You've likely heard of and seen other home ownersinstalling solar panels on their roofs, but always asked the question, does solar truly save money, and what is the environmental impact of solar? Is it worth it to invest in solar with your home?

Installing solar panels on your home promotes your Hicksville home's energy independence, and significantly reduces your homes environmental impact by using the sun as your energy resource. Solar energy systems do not produce air pollution or greenhouse gases. Using solar energy can have a positive, indirect effect on the environment when solar energy replaces or reduces the use of other energy sources that have larger effects on the environment.

Lots of energy used today is generated by natural gas, coal, and some nuclear energy. Over time, if most homes convert to solar, we would be able to significantly reduce carbon footprint.

New York State offers net metering for solar powered homes. Net metering is a option in which the excess energy your home solar system produces feeds back into the grid. For example, you’re out at work for most of the day, when the sun is shining down on your solar panels. Under normal conditions, your system will likely produce more energy than your home needs, and that excess energy will go to waste if you don't have a storage system. But if your home is wired for net metering, any excess power your solar panels produce will be sent back into the power grid so that it can be used by households and businesses that need it.

That’s not only great for the environment but also your wallet, since your local electric utility will credit you based on the amount of energy you contribute to the grid. For instance, if you produce $40 worth of energy and consume $50 worth of energy, your monthly bill will total just $10. And if you produce more than you consume, you’ll receive a credit on the following month’s bill equal to the difference.