Homeowners can install solar panels on their property to harness the sun’s energy and power their homes. If you choose to install a solar system at your home, you can install the panels on your roof or on the grounds of your property. Doing so could reduce the amount of electricity you buy from your utility company.
Before you consider installing solar at your residence, confirm that your electric utility can accept your solar installation. For more information on whether your residence is eligible for a solar installation, visit our Is Solar Available in My Area page.
There are many reasons why installing a solar energy system at your home is beneficial but there are also considerations you will want to contemplate prior to making this decision.
Why install solar?
One of the main reasons you may want to install solar at your home is to lower your monthly electric bill. When you power your home with electricity produced using your home’s solar system, you will be taking in less power from the utility grid, meaning you will be paying your utility less for electricity, though the cost of the solar panels should be factored in as well (see Cost of Solar and Solar Financing below).
Residents that are connected to the utility grid and install solar may be eligible to enroll in net metering. Net metering is a utility billing functionality offering credit on your electric bill for excess solar energy generated by your system that is not used to power your home. Receiving net metering credits on your electric bill could potentially lower your electric bill if your solar system generates more electricity than your home requires. You will need to contact your utility provider to confirm they offer net metering before you enroll.
Other benefits include increasing your property value and reducing your environmental footprint.
Is your home suitable for solar?
Before you make the decision to go solar, consider whether your home is a good fit for a solar installation. Some of the main factors to consider are:
- The age of your roof – A typical solar system will last between 20-25 years. Therefore, if you plan to install panels on your roof and your roof is nearing the end of its life, you may want to consider replacing your roof prior to installing roof-mounted solar panels .
- The direction your home faces – The orientation of your home impacts the amount of electricity your solar system produces. Ideally, systems installed in Delaware should be south facing to receive the most sunlight.
- The tilt of your roof – The best tilt for solar panels is between 30 and 45 degrees from horizontal (flat). When solar panels are installed on your roof, they will follow the tilt of your roof.
- The shade on your property – Roofs that have minimum obstructions will be best suited for solar installations. If your home is heavily shaded by trees, surrounding buildings, or other obstructions it may not be a good fit for roof-mounted solar. Instead you may want to consider Community Solar.
Cost of Solar and Solar Financing
The cost of installing a solar system at your home depends on many factors including the size of your home, your annual energy usage, the quality of equipment, and the installer you select to perform your installation. In Delaware, the average cost per watt ($/W) of solar systems can be $2.01-$2.73 per watt.
There are three main options for installing residential solar: 1) purchasing a system 2) leasing a system 3) entering into a power purchase agreement, or “PPA”. If you lease a system or enter into a PPA you do not own the system, but you may still benefit from hosting the solar system at your residence. Please visit our Owning vs. Leasing page for more information.
In Delaware, there are solar grants, loans, and incentives available to help offset the upfront cost of installing solar at your home.
Additionally, in Delaware you may sell your SRECs (Solar Renewable Energy Credits) through various SREC purchase programs to help offset the cost of going solar. Delmarva Power customers participating in the Green Energy Grant program are not eligible to sell their SRECs.
If you are interested in installing a battery backup along with your solar system, this will add an additional cost to your solar installation. For more information on battery backups, please visit our Battery Backups page.
Solar Installation
If you have made the decision to go solar, the first step will be selecting a solar installer to complete your installation. To learn the best practices for selecting a solar installer, we recommend visiting our Consumer Protection page. For a list of Delaware solar installers and their contact information, please visit our List of Delaware Installers.
In most cases, you will want to install a solar system that will generate enough electricity to offset your annual electricity usage. Once you receive quotes from solar installers, we recommend you run them through our recommended Solar Calculators to verify the prospective systems will generate the proper amount of power.
To better understand the various steps of the solar installation process we recommend you review our Delaware solar installation timeline.