If you were planning to travel right around now, your family is probably wishing they weren’t missing out on those fun and memorable experiences. Hopefully you’re safe and healthy though, and here at Ipsun Solar, we are getting on track with a plan to resume our operations installing solar at sites in the community on or about May 11, after pausing all our work for 30 days during April.
Meanwhile, folks everywhere are dealing with canceled flights and hotel stays, and shuttered bars, shows and attractions. At the moment we’re all getting by substituting virtual entertainment for the live kind, and luckily these days you can stream some Broadway performances or check out a National Park view from your home.
But it might still feel unsatisfying to have the money you saved for a trip just burning a hole in your pocket. If you’re lucky enough not to have other pressing financial obligations to spend that money on, why not buy yourself a permanent vacation from dirty grid energy and high utility bills with a solar energy system for your home?
Move your travel booking refund into a solar investment
Let’s admit that this has happened to all of us at least once: Getting home from a pricey whirlwind destination and feeling a mix of let down and jet lag. Vacations are supposed to let us decompress and lift our mood, but these days too often we give in to the temptation to check our phones, missing the opportunity to disconnect. Long haul air travel rarely leaves us rested – ever had that, “I need a vacation from my vacation” feeling? So look on the bright side: If you’ve had to skip a big trip, find a way to put the dollars you would have spent to good use now, like a solar energy investment.
We like to call it an investment because it actually pays you back – earning you returns that can help pay for future vacations down the road. That’s because every bit of energy from the sun that your system produces means less you’ll have to buy from the utility company. So you use energy the same way, but owe less on your bill.
Are you the kind of savvy traveler who’s always looking for flight deals, upgrades, or paying with points or miles? You might like to look at our solar financing options, which basically work like exchanging your electric bill for a lower bill plus a solar loan bill. We offer shorter term options with attractive low interest rates as well as longer term options for balancing monthly flow without the customer dropping hefty cash payments. Once the loan is finished it’s just like a cash-purchased system – it’s still supplying energy to cut your bill dramatically long after it’s paid for itself.
The 26% federal solar tax credit is flying away soon
If you’ve visited the Ipsun Solar blog before, you know what’s up: 2019 was the final year to get solar installed to qualify for a tax credit of 30% of the project cost, plus some related costs. This year, it’s reduced from paying for just under a third of the project to paying about a quarter of it. This 26% credit lasts the rest of this year, before ratcheting down to 22% in 2021.
If your solar project would require other work, like a main service panel upgrade or additional of a sub panel; roof repair or replacement on the area of the work where the solar modules, aka panels, would go; or a home battery to store the solar power in case of an outage or to get you closer to 24-7 renewable energy, those costs can be tax credit-eligible too. In other words, your tax liability would be reduced by 26% of the qualifying solar energy expenses. State or local discounts on energy storage may also apply, as well as incentives for electric vehicle charging if that’s part of your plans.
We estimate that based on our install calendar, accounting for the unavoidable impact of our health and safety COVID-19 protocols on our schedule, we still have 2-3 months left to sign up new customers to have a good chance of taking the tax credit in 2020. Let us know you’d like a solar consultation and we’ll prepare a quote specific for your home, and move you toward completing your installation this year (pending local permitting) – after which, pending local inspection and utility meter switch, you’ll be using the energy from the sun for anything that plugs in around your home.
Without sounding glib, timing is everything. You wouldn’t want to travel to a tropical locale in the rainy season, and similarly you’ll the best solar energy system deal if you go for it this year. Churches can also benefit from this through PPA financing, also known as third party ownership.
Give the gift that says, “We’re planning ahead, and enjoying savings now”
Let’s not forget it’s Mother’s Day weekend. We don’t know about the mom in your life, but most of the moms we know would love a little less money going to waste, and more to spend on the important things and the fun stuff! Savings on electricity sure fits the bill there. And going solar provides even more benefits, like an increase in home value, putting your environmental philosophy into practice, and resilience when you add Tesla Powerwall.
As we bounce back from our initial pause, during all of May we’re focusing on our ultimate solar consultation offer for convenience and contactless experience: Our virtual sales process, remote site visit, and exterior-only installation approach. Talk to us to hear more about how we’ve merged a personalized, individualized solar proposal with a plan for carrying out solar energy home retrofits in a safe and aesthetically pleasing way during the pandemic, so mom can rest at ease that the process is all-around smart and easy.
Stay safe, stay well, stay home – and go solar!
