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Is Solar Power Cheaper Than Other Energy Sources?

A home powered by solar panels

Solar energy is becoming more and more popular as a way to provide environmentally friendly power, but that’s not its only benefit. Many supporters of solar power claim that it can also be a way for people to save money. To figure out whether or not solar power truly is more affordable than other types of energy sources, there are a few things you need to consider.

Installation Costs

Residential solar installation Idaho

When trying to decide which types of power are the most affordable, the first thing you need to do is look at installation costs. Prices for solar vary a little, ranging from $11,000 to $14,000 for a standard residential installation. Installing the electrical wiring for more traditional energy methods is normally less than $200 with no other up-front costs.

Energy Production Costs

Residential Solar Panel Installation at a home in Idaho

The cost of actually producing the power is when you really start to see savings from having Magic Solar install your solar power system in Idaho. On average, the typical residential household pays $111 per month. In contrast, solar energy is entirely free. The cost of solar installation usually adds up to about six to nine years of electric bills, and panels last about 25 years on average. This means you get more than 15 years of entirely free power!

Is Solar More Affordable Compared to Other Energy Sources

Solar is definitely cheaper than standard power you get from a power plant, but how does it compare to other traditional types of energy? The lifetime cost in dollars per million watt-hours for solar is around 63.2. This is far lower than the 138.0 cost of offshore wind, 130.1 cost of coal, 92.5 cost of nuclear, and 74.0 cost of natural gas.

As you can see, solar power is more affordable than other energy sources in the long run, even if the installation is pricier. If you think your property could benefit from installing an alternative energy source, Magic Solar has the expertise and knowledge needed to help you install solar or micro-hydro power. Contact us today to learn more about our services. We serve Twin Falls County, Boise, and the surrounding areas.

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WHAT DO PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY?

Magic SolarExcellentMagic Solar5.0★★★★★ Based on 29 reviews fromSee all reviews review us onReview author ★★★★★ Magic Valley Elec. Did a great job installing our EV charger.Review author ★★★★★ Just had the circuit panel replaced in preparation for our solar pannel install. Kyle and Jason were efficient, fast, and clean in completing the work. Very satisfied!!!Review author ★★★★★ February 2023 Jesse came to our home well prepared with information he had already gathered on our address. He sat with us at the dining room table and patiently answered our questions, addressed our concerns, and provided us with a cost of installation of a 21 panel system. This bid also included some anticipated electrical work that would need to be done, along with a hand drawn diagram to show us what it would look like installed on the outside of the house. We had already received about 3 other companies' estimates by the time we talked with Jesse.We agreed to the plan that Jesse presented and got the order in. Installation was right on time, workers showed up at the designated dates and times. Every single person we worked with was friendly, respectful, patient, and well-qualified in their field of service.April 2024 We have now had the system for a full year, eagerly monitoring our kwh production (almost daily) to see how the system is performing, using the app on our phones. We also monitor our monthly report from Idaho Power to see if the two systems correlate. Even with the 1/1/24 Idaho Power rate increase the the non-grandfathered net-metering status, I have good news to report. In the last 12 months we have not paid a single $ for kwh usage. Indeed, we had produced 10.5 Megawatts of power over that 12 month period and ended up with a credit of 120 kwh at the end of 12 months. All we have paid is the monthly service fee from Idaho Power.Solar power has been a good investment for us. Magic Solar and Magic Electric have established themselves as our "go to" source for service. I believe you will feel the same if you give them the opportunity.Review author ★★★★★ Review author ★★★★★ Magic Solar was an amazing team to work with. They are incredibly punctual and reliable. They communicated all processes clearly and were very clean and respectful of our space. Thank you!Review author ★★★★★ Top Notch beginning to end. Answered all our questions and concerns promptly. Smooth installation and activation. We're producing power! Highly recommend for solar and/or electrical needs.Review author ★★★★★ For me it is simple, my family deserves the BEST so we asked the BEST to see our investment all the way through. Billy, Lex and Beau have built an amazing solar team that did an incredible job of recognizing the seriousness in our plan to educate, equip and execute. The install team was professional, clean, quick and the end result is exactly what we asked for. We could not be any happier with the end product.Thank you Magic Solar, for taking my families solar investment seriously!Review author ★★★★★ Had a great experience working with Jesse and Magic Solar. I received quotes from multiple companies and did research of all the different available panels on the market and liked that they were willing to install our preference instead of pushing a specific product. Quick and painless install by Yovani and crew and everyone was very knowledgeable and helpful every step of the way. Would highly recommend.Review author ★★★★★ Magic Solar is great! They are professional and would answer any questions that I had. Each step of the process was quick and concise. The Solar team really came through for me and was able to get my system installed quickly and without any headaches. They handled all the paperwork and made getting solar power easy.Review author ★★★★★ Review author ★★★★★ I've used Magic Valley Electric for several projects over the years and had amazing service. So when I was faced with a solar project, I naturally gave them a call. Joey was awesome. He was great to work with and when I went in their office the people were so kind - and happy! One employee even knew me by name before I ever met them. Don't consider a solar "door knocker" - call MVEs solar team and get treated right!Review author ★★★★★ Review author ★★★★★ This was not even there solar account, was there within an hour, very courteous. Fixed the simple problem I had been waiting a week for our company to show up for, and didn't even charge me. PS don't go with Freedom Forever terrible company!Review author ★★★★★ Jess was an absolute delight to work with. He was very professional and knowledgeable.The installation was perfect and the system works well.Review author ★★★★★ We were very pleased that Magic Solar would tackle our project, in spite of being a long distance from our place. Several other companies did not want to take on this project. The workers were careful an efficient. They even made a special trip to town to get a seal to plug a hole on the electrical box. We would recommend their services to others.Review author ★★★★★ Everything went well. Quick. Professional and as promised.Review author ★★★★★ Jesse and the team at Magic Solar did an outstanding job on our solar project! We just had our first month with a 5$ Idaho Power bill and are currently banking kWh (well explained by Jesse how that process work’s). The install was smooth, quick and Yovani and Alex were a pleasure to have at our house. Very professional, competent and understanding of our schedule. The job site was cleaned up and left as it was. Highly recommend this group.Don’t be duped by other companies that promise something that they can’t deliver! Being an Idahoan it also means something to me to have a local company work on my project. It’s refreshing to support a local company. Give Jesse and his team a call and see what real solar professionals can do for you!!Review author ★★★★★ Joey Richardson was very good to work with, explaining thoroughly, and anticipating my questions. The installation crew was professional and thorough, and the system is working flawlessly! A very good experience overallReview author ★★★★★ Jesse paid us a home visit. We were considering adding to our existing system. He talked through all the pros and cons, never pushing, and together we concluded that additional panels were not needed. Nor batteries. He explained the Idaho Power rules which would compromise our efforts. Then he guided us through a refresher on reading Solar Edge info from our system. He was low-key, funny, informative and right on top of things. We're glad Jesse's still out there and are happy to know Magic Solar is there to help us in the future. Eric & Kathy, EagleReview author ★★★★★ Very helpful with our issue. We are glad to have them help us with our solar power system. Highly recommend.Review author ★★★★★ A great experience!Review author ★★★★★ Magic Solar helped me update my home's wi-fi and connect it to the solar panels. The company that installed our solar panels went out of business. Magic Solar saved the day! The Boise Manager, Jesse, came out and fixed our problem. He was professional and knowledgeable. Thank you Magic Solar!Review author ★★★★★ Joey and Jesse were great to work with!! Came out to service my existing solar system. Explained everything thoroughly and gave me a quote to add batteries to my system. Would highly recommendReview author ★★★★★ Review author ★★★★★ I had the magic team come out to my place and had them install a new solar system and I was absolutely blown away with their professionalism and attention to detail. They kept me in the loop with all the details of the job. I can’t recommend them enough. Support local and you won’t be disappointedReview author ★★★★★ This job was a little unique for the team.It was completely off grid 7 miles from any power and up the mountain far enough that is was not feasible for them to return home every night.The manager, on site foreman and entire crew were professional at all times!They answered every question I asked and worked very patiently with me trying to pinch every dang penny. They took the time to teach me (the penny pincher) the things that had to be done for me to be satisfied at the completion of this job.I highly recommend Magic Solar for any of your Off Grid solar needs.FYI, They like their coffee black and it costs more if you'd like to help. 😂Review author ★★★★★ I really enjoyed the experience I had with Magic Solar and their installation team. The sales rep was knowledgeable and honest. He was never pushy during the process and communicated with me every day about what was happening during installation. The install happened on schedule and only took a couple of days. They took care of every step including permits and getting Idaho Power here quickly to get us turned on!Review author ★★★★★ The Magic Solar Team has always been prompt with responses and definitely goes above and beyond to help the customer understand the solar process as it can be confusing.Review author ★★★★★ js_loader

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