Solar panels have gained a lot of people’s attention throughout the past few years, not only is it cost efficient, but it would also help our Earth by lessening our carbon footprints in the atmosphere. Increases in solar panel installation Baton Rouge LA, for example, are prevalent because of the demand for solar panels there throughout our country. So, how much does it cost to install a solar panel setup?
How much does it cost to install one solar panel?
How much are solar panels for a house? A single solar panel could cost somewhere between $2.67 and $3.43 to buy and install, but the price of the whole solar system would then be based on its capacity that is measured in watts. The costs of solar panels have dropped in the past several years. Just a decade ago, a system could cost more than $50,000 on an average 6 kilowatt hours residential solar system, but now a typical home installation could range from $16,200 to $21,400.
How much does it cost to install and maintain solar panels?
Cleaning Service Prices
They would typically charge you $3 to $10 per panel, depending on where your solar panels
are located. A homeowner would typically pay between $120 and $160 for the services alone.
Especially if it involves getting on a roof, the contractors would set a minimum price for the
job to cover their time and equipment costs regardless of how small the solar panels are.
One thing is for sure, do not expect to pay less than $100 for this type of service.
The following may or may not affect your costs:
- Size
- Proximity to Contractor
- Maintenance Agreement
- Level of Build-up
- System Location
Solar Panel Maintenance and Inspections
The solar systems typically will not demand much care all throughout their lifetime but
cleaning is the primary concern. They will typically come with a monitoring option where
you would be able to watch and measure yourself. Because of this monitoring ability, you
would be able to catch the dips in energy output and identify equipment failures right away.
The best way to make sure that the problem is solved correctly once you identify that there
is a problem, is to get it inspected by a local professional.
An annual inspection usually could cost you an average of $150 because the contractor will
check important components, search for corrosion, wear and loose wiring and bolts. The
inspectors may or may not find cracks in your panels or broken glass and they would suggest
repair work or replacement which would cost you an average of $650.
Maintaining Your Solar Energy System
DIY Cleaning Costs
Using an extended, water-fed window washing pole would have to be the safest way to
wash your equipment from the ground. You have to make sure that you are using the
right soap for optimizing the energy output which would lead to little to no residue and
cause damage or wear. The water-fed poles typically cost about $500 to $5,000, water-fed
brushes are around $80 to $175 and soap is usually around $30 to %50.
Some solar experts say that you only would need a hose and a soft sponge and some soap
to accomplish this task, but the best thing you could do is contact your installer for their
recommendation since they know your solar system more than anyone else. Using the
wrong tools could lead to damaging your panels and voiding warranty.
Cleaning Robots and Kits
Cleaning systems usually look like sprinklers and it could be programmed to wash and
rinse at the frequency you need. One of the leading brands in this market would have to
be the Heliotex which has products that are compatible with any size and any brand of
equipment.
Cleaning robots have the capacity to wash your panels daily. They could do it with or
without the use of water. Some of the cleaning robots that are available run on tracks,
while the others are scrubby autonomous robots. There are also some cleaning robots
that run on solar energy.
Solar Insurance and Warranties
There are 3 types of warranties that you could get:
- Workmanship- This would guarantee your coverage of your equipment is not installed correctly
- Equipment- This would cover the components of the solar panel, like when the inverter and panel fail.
- Performance- This would ensure that your system will operate at a certain level of efficiency throughout its lifetime
Solar Panel Installation Cost Breakdown
Labor – 15%
Permit/Inspection Fees – 3%
Inverter – 10%
Mount – 5%
Others – 33%
Panel – 34%
Total – 100%
Estimated Solar Energy System Costs Per Watt
2kW – $5,000 – $7,000
3kW – $7,500 – $10,500
4kW – $10,000 – $14,000
5kW – $12,500 – $17,500
6.2kW – $15,500 – $21,500
8kW – $20,000 – $28,000
10kW – $25,000 – $35,000