Time to Pay System Cost
The most common question we are asked is "How long will it take for my system to pay off?" In other words, how long will it take before the money I have saved in electric bills is the same as the money I spent installing a system? The answer to this questions depends on your usage and the system size you select.
The most common question we are asked is "How long will it take for my system to pay off?" In other words, how long will it take before the money I have saved in electric bills is the same as the money I spent installing a system? The answer to this questions depends on your usage and the system size you select.
Financial Return
The best financial return is to have a system that only offsets the expensive part of your usage. What brings the best financial return is to:
- Bring electric usage down to the lowest rate bracket (like your income tax, there is a tiered system for charging for electric usage) and
- Sell the electricity produced during peak hours (when you install a special meter, PG&E will pay significantly more for electricity produced during peak hours, especially in the summer – peak is 12-6pm, weekdays).
How Berekeley Solar Electric Systems Works With You
We first discuss what you want most from your solar electric system (for example, is it greenhouse gas offset, system payoff, rate of return, blackout security, etc...) We then review your annual electric bills and evaluate your roof site.
It is all of these factors that are considered when selecting the system size and desigining a layout that will work best for you. If optimizing the time to pay off the system is your goal, we can design a system that will do that.