Going Green Pays Off

By GreasyTaxi

This week we had an interview with George Bestsios, who represents Pure Energy Alternatives LLC – a solar and wind power generators installation company based in Northbrook. These energy pioneers have only been in the renewable energy business for three years but have steadily continued to grow during these rough times.
George welcomed us to his office. I asked him what the standard system would cost, including equipment and labor. On average, installing a solar system is not cheap. They will design a roof or ground mounted system best suited for your house. In most cases an installer will calculate you energy consumption levels. Most single family residents in America consume one to three and a half kilowatt hours. As we found out a typical system will cost about ten thousand dollars per kilowatt. This is a very expensive choice to make on your home, but do not let that discourage you – it all pays off in the end. If you are building a new construction, the value added from building a system into the mortgage will balance the cost of the systems across a longer time period. The real incentives are from government subsidies. The federal government will give a credit of up to 30% of the entire cost. Additionally, the state of Illinois provides up to $10,000 per system. In reality, a system that costs $35,000 can be bought for under $15,000. Most consumer reports claim: every dollar spent to make efficiency improvements on your house adds $20 dollars in value to your house. In this harsh real estate market this can greatly improve value of your property and better attract potential buyers. These technologies can make you stand out in hard times.
Another great advantage is becoming a micro power utility of your own. The grid technology we use is still very old, so there is no real way to send "clean" energy from windmills in Oklahoma to your house without losing some of it in the process. In the meantime the solar panels on your roof will generate energy and sell it back to the grid to be distributed among your neighbors. As the result, utilities are very interested in this and will pay you for the energy you produce. Most homes and places of business use the most energy during peak hours throughout the day. This is the same time your solar cells make the most electricity. The power company will pay you back whatever the market rate is at that time. Whenever the sun is shining you are making electricity and winding your meter back, making money. When you cook dinner, watch television or surf the net after work you are buying electricity back from the grid. In the end this process is supposed to set off your energy bill, if not cover it completely. If your system makes more energy a month then your produce, the utility is mandated to write you a check. All this relative to the $15,000 the system will cost you originally makes that number sound a lot smaller. If you are still uncertain of the benefits and the hassle – think again. Pure Energy Alternatives will do all of the work for you, and can even find the best loan to cover your costs. In the end renewable energy is beneficial both morally and materially. You get a great value for your money and help your planet in the process.