energy costs of $3,000, it will take a decade to recover the initial investment.

Purchasing solar panels with cash is a great option for individuals with excess cash laying around that you want to invest into a home improvement project with a return each year on your investment. You pay for it up front, there are no further payments, and all energy generation goes directly to your pocket.

Loan - Purchasing Solar Panels through a Solar Loan:

Acquiring solar panels using a solar loan is a popular choice among homeowners looking to transition to solar energy. It also allows you to take advantage of tax credits such as the current 30% federal tax credit as well as other tax incentives that may be available from your state, city, or even utility company.

Solar loans are typically provided by solar companies or third-party financial institutions that work in collaboration with solar installers. The interest rates for these loans can vary significantly based on several factors, including whether the loan is secured or unsecured, the length of the loan, the lending institution, geographical location, down payment, credit score, loan amount, and the prime rate set by the federal government during the loan servicing.

One positive aspect of financing your home solar panels through a solar loan is that you can still benefit from solar energy and associated rebates. However, there are some nuances to be cautious about. For example, certain loan agreements may initiate with interest-only payments for the first year. While this can result in lower monthly payments initially, subsequent payments for the remainder of the loan term may be higher.

Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs):

The most popular way to purchase solar is through PPA’s. Basically, you are replacing your Utility company with the Solar company. However, after the PPA term (usually 20-25 years), the panels are fully owned by you (unless otherwise stated in the PPA agreement). The massive upside is, you put zero money out of pocket, and immediately pay less for electricity every month. There are some people due to geographic location, shade (tree’s etc), or other limitations that do not save. If this is the case, you should not do a PPA (or maybe you should not consider solar at all). Make sure you get lease payments that are FIXED and not variable as this is what locks in your savings. Many people save 20-35% or more immediately on monthly energy payments, then get 100% of the energy produced free after the PPA term is completed.

A significant advantage of these options is that they don't necessitate any upfront payment. In this setup, the solar company owns and maintains the system. However, it's important to note that you won't be eligible for tax incentives or rebates in this arrangement. This incentive goes to the solar company, who use some of it to lower your monthly payments.

Leases might be a great option for individuals who are no longer in the workforce, retired, or living on a fixed budget. It’s a great way to lower monthly costs, with the long term benefit of completely owning the system outright after the PPA, meaning you no longer have monthly payments to the solar company and you keep all the energy generation to yourself.

Questions or want to get a free solar analysis on how much you will save? Click here!