Now solar panels are catching on more than ever. I came across an article te other day about DIY solar installation. Some of our favorite mass retailers like Home Depot and Lowes are stocking them for online or onsite purchase for do-it-yourselfers. Is this is a good idea? Fixing a clogged toilet or changing the oil in your car is one thing but installing your own solar system…hmmm not so sure. In addition to the electricity that you will need to navigate you also have plenty of permission slips to get from utility companies and your city government before climbing up the ladder with large expensive solar panels usually costing about a grand each.

The popularity of solar energy has tripled since 2005 according to the Interstate<object Renewable Energy Council. It is estimated that a quarter million US homes generate some solar energy and a recent poll by the Solar Energy Industries Association indicates that half of the people surveyed were considering solar power for their home or business. Obviously popularity for solar energy is continuing to rise and it will be interesting to see if costs for home solar panels decrease over the next couple of years.

Many customers interested in converting to a solar home were already purchasing solar powered water heaters, outdoor solar landscape lighting, LED bulbs, and other energy saving items. These are a few ways home and business owners can prep their properties and convert to full solar power with a smaller footprint compared to a home with no energy efficient equipment or appliances.

Although do-it-yourself is going to occur regardless, as a third of total costs can be saved this way, most people still rely on professional installation. With grants and incentives available to home and business owners for converting to solar power, a professional install makes sense and probably will save a lot of headaches and accidents.

A positive certainty to your investment in solar panels is that once you purchase a system, your costs are basically fixed. In other words your cost for those panels is set as you have already paid for that energy by already purchasing the solar panels. The cost of electricity will continue to rise and significant increases are common as most consumers already realize. At some point you will end up paying less than non-solar users for the same amount of energy. How long it takes before you are paying less depends on how much your panels cost and how much you would have been paying if you continued to purchase electricity from your power company.

A ball park figure to install solar power to supply your home would roughly cost approximately $20,000 or about $10 per watt. If you are not up to this investment just yet, you can also use solar power to reduce costs for smaller household functions as well. For example you could purchase and install a small solar powered system that could power your computer and a couple of other small household appliances for about $800-$1,000.