Nearly 75% of homeowners say that energy-efficient features would be the greatest influence on their decision to purchase a home.

51% said they would pay $5,000 to $11,000 more upfront for a new house if they could save on their utility bills. 16% said they would pay more than $11,000.

Many cutting-edge builders are incorporating solar into their construction process. From making a house “solar ready” to installing solar PV systems as a standard feature, each approach offers home buyers an opportunity to integrate solar more beautifully into their new homes. It is also an opportunity for builders to become educated about solar and enhance their marketability to new home buyers. The result is a solar building industry that will allow homeowners to minimize their utility bills and reduce their impact on the environment.

Solar PV makes sense - environmentally, socially, and financially.  

Rebates and tax credits combine to reduce total system cost by more than 50 percent. The investment you will make in a solar PV system will allow your buyers to hedge against rising electricity prices years into the future, offering a better return than treasury bonds or CDs and less volatility than the stock market. You will also have a powerful marketing advantage over other conventional houses, which are more exposed to the risk of rising electricity prices.

In addition to your local utility’s program, homeowners will also be eligible for a tax credits on the cost of the solar PV system. Builders are usually not eligible to take the tax credit themselves due to IRS rules – if you sell the asset (in this case, the solar PV system) in less than three years, the IRS would consider that subject to “recapture rules,” and would require repayment of a prorated portion of the tax credit (of course, you should always consult a tax professional). Passing the tax credit to the buyer can be a powerful marketing advantage for a solar home: “Move into this house and get a tax credit from the federal government!”

Namasté Solar will take care of all aspects of the rebate process. We will need information from you along the way, but we work hard to ensure that builder costs are minimal.

Homebuyers today are much savvier about energy issues than they used to be. More and more buyers are asking about solar options, and the builders that offer them have a distinct advantage over those that aren’t meeting this demand. Additionally, including solar in the mortgage is the best way to finance a system, especially at today’s interest rates.