What Consumers Need to Know
In the everlasting quest to get residential consumers on the alternative energy bandwagon, consumers unfortunately suffer from a lack of information. Most people assume that anything related to alternative energy is expensive. True, the initial cash-outlay for solar panels, windmills, etc…is quite substantial, but the real benefits are repaid over the lifetime of the units. The following is a sample list of the benefits consumers can receive:
- Tax Credits
- Government Subsidies
- RECs /Green Tags
- Electricity sold to the grid
Consumers unfortunately do not see these things, and they are not highly-visible or easy to find. Solar Home, an online alternative energy product retailer, for example has an un-clickable ad from Key Bank explaining that they can offer tax-deductible financing for the purchase of a home solar-kit. While this is great, consumers, especially those using the internet are not interested in calling someone, waiting on hold to find out something. There should be transparency for the consumer.
The Solution
The perfect method someone should go about purchasing a solar home kit, or other alternative energy solutions for the home would be one that fully informs the consumer about the true price/value of the purchase. Consumers should know the REAL financial value of their investment…otherwise you will have many homeowners in sunny areas sitting on the fence.
Questions to Consider
While a 3kW system might cost $20-30K upfront, if financed, how much are the monthly payments? How much of that is tax-deductible? What are the financial savings per month for net-metering? How much can you expect to receive from the Federal/State/Local government? Whoever comes up with a one-stop solution for consumers from all 50 states in the US will provide a key competitive advantage in being able to dispel any myths about the true costs of alternative energy. While we all want to save the world, a lot of us are not willing to pay more for it, at least for now. If we are explained the true cost, our decision to purchase any type of system will be much easier. Clean Power Research, a firm based in Napa, California, provides integrated systems for retailers who wish to educate their customers.
Here are some online retailers you can check out for different types of systems:
Solar: Electricity/Heaters/RV
Wind Power
Clean Power Estimators (this is what should be tied into the online retail stores).
