Solar panels seen as boost to homes' resale value

[kristopher]

Solar panels seen as boost to homes' resale value
David R. Baker
Published 4:52 pm, Friday, December 13, 2013

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In general, that premium more than covers the cost of the panels themselves, with homeowners making a small profit on their solar investment. Bigger solar arrays fetch higher premiums than smaller ones.

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"The take-away here is the market is showing that PV is valued by home buyers," said Ben Hoen, staff research associate at the laboratory and the study's lead author. "There could be a green cachet for the PV system that would be over and above the expected price."

The study, "Exploring California PV Home Premiums," examined sales data for 1,894 solar homes and 70,425 comparable non-solar houses sold in California from 2000 through 2009. It builds on an earlier study released by the lab in 2011 that noted the solar premium but didn't explore it in the same depth.

The authors found that the size of a solar array can make a big difference in a home's resale value. Among the houses studied, that value increased about $5,900 for each kilowatt that an array can generate. Most home solar systems can produce between 2 and 5 kilowatts of electricity.

But the premium ...

http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Solar-panels-seen-as-boost-to-homes-resale-value-5063262.php

[TheBlackAdder]

1. Geothermal systems actually save more money, reducing Oil or NG requirements.

If a Geothermal system is equipped with 2 8' solar panels and a battery system, the unit could heat and cool the home all year with no additional costs to the homeowner... and the best part... ZERO carbon footprint to run it.

[kristopher]

2. And the more extreme the climate, the greater the savings.

That's a good example of the systemic nature of how the elements of the change in our energy systems are here, waiting for use.