The major benefit of purchasing a solar system is energy independence. You are taking control of your energy costs and at the same time reducing your carbon footprint. Below is a list of benefits of going solar:

• Generous government incentives: For a limited time, the government is offsetting a large portion of the cost of a solar system. In some areas in the United States, these incentives can cover up to 90% of your solar cost.
• Reduce or eliminate energy costs: In most cases, the cost of a solar system can be much lower than the cost of electricity you purchase through your utility provider. Depending on how you invest in solar, you can have as high as 22% return on your investment.
• Reduce your carbon footprint: By providing solar electricity for your home, you would offset approximately 8 metric tons of CO2 per year. According to the EPA, that’s more carbon than the average passenger car emits in a year!
• Hybrid solar systems: With a hybrid solar system, you can have power during an emergency when the utility company is down as a backup power source.
• Increase your home value: In most states, whatever you pay for your system, you gain in home value. A new California state law says for every kilowatt of solar, you get $5.50. For an average 5kW system, you would gain $27,500 in home value.
• Reduce foreign dependence: Residential utility companies are dependent on fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas, which are vulnerable to volatile foreign markets. When you switch to solar power, you are hedging against rising utility rates, which average 6% per year. You can lock in low, predictable electricity costs for years into the future. As utility rates continue to rise, your savings will grow every year.
• Reduce health problems: Carbon emissions contribute to a massive number of health problems worldwide.
• Sell Excess Power to the Utility Company: When your solar system generates more electricity than your home can immediately use, your excess power flows back to the utility grid and your meter literally spins backward! Most utility companies will pay or credit you for this electricity. Your solar system produces the most electricity during the middle of the day, during "peak" hours when the utility rates are at their highest. This is to your advantage, because you can sell excess electricity at high peak rates in the afternoon, and buy electricity back at lower "off-peak" rates at night. You buy low and sell high! This is referred to as "net metering" and can reduce your electricity bill even further.