Are Solar Panels Worth It in San Antonio?

San Antonio gets over 250 days of sunshine every year. That’s a whole lot of free energy beaming down from the sky. Don’t let it go to waste—take advantage of it with a home solar installation! Of course, you’ll have to spend some money installing solar panels, but once your system is up and running, your electric bills will start to drop. If you finance your installation, you can put the money you save on your electricity bills toward your monthly payments. Once your system is paid off, all the electricity you generate will be free! Eventually, you’ll save enough money on electricity costs that your solar panels will have paid for themselves. That’s why solar panel return on investment is so high.

If you rely on a utility company for electricity, you're at the whim of the market when it comes to electricity rates. But when you produce your own electricity with solar panels, you don’t have to worry as much about rising rates.

You will likely need to buy some electricity from the grid, the cost of which will depend on current rates, but you’ll be producing enough of your own power that it won’t have as much of an effect on your budget as it would if you were buying all your power from the grid.

It’s also possible to run your whole house on solar and never have to buy grid electricity if you install a large enough solar panel and battery storage system for your home’s energy requirements.

One of the main solar panel benefits currently available is the federal solar tax credit, which can make your solar in San Antonio much more affordable. With the solar tax credit (which was recently increased by the Inflation Reduction Act) you can reduce what you owe in federal income taxes by 30% of your solar installation costs. So, if you install a $10,000 solar panel system, you’ll get a $3,000 tax break!

Texas does not mandate utilities offer net metering by law, but many power companies do offer this solar incentive. As a net metering participant, you can export the excess electricity your solar panels produce to the electric grid in exchange for a credit on your electricity bill. When you need to buy electricity to supplement your solar power (at night or on a cloudy day for example) you can use your credit to offset the cost.

If 2021’s power crisis taught us anything, it’s that San Antonio homeowners need to be prepared for extended power outages. Solar panels don’t provide backup power on their own, but they do when they’re paired with solar battery storage. With a solar plus battery system, you can have peace of mind knowing you’ll be able to keep the power running the next time the grid shuts down.

Texas Engineered Solar is a local solar company near you in San Antonio that’s founded and run by Texans, for Texans. We’re here to help you take control of rising energy costs and unpredictable grid reliability by putting the power to generate power in your hands. We install custom solar energy systems that are built around your specific needs. We’ll analyze your roof, your energy usage, the amount of sunlight your home gets, and more to determine whether solar is really worth it for you.