While renewable energy prices have long been higher than the cost of hydrocarbon-based fuels, the prices are coming down. And in some cases, green energy is actually a better deal. Here’s what you need to know about saving money with green energy.
You don’t have to choose between cost and environmental impact
If you research into different electricity providers, you may be able to find one who charges just as much as your current provider, but gets most or even all of their power from renewable sources. If there isn’t a purely renewable energy provider in your area, you could still save money and support renewable energy by choosing an electricity provider that advertises their investments in renewable energy and how much green energy they produce. If you’re looking to save money in your energy bills, visit iSelect to get the best electricity deals.
Understand when generating your own power is the best deal
If you’re staying at a cabin without power, it’s often cheaper and safer to install solar panels and a battery array than rely on generators or pay to connect the power grid. If you’re camping, a flexible solar panel array lets you recharge batteries for your lamp or even your smart phone. This can be cheaper than buying and lugging around a portable generator. You may save money on the cost of renting or living in a recreational vehicle too, if you can use solar power to recharge your house batteries instead of running a generator to power your mobile lifestyle.
Solar panels probably won’t meet all of your energy needs unless you’re carefully rationing it, but reducing how much fuel you need and the effort to maintain the supply should be factored into the equation. If you’re already connected to the power grid, the better choice is simply switching energy providers to one that generates more renewable power. However, you may want to invest in a small solar panel array so that you have your own, private power generation if the power grid is down.
Determine whether you can benefit in other ways
Depending on your situation, you may receive tax breaks for installing solar panels and be paid a fair rate for the solar power. This will definitely reduce your electricity bill. At peak times, it may even let you receive a rebate from the energy company for the power the solar panels put back into the grid. Note that you may need to change out your energy meter to be able to do this. Fortunately, that’s likely to be done for free by your utility provider. The flexibility of this approach is that you’ll be able to draw power from the grid when you’re running the electric heater, or the weather isn’t amenable to produce solar energy.
You can save money a variety of ways even as you increase your consumption of green energy. Explore the available options so that you can find one that works right for you.
Article Submitted By Community Writer