My home will soon be powered by the sun.
Pending an APS inspection and the flip of a switch, Mother Nature will heat my house, turn on my lights and power almost every other electricity-related activity at my residence, and her usage rate is much cheaper.
Granted, there is the up-front cost of installation, but with rebates and tax credits we didn’t feel we could go wrong.
Not only will our monthly APS bill decrease dramatically, if we owe anything at all, but I feel like we’re doing something good for the Earth and future generations who will inhabit the world the way we leave it for them.
As green living becomes a trend across the country, different states have begun to evaluate which source of renewable energy works best for their climates.
In plains states, people use wind to generate power. In cold states, they use geothermal. In states where water is plentiful, they use hydropower.
We figured in Arizona, how could we not ask the sun to help us produce energy for our home?
Our panels won’t cover the entire cost of our current rate of electricity consumption every month, but it will be close.
We estimate during our highest usage times, which is generally in the winter at my house, our solar panels will generate 85 to 90 percent of what we use. However, that simply gives us incentive to cut back on our consumption.
In the summer, when we use less energy, we should see our meter spin backward as we generate more than we need.
Going solar may seem overwhelming, or even expensive due to up front costs, but there are resources available to educate the public on the benefits, both environmentally and financially.
Sustainable Arizona, a Sedona nonprofit dedicated to conservation and sustainable practices, offers several solar information links on its website.
I’m glad we made the switch, not only to save us money in the long run, but because we took a fairly significant step to mitigate our impact on the planet, which is something more people need to think about.
