The answer to that question is simple. It depends on you and the reasons you want to install solar photovoltaic panels on your home or business. The fact is solar panels are 6.5% cheaper than they were last year and about 25% cheaper than they were 6 years ago (when we looked into setting up an array for our home). Solar will almost certainly continue to get cheaper and, at the same time, solar panel and inverter efficiencies keep improving.
Here is a good article summarizing average costs throughout the country. https://news.energysage.com/how-much-does-the-average-solar-panel-installation-cost-in-the-u-s/
If you want to go solar to help the planet by reducing your carbon footprint, then I applaud your commitment and I encourage you to jump in as soon as you can. Maybe you want to solar because your utility provider has too many brownouts or blackouts. That’s also a reason not to wait.
If your intention with solar is to save money though, you might want to keep waiting. Oh don’t get me wrong, solar will almost always pay back your investment in electric savings, but the payback period is still long. That’s why I asked what your intention is in considering solar. Keep an eye out for local initiatives like Solarize Floyd and Solarize Blacksburg, where costs can be further reduced by buying panels collectively as a bulk purchase. Is Solarize Roanoke in the works?
In the meantime, make your home as energy efficient as possible. In fact, that was why I became an energy auditor in the first place. I thought of going into solar installation but the more I learned, the more I realized that anyone wanting to go solar should reduce their home’s energy load first. And thus began my career as an energy auditor. Almost 10 years and 1000 homes later…
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