1. Solar Energy makes financial sense today – With current state and federal incentives, purchasing solar panels for your home is a good investment.  A recent study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory showed that homes that installed solar panels increased in value around $5/Watt (download study here: http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/emp/reports/lbnl-4476e.pdf).  In addition, you save a lot of  money on your electric bill every month. The combination of these make solar energy not only financially viable, but a good investment to save you money.

2. Solar Panels are easy to take care of – Some people are concerned that the upkeep of panels is difficult.  On the contrary, you really don’t have to do anything to your panels unless you really want every last watt out of them, and even then you would perhaps rinse the dust off the panels once every couple of years.

3. Placement of your panels – Solar panels need direct sunlight to work, so it is important to determine where to mount your system and how much energy your panels could generate. The amount of energy generated depends on the size of the system and the number of kilowatt-hours the system is capable of producing. The best direction to point your panels is south (if you are in the Northern Hemisphere) at an angle that is equal to your latitude.  For example, in Colorado the best tilt angle is around 40 degrees.  However, don’t be disheartened if you want to keep them at your roof angle for aesthetics, having a slightly different angle won’t hurt you too bad, but this is something you might want to discuss with your solar installer.

4. Your energy needs – Once you know how much energy your system is capable of generating, the next step is calculating the monthly energy needs of your household. You can contact your local utility for this information. You should also inquire about the utility’s specific requirements for connecting your system to the grid.  There are also some nice solar calculators out there that can give you descent estimates of how many panels you will need to install to handle your monthly household usage.

5. Your budget – Solar Electric Systems are expensive, and while rebates are available, there will generally be a substantial investment required. The initial cost of a solar panel array can range anywhere from $5,000 all the way to $40,000.  The good news is that many states allow leasing and other creative financing options and its possible that you might not have to pay anything out of pocket.