As Texans and Americans, we're pretty big on our independence around here. We believe in being in control of our own lives and creating our world the way we see fit - and we don't really like anyone limiting or restricting our lifestyles. We even get the occasional push for state secession every once in a while.
While we believe in a culture of independence on the whole, one area that many Texans lack independence is in their energy consumption. While many Texans have gone solar over the past several years, the majority of residents in the state are still reliant on ERCOT and their local energy provider to supply their homes with electricity.
In this month's blog post, we look at the benefits of being energy independent, and why going solar and declaring your energy independence might be the best option for you and your family.
Less Reliant on The Grid
The first reason that energy independence is a good idea for pretty much all Texans is that it allows you to be less reliant on "the grid."
If there's one thing that we've all seen in Texas over the past few years, it's that the energy companies in Texas and ERCOT are, well, let's just say less than reliable. It's not uncommon for residents to get emails and text messages from their power company during the hottest days of the year reminding them that the grid is going to be pushed to its maximum capacity, and that any efforts to reduce energy consumption would be very helpful.
I don't know about you, but the last thing I want to hear when it's 105° outside is that I need to turn my thermostat up higher and cut off the electrical appliances in my house that are making it comfortable to live in extreme heat.
By declaring your energy independence and going solar, you can eliminate some of this frustration. You'd be producing your own power, which would mean more energy in the grid if you're doing net metering, and a totally independent power source if you're using solar storage batteries.
Cost Savings
One thing we can all agree on is that we don't want to pay more for something than we have to. Nobody likes getting price gouged, and we like lining the pockets of big business even less.
Going energy independent allows you to cut down the costs of your energy every month. Most Texans who switch to solar start saving on their energy costs from day one, and may see decreases of anywhere from 20-40% as soon as their solar panels are activated.
If you're not doing net metering and you're going fully off-grid, you could obviously be saving even more. This option allows you to be totally in control of your energy costs, and completely cut out your electric bill every month.
No Price Increases
Finally, one of the biggest reasons to go energy independent with solar is that it essentially locks in your energy costs.
Over the years, electricity has gotten more and more expensive. Each year, the average cost of a kilowatt hour in Texas increases from the year prior - usually at about a 2% rate annually. That means that within a few years, your current energy bill will be significantly higher than it is now, even if you're not using any additional energy every month.
However, by switching to solar, you can essentially negate these increases. If you're financing your panels, you'll have a locked-in monthly cost that you'll pay for the system, and that number won't change due to increasing energy demands or costs. Similarly, if you buy your panels outright, you'll be completely unaffected by rising energy prices.
I don't know about you, but knowing exactly what I'm going to be paying for the energy that my house and life depends on for the foreseeable future sounds like a pretty solid advantage to me.
Conclusion
There are many good reasons to consider switching to solar and declaring your independence from the Texas power grid. Whether you're looking to be unaffected by high-consumption days or possible outages of the grid (we're looking at you, February 2021), or you simply want to lock in your current energy costs and save on your electric bill month over month, your independence is a great way to take charge of your power needs.
At ATX Solar, we offer the highest quality solar panel systems for the greater Central Texas area. Our team services the entire region from Austin to Waco, and we'd love to help you find the right solar panel system for your home. Contact our team today to learn more and declare your independence from the electric company!