Solar panels may make your home more energy efficient, but they won’t save you much on utility costs in Northeast Arkansas.
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In terms of cost-effectiveness, is it worth it to make your Northeast Arkansas home more energy efficient with solar panels?
In our area, utilities are pretty inexpensive. Jonesboro City Water & Light offers us power at about five cents per kilowatt-hour. That national average is around 13 cents per hour.
This makes it tough for out-of-state buyers who want a “green” house with solar panels because installing solar panels on a home in our area isn’t a practical way to save on utility costs. It may be one day, once they're more mass-produced, the cost comes down dramatically, and there are more than just a handful of installers.
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Installing solar panels on a home in our area isn’t a practical way to save on utility costs.
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Installing solar panels on a home in our area isn’t a practical way to save on utility costs.
At the moment, though, they’re still a specialized item, just like plasma-screen TVs were once upon a time. About 10 or 15 years ago, it would cost thousands of dollars to have one of those installed on your wall. Now, you can buy one for $199. Everyone entered into the market, and the technology became much better and cheaper. I think we’ll eventually see the same thing happen with solar panels and other “green” energy solutions
I’m excited about the future, and I’ve looked into this a couple of times for past clients, but it just wasn’t practical. I will, however, keep a lookout for the first Northeast Arkansas home with solar panels, because I think it will look pretty cool. It’s only a matter of time before it becomes cost-effective.
As always, if you’d like a free home valuation or are thinking of buying a home in our area, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’m here to help.
