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Install solar panels without the headaches

You want to install solar panels on your home or business, but where do you start?  In addition to the growth in the number of solar manufacturers, new businesses are springing up to help you go solar without the headaches.

When considering renewable energy options like solar panels, factors including the number of kilowatts, price, design, rebates, incentives and tax credits all come into play.  And – when we’re talking credits and incentives, there is an array of options from the federal, state and even local governments.

Do you know how many solar panels you’ll need?  How much will they cost?  Where should they be placed?  Do you need a permit?  How do you get a tax credit or rebate?

If you could have someone help you get through all the options and considerations that may be acting as a hurdle to going solar, would you do so?

A recent New York Times article examined how to go solar without the headaches with the help of a company called One Block Off the Grid.  In fact, we’ve blogged about 1BOG before.

Brad Burton, 1BOG’s vice president of product and strategy explained:

The way that solar is sold in the U.S. today is lengthy, complicated, and often a stressful process for an individual homeowner to go through.  There aren’t very many sources of information you can turn to with accurate, reliable info.”

One Block Off the Grid helps negotiate group discounts on solar panels, as well as navigating the array of regulations and red tape.  With the help of 1BOG, homeowners in California can expect to recoup the investment of a solar panel system in a mere 6-9 years.  No – I didn’t type 69 years.  Its well less than 10 years to break even when you install solar panels in the Golden State!

Yet 1BOG can help you in many states across the country.  It has operations in 17 states (as of the date of this publication).  And it probably could have helped Tania Reuben, of Los Angeles, a green blogger who operates PureNaturalDiva.com.  She has been spending numerous hours crunching numbers to determine whether and how to pay for a 17-kilowatt solar panel array on her home that will generate clean electricity to power 80% of her needs.  According to the New York Times article, she has spent hours since Spring 2010 to pencil it out, making calls to her bank, the solar panel installer and her accountant.

She remarked:

“If this is how hard I’m feeling it is, and I have that extra reason to be committed, it makes me really concerned that the average consumer is going to run into a couple of roadblocks and then go, ‘You know what? This is too complicated.’”

Bottom line – if you want to go solar without the headaches, call in the professionals.  Not only can organizations like 1BOG help you save time and frustration, they may even be able to negotiate a discount on the solar panels’ price.