Wow!  Solar arrays for homes and businesses are finally falling in the affordable range when you take advantage of Austin Energy rebates and IRS Tax Credits.  I attended a luncheon at NW Council of Austin Chamber of Commerce today, with panelists from HelioVolt (Austin’s very own solar panel manufacturer), Austin Energy, and Meridian Solar, who installs the systems on homes and buildings.  I got a wonderful down-and-dirty illustrative scenario on costs that you may like a lot:  

(Disclaimer: only averages, only examples, etc.) 

On a bid from Meridian for an upscale 13 KW system, which is more than an average household would use in a year, the cost was just under $100,000.  Austin Energy would provide a rebate amount of $48,000.  Available Federal Tax Credit would cover some $35,000 of that total, leaving the customer with only $17,000 out of pocket expense.  The new solar array would save the homeowner some $1500 per year, or more if they tied in to net metering/billing that is available through Austin Energy, bringing the payback period to 7.5 years or less.  That scenario is for a top-of-the-line system, but similar impressive incentives are available on smaller systems.  Another example was given for a $25,000 3KW system that had a combined rebate/credit savings of $18,000. 

I was once again impressed and inspired by Austin Energy’s forward thinking and excellent business management.  I’m proud to live in a city that offers effective incentives for homes and businesses to begin generating their own energy from renewable sources, and hosts sustainable future oriented companies as HelioVolt and Meridian Solar.