Solar & Generator Information in Colorado

The Most Important Value Propositions for Solar if Using Company with High Itegrity

• $0 out of pocket


• 30% tax credit (of total price of the system).  THIS WAS JUST EXTENDED & INCREASED FROM 2023-2033 INSTALLS.  HUGE PLUS.


• Fixed (usually lower) solar monthly than your current power bill (usually also a cash discount if prefer & no penalty for paying off quicker


• Independence from the grid


• Optional battery protection, rated for mountain living, for peace of mind in any power outage


• Power rates are going up (between 7-20% depending on the area in Colorado)


• Inflation is at all-time highs; We want to save as much as possible right now


• No lien on property for the solar loan (if not paying cash)


• All equipment and labor have a 25-30 year all-inclusive warranty


• High quality Equipment options.  Examples:  Inverter types for panels; Solar Edge (string inverter) & Enphase (micro inverter - most common)


• High quality battery options for partial or full home backup (Ex. Enphase)

Solar Engery – What You Need To Know

• Solar power is simply usable energy generated from the sun in the form of either electric or thermal energy.


• Solar energy is a cleaner, inexpensive, renewable power source that is harnessable nearly everywhere in the world.  Solar energy comes from the sun, and represents a limitless source of power.  Renewable energy technologies generate electricty from resources that are infinite.  Compare producing electristy with renewalb resources to fossil fuels.  It took hundreds of thousands of years for oil, gas, and coal to form.  So, every time one of those resources is burned to create electricity (and emissions!), that finite resource is moved marginally closer to depletion.  Using a renewable resource – such as wind, solar, and hydropower – to generate electristy does not deplete that resource.


• While the current electricity mix in the United States is still made up largely of fossil fuels like oil and gas, renewable energy sources like solar are steadily becoming a larger part of the country's energy profile as the cost becomes more competitive.  The rapid proliferation of solar power nationwide and globally has also led to parallel growth in several adjacent areas.  Notably, solar battery systems, electric vehicles, and heat pumps are all sectors poised to explode alongside the solar industry by augmenting the benefits of solar.


• Solar energy is captured in a variety of ways, with the most common being a solar photovoltaic system, or PV system, that converts the sun's rays into usable electricty.  Aside from using photovoltaics to generate electricty, solar thermal energy, or concentrating solar power (CSP), is commonly used to heat indoor spaces or fluids.  Residential and commercial property owners can install solar hot water systems and design their new buildings with passive solar heating in mind to fully take advantage of the sun's energy with solar technology.

Types of Solar Energy Systems

• Panels are installed at three main scales:  Residential, Commercial, and Utility


• Homeowners can take advantage of residential-scale solar, typically in the form of rooftop solar or in-ground mounted solar installed in open land for existing homes or new construction.


• Residentail solar systems are between 5 and 20 kilowatts (kW), depending on the size of the home.

How Do Solar Panels Work?

A solar panel consists of a layer of silicon cells, a metal frame, a glass casing unit, and wiring to transfer electric current from the silicon.  When light hits a silicon cell, the light causes electrons in the silicon to be set in motion, initiating a flow of electric current.  This is known as the "photovoltaic effect", and it describes the general functionality of solar panel technology.  The science of generating electricty with solar panels boils down to this photovoltaic effect.  Solar Panel efficiency has increased nearly 400% since they first came out.

Rates

Colorado electric energy rates are going WAY up – especially Xcel.  Recovering costs from storm damages, as well as shutting down coal plants 50 years early, and adding new infrastructure (infrastructure alone is an 8% increase as of Fall 2023) will significantly increase the costs of electric power in Colorado.  In 2022 on average, costs rose 16%, and before that for 20+ years, costs had still increased an average of 4% a year.

Net Metering

• Net metering enables some solar system owners to feed excess renewable energy from their systems into the local grid, reducing the demand for fossil fuels.  In areas where net metering is available, utilities will offer payments, usually in the form of energy credits, to utility customers who sell their excess energy to the grid.


• Currently, the state policy for investor-owned utilities is to compensate solar customers at the same retail rate that the utility charges residential customers for their electricity usage.  This payment only applies to solar customers that, on average, generate more electricity via their solar panels than they use in a given month.  Any customer's net excess generation in a given month is applied as a kilowatt-hour credit to the customer's next bill.  If your area and power company does Net Metering, this is an added benefit for going solar.  Right now, Xcel Energy does the best net metering nationwide, and in Colorado it's a 1:1 ratio (HUGE BENEFIT).  Speak with your Solar Expert for the latest updates.

Tax Credits

• To promote cleaner and more renewable energy, the federal government has put in place two nationwide solar incentives that are available to Colorado residents.  Homeowners should apply for them shortly after solar installation is complete.  Solar installers can help ou understand these incentives.


• The Federal Solar Tax Credit (ITC) allows Americans in any state to deduct 30% of the cost of their residential solar installation from their federal taxes, dollar for dollar, through the end of 2033.  You also save money at tax time because the money, credits, or subsidies you earn are not taxable.  This incentive won't last forever; in 2033, the federal ITC steps down to 26%, and it will go away completely for residential solar installations in 2035.

Should You Go Solar?

When it comes to installing solar panels and switching to an eco-friendlier energy source, there's not a one-size-fits-all approach.  To help determine if your home or business is a good candidate for solar, an experienced Solar Consultant can quickly & easily walk you through those so you can make the determination with all the information.  There are approximately 130 million homes in the US & 90 million of those qualify for solar.  As need and demand on the power grid continue to increase, as well as the cost of energy to you or your business, consider being part of the solar revolution.

5 Main Questions Homeowners Have, Answers, & What to Consider in Choosing Your Solar Consultant & Company

1.  What happens to my roof?
You should be working with a company where your roof is insured during and after the install for 25-30 years.

2.  What if we move?
You should be working with a solar company in which their program is different than the past programs in that the solar is fully transferable.  So, rather than getting the company to remove the panels and install on your new property, all the reputable company does is transfer the program to the new homeowner, the same way you would transfer your utility bill.  It also usually increases value on your home 5-20% in Colorado & good solar brokers/consultants can link you iwht a realtor in your area versed in selling homes with solar on it.

3.  How much does it cost?
So, you should be looking for a great company that installs on your home and covers all the upfront expenses, and then they simply swap your power bill so you're not in the position where you have to pay two large bills.  Each proposal should be customized to the home and the homeowner's needs, & consults and proposals should be free to see if your home qualifies.  Although solar energy adoption was slow at first, a number of state and federal incentives and policies contributed to driving down the cost of solar far enough to become more widely adopted.  Cost has decreased by 70% in the last 10 years.

4.  Who maintains it?
The company you work with should look after the maintenance for the next 25-30 years within the performance & installation warranty.  The company should be working with good local installers.  If there is anything to happen to the panels or other equipment such as electrical faults, or reduced production, the company & their insurance companies look after the fix, or the replacement.

5.  When do we start saving money?
From the day your solar is turned on, your bill is automatically swapped & you start saving tons.

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EMERGENCY GENERATORS

Ideal items to add to your emergency / weather preparedness checklist.


WHY HAVE A BACKUP GENERATOR?

1.  Keep your important appliances & medical devices running.  It will allow you to keep the necessary appliances running in your home, like overhead lights, the refrigerator, and even medical equipment.

2.  Prevent food spoilage.  It will prevent the stressful scenario of losing groceries from taking place, keeping your fridge and freezer running smoothly.

3.  Protect your home from flood damage.  With thunderstorms comes potential flooding.  Luckily your home's sump pump will combat any flooding issues...until the power goes out.  An electric sump pump can't function without electricty.  If you have a generator, it can be used to keep your sump pump running and help keep your basement from flooding during heavy downpours.

4.  Keep your home (and your family) comfortable.  While we can all make do without power for a short time, the longer an outage lasts, the less comfortable your home will be without the typical and necessary amenities it usually offers.  No one likes sitting in the dark without easily generated heat.  Your fans that blow the heat centrally (even from propane) or that blow from a fan on a wood burning stove, will not work wihtout power.  A genreator will keep your family happy, comfortable, and calm.

5.  Peace of mind.  No one likes feeling helpless during an emergency.  Having a generator is one way to be proactive and be prepared for the unexpected.  You won't have to be dependent upon the local electric company and you can feel assured that your household will continue to run, and your family will remain comfortable until the power is restored.

TYPES OF GENERATORS

• Whole House
• Portable
• Invertor Generator
• Gasoline
• Diesel
• Natural Gas
• Solar Generator
• Tri-Phase (3 fuel sources)
• Bi-Phase (2 fuel sources)

Power output ranges from 500W - 10,000+W, and larger systems 25kW - 40kW.  Talk to your energy consultant on the pros, cons, and accessibility/performance at altitude on each of these types of systems.

For full peace of mind you would have solar, with full battery backup, and at least one type of generator.

Kimberly Gregory
Local Solar & Energy Consultant / Broker
Our Team Provides Education, Evaluation, Proposals, Project Management, Financing, & Installation
(720) 660-7780
kimberlysolarbroker@gmail.com