The Solar-Powered Homeowner's Big Payday

The Solar-Powered Homeowner truly has something to celebrate every year on what's known as the "Summer Solstice" or the first day of summer. It's also the longest day of the year with the most hours of sunlight turning into electricity and that's a BIG deal.

In many cases, even though we use more energy cooling our homes in the summertime, solar homeowners can even produce more power than they use during these months because the days are so long. Thanks to net metering, we can "bank" those kilowatt hours of electricity and use them when the days aren't as long as there's less sunlight turning into energy.

The growth in number of solar-powered homeowners in recent years is a result of cumulative efforts by policymakers, solar customers, advocates, and business. The incentive to create a better future for the planet, create jobs, reduce reliance on energy sources with harmful emissions and lower electric bills has prompted so many of us to choose a better way to power our homes and businesses.

The Solar Energy Industries Association estimates that by 2024 2.5% of all US homes will have a home solar energy system installed.

Here's what we know: the largest reason homeowners choose solar power is because someone they know and trust did it and recommended it.

Here's what else we know: once a homeowner starts to see the production of energy and it's related savings, they look for other ways to save. Why? Because it was easy.

When we go solar, we're producing "x" kilowatt hours of energy that our home uses instead of the energy we used to buy from our utility. That's called energy production. Now let's keep going with that idea and modify it just a bit. If we were to actually use less energy in our homes, we'd save even more money because the cheapest kilowatt hour of energy is the energy we DON'T use. That's called energy consumption and we can absolutely consume less energy in our homes by making a few modifications.

In a recent article published in Mind, Body, Green Planet, the author cites a number of easy swaps we can do whether we rent or own to save energy, water and money.

"While it requires some upfront cost, making your home more energy-efficient can pay dividends for your health, the environment,and your wallet down the line."

One of my all-time favorites and easiest upgrades is changing our light bulbs to LED. No, not when the bulbs burn out. Do it now! With the average useful life of more than ten years for most residential applications, it's the quickest way to use less energy and save more money right now.

The electricity used for lighting inside and outside our homes can account for up to 30% of our electric bills. That's a big number.

You can read more from MBG Planet HERE.

Whether you own or rent, you can check out Energy Star's Knowledge Center. There you'll find a boat load of FREE information that can help you reduce the amount of energy your home uses. Whether it's a home improvement project like air sealing or insulation or an Heating, Ventilation and Cooling installation, or an energy efficiency project like appliances, electronics, lighting or windows, you'll find it all right there.

There are so many simple, little changes that we can all do to make our homes cleaner and greener. Why do we need to use more and pay more to accomplish the exact same task?

Yeah, I don't know either. Let's all give it a shot!

About The Author

Christina Mathieson, LEED GA

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson, Keller Williams Points North, Woodbury, NY

Licensed Real Estate Instructor, Leap EDU

EMail: CMathieson@leapedu.com

Web: | www.SolarInRealEstate.com/BLOG

Christina Mathieson is a results-oriented business strategist and lifelong entrepreneur who proudly encourages those around her to dream big and motivated by an unwavering social responsibility. Christina is a Realtor who utilizes her business expertise in the marketing and pricing of residential real estate with a specialty in high-performing and solar-powered homes, She is proud to be a part of the team of educators at Leap EDU and to continue to develop the Green EDU programs for real estate professionals as well as community education programs as part of a newly-launched partnership with Hofstra university. Christina’s “Becoming A Solar Specialist” program is the first of its kind to educate on residential solar power and energy efficiency and how these upgrades affect a real estate transaction.

Christina has been awarded National Association of Realtors’ 2019 Ever Green Award, was inducted into Long Island Business News's “Top 50 Women In Business” Class of 2018, is a certified LEED Green Associate and a John Maxwell Certified Speaker, Coach and Trainer. She holds a NYS Private Career School Teacher license in electrical technology, a NYS Department of State Real Estate Technical Instructor license, a NYS Real Estate Salesperson license and is a certified NAR Green Designee and Instructor and holds a NAR Pricing Strategy Advisor Certification. In 2019 Christina was appointed to the Suffolk County Women’s Advisory Commission by her Legislator, Kevin McCaffrey, to advise on legislative issues regarding women and families in Suffolk County. In addition, Christina is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council is proud to support Long Island-based non-profit, PinkTie.org,

When she’s not engaged professionally, Christina devotes her time and spirit to her family: children Robert, Sam, Elizabeth and Lauren and grandchildren Katie, Michael and Ella.