Are you fed up with paying hundreds of dollars a month to an electric company?  Well, I sure am.
On a good month we only pay around $150 (this is not on summer months with my air conditioner on).

You are probably wondering “Do you have energy efficient light bulbs, appliances, and etc?” The answer is “YES.”

My husband and I bought our dream house couple of years ago, and we replaced all appliances and updated lighting.

We went to Lowe’s and bought highest energy star refrigerator, dishwasher, stove, microwave, washing machine, and dryer.  Also, we replaced all incandescent bulbs to standard and dimmable CFLs.

The only two things we didn’t replace (because of our budget) are our water heater and the central air unit.

My husband has been looking into installing solar panels Click Here! to decrease our electricity bill.  Every time we turn around our rates are increasing, and I am having a difficult time decreasing our power consumption.

Luckily our town offer additional rebates and other incentive, and we are looking into getting them by next summer.

Supposedly installing panels are easy, but I am married to a man who doesn’t do physical labor.  In a way I am grateful because he’ll take apart a dishwasher and put it back a refrigerator.

Here are some pros and cons – there are more pros than cons.

Pros:

1)  Decrease utility bill
2)  Decrease dependency on a utility company
3)  Panel’s life expectancy is about 20 years
4)  Low maintenance
5)  Can be mounted on the roof or ground mounted
6)  Add value to your house
7)  Keeps environment clean
8)  Rebates and tax breaks
9)  Sun is always there for you, and it is free
10)  Energy credit — if your system is generating enough power to run your house, your electric meter may even spin backwards.

Cons:

1) Can be expensive
2)  Location of your home — it makes sense to have solar panels if you are living in a sunny location rather than surrounded by mature tress (so you don’t get enough sun).  Also, you might need more panels depending on number of hours of sunlight you get.
3)  Aesthetically, it’s not really pretty.
4)  No sun = No power

Like I have mentioned there are more pros than cons, and I can’t wait to have these ugly panels on our roof.

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