Are Solar Panels A Good Choice For Montana?

With more discussion of green energy, you may have wondered whether solar is a good choice for your Montana home.

I mean, after all, winter seems to take up over half of the year here in the Treasure State, so the question is whether solar panels would be efficient in a state like Montana.

Solar Energy In Montana

This article was inspired by a recent interaction with a door-to-door solar panel salesman who stopped by our house.

Generally, I don't have much interest in chatting with people who are out soliciting business in our neighborhood, but on this particular day and time, I decided to listen to them.

The salesmen used the rising energy cost as the main selling factor for adding solar panels to our home.

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What I Learned About Solar Panels

Solar panels' selling point is that they will offset your energy bill and reduce your overall monthly electricity payment to almost nothing.

The trade-off is that the money you typically spend on your electric bill would go toward purchasing solar panels.

My biggest question was what happens in the winter months when the panels are covered with snow and the weather stays cloudy for weeks?

Evidently, according to their math, they plan on having enough solar energy in the summer that you can build up a credit with the energy company that can be used during the winter months to offset your bill.

How Expensive Are Solar Panels?

If you do decide to get a quote on solar panels and install them in your home, make sure you're sitting down before you look at the numbers.

Every situation is different, but we'll just say the bill would be well over $40,000 for our home.

Doing some basic math, $40,000 divided out over 25 years of payments, including interest, would be around $200 a month.

Currently, I budget for around $140 a month for our electric bill.

Of course, that number fluctuates a bit, but overall, that's what it averages out to.

So, as you can see, the numbers aren't far apart, but is it worth it?

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Should I Get Solar Panels In Montana

The other thing to remember about solar panels is their average lifespan of 25 to 30 years.

Generally, they'll still work after this, but they become way less efficient.

Currently, the numbers are a wash, assuming my electric bill doesn't go up much more over the next 25 years.

Obviously, energy costs will continue to climb over the next few years, but how much is the million-dollar question?

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