Did you know there are government incentives that enable you to save big with solar energy? The Sundog Solar team can help you take advantage of this great cost-saving opportunity! Sundog Solar also offers financing for residential and small commercial solar systems.
There is a generous federal tax credit that lowers a renewable energy system’s total cost by 26%. This money-saving opportunity is available for both residential and commercial solar energy installations in Maine. Grid-tied, hybrid, and off-grid solar systems qualify.
Tax credits are a dollar-for-dollar reduction in income taxes owed. Therefore, they are more valuable for the taxpayer than a write-off. Qualified expenses include the cost of the solar panels, inverter, components, and labor.
Installing a solar system on your home can qualify you for the Solar Investment Tax Credit. For example, if you install a $10,000 solar system, the tax credit would reduce the net cost by $2,600. Speak with your tax specialist to determine if you qualify.
Utility companies compensate solar energy customers connected to the power grid with credits for the surplus electricity they feed to the power grid. This is called net metering or net energy metering. For example, many solar households generate more solar electricity than they consume on sunny days. If the system doesn’t have batteries, all this electricity goes to the power grid, and you will receive credits.
Many Sundog Solar customers pay only the monthly connection fee to the electric company. Such homes are net zero, which means that the solar panels generate all the electricity the household consumes throughout the year.
The price of solar energy has declined significantly in recent years for residential and commercial systems because the cost of solar panels and other components has plummeted. Meanwhile, equipment efficiency has improved, and electric rates have increased considerably. This means solar systems pay for themselves in savings even faster.
The price of your solar energy system will depend on how much electricity you need, the solar equipment installed, if you install heat pumps, and how the solar panels are mounted. Pole-mounted solar systems cost a bit more to install than many roof-mounted systems but can have significantly higher power production, depending on the circumstances. If you want to cut your heating bills, we install heat pumps that qualify for Efficiency Maine rebates.
The Sundog Solar team begins sizing your PV system by looking at your electric bill to determine the total amount of kilowatt hours used. If you provide this information to one of our solar experts, we can estimate your solar system cost and potential savings. The size of your solar energy system will also be influenced by the amount of roof space, how much of your energy bills you would like to eliminate, and your project budget.
Net Metering allows utility customers to save money by earning credits for each kilowatt-hour of electricity they produce above their monthly energy use. Energy credits are used during lower production periods and are good for 12 months. Customers pay a minimum monthly utility charge and have access to utility power when needed. Unfortunately, the utility does not reimburse for unused credits that expire each year.
At Sundog Solar, we understand that proper solar system size is critical. We make meticulous calculations using historical Maine weather data to ensure that you are getting the greatest value out of your solar PV system.
Thanks to strong federal incentives, there’s never been a better time to invest in a residential or commercial solar power system in Maine. There is a 26% federal tax credit given for the entire cost of your solar electric system!
Here’s a simple ROI for a grid-tied PV system that was purchased with cash. The typical payback period is seven to ten years with many years of free energy after that.
With years of experience installing solar energy systems, heat pumps, and electric vehicle charging stations throughout Maine, Sundog Solar has a strong reputation for excellent customer service. We are small enough to give each job a personal touch, yet large enough to have a wealth of experience.
Our mission is to help Maine families and businesses from Ellsworth to Augusta, Bangor, Bar Harbor, and beyond to go solar. The Sundog Solar team uses some of the most reliable solar panels and equipment on the market. These products include Tesla, SMA, Schneider Electric, LG, Solaria, and SolarEdge products. We work as a team to truly serve our customers and get the job done right!