Ultimate Buyer’s Guide to St. Louis Solar Panels
Did you know that, over its lifespan, the average solar system in the U.S. covers its initial costs and even provides a financial return?
Solar power has been particularly well-received in St. Louis. Aside from its average of over 200 sunny days a year, the city benefits from Missouri’s solar power incentives. Combined with federal tax credits, these incentives make investing in solar systems affordable and profitable for homeowners and businesses.
This buyer’s guide will walk you through the costs, benefits and opportunities related to purchasing and installing solar panels on your St. Louis property.
Solar System Cost Considerations
The biggest concern most homeowners have when considering solar power is the upfront and ongoing costs. Technological advancements have made solar systems a fraction of their previous cost, but they still require a significant investment.
You’ll still need to consider the quality and prices of different systems, but an experienced electrician can help you weigh the pros and cons to find the best solution for your energy needs.
Before shopping around, estimate your household’s average energy consumption using your utility bill—this will be an important reference point for choosing the most cost-effective system for your needs.
Initial Investment vs. Long-term Savings
While solar systems are a significant investment, their cost-saving benefits help contextualize why so many people make the switch. Over the average system’s lifespan, owners fully recoup their expenses and even earn a return through their energy savings.
For example, the average 6 kW solar panel system saves over $1,000 on electric bills annually. Over a typical lifespan of 30 years, these savings add up!
Your return on investment will vary depending on your system's cost, lifetime performance, and other factors, which we will explore in more detail below.
Jump to section: Choosing the Right Solar System
Solar System Cost Factors
The cost of purchasing and installing solar systems depends on several variables.
One is whether you plan to finance your solar upgrade out-of-pocket or with a loan. While a home improvement loan allows you to pay off the upgrade over time, it’ll also incur fees and interest.
Next, there’s the actual system and installation process, which can be customized to your household’s needs. The customization options available will depend on your electrician’s level of experience. At Brda Electric, for example, our team leverages over 34 years of experience to provide tailored solar design and installation services, meaning you get a system that is specifically designed to maximize efficiency and savings for your unique energy requirements.
Solar Panels
The panels you choose significantly impact the total cost. Prices vary by brand, size, quality, and the total number you need. Your ideal solar system may even include panels of various sizes to maximize space efficiency.
When comparing options, buyers should consider the panel’s price in relation to its size, expected lifespan, power output, and energy efficiency.
As with most products, higher quality tends to cost more. Monocrystalline panels are the most expensive but provide the best energy efficiency and longest lifespans. Polycrystalline panels are the market’s middle-ground in terms of cost and performance. Thin-film panels are the cheapest in all regards.
Batteries
Being able to store excess energy production majorly increases the usefulness of your solar system. However, batteries are another big price point to consider, with quality models surpassing $10,000 (before considering incentives).
You mainly have three battery options to choose from: lead acid, lithium-ion and nickel-cadmium. Water-based flow batteries are an emerging fourth option, but high prices and low storage capacity make these systems better suited for commercial or industrial properties.
Of the three viable options:
- lead acid is the cheapest option and has the shortest lifespan,
- lithium-ion is the most expensive but provides superior space efficiency and longevity,
- nickel-cadmium is the price middle-ground, offering low maintenance but also the greatest self-discharge (loss of stored energy over time).
Installation
Unless you’re an experienced electrician with carpentry and roofing skills, you’ll most likely need to hire a professional installer. The cost of installation will depend on your service provider’s cost of labor and the project’s complexity.
Widescale installations, property limitations and municipal regulations are all factors that can increase project costs. There’s also the simple matter of how many panels and batteries you need and whether you choose a roof- or ground-mounted system.
Your home’s electrical system also plays a role in installation complexity, especially if you’re aiming for whole-home energy coverage. You could also opt for partial coverage limited to certain circuits to lower project costs.
Look for experienced electrical service providers that provide all services in-house, like Brda Electric. Keeping services under one roof offers a layer of quality assurance you can’t get with companies that subcontract.
Installation Considerations
Solar power systems are highly customizable and able to fit within the constraints of nearly any property. However, the effectiveness of your system will depend on your home’s features and solar compatibility. An experienced solar expert can evaluate your property to find the most efficient panel arrangement.
Assessing Your Home’s Suitability for Solar
Some homes are better suited for solar systems than others. Luckily, these systems are flexible and can almost always be modified to meet a property’s needs.
As most residential solar panels are roof-mounted, the condition and features of your roof are among the most important factors. If your roof needs maintenance or replacement, attend to that before having a solar system installed.
The ideal solar panel placement in the continental U.S. is typically on a south-facing roof tilted at an angle between 15 and 40 degrees. This alignment allows the panels to soak up the maximum amount of sunlight.
Whether you opt for a roof- or ground-mounted model (or both), you’ll want a shade analysis of your property to determine the best panel placement. If your home is consistently shade-covered, it may not be a good fit for a solar system.
Choosing the Right Solar System
In the above analysis, we broke down the pros and cons of the panels and batteries available to homeowners. However, there are other key equipment decisions to make.
Roof vs. Ground-Mount
We’ve briefly touched on the two broad categories of ground- and roof-mounted panels, so let’s explore why you might want each.
Roof-mounted panels are the most popular option because they’re typically cheaper to install, have the best sunlight exposure, and are conveniently out of the way (even stylish).
Ground-mounted panels take up yard space that not all households have or want to sacrifice. They also typically require more equipment to install, raising overall costs. However, ground-mounted systems may be the ideal solution for homes with available land area if their roof isn’t conveniently aligned with the Sun’s path.
Consult with your solar installation professional to choose the best option for your space.
Inverters
The last key equipment to consider is your system’s inverter, the part that converts raw DC power from your solar panels into usable AC power for your home.
String inverters are the most common choice for their affordability and simplicity. These inverters are centralized and treat each solar panel equally, converting all their energy outputs at the same pace. This option is perfect for simple systems with even light coverage.
Power optimizers are more adaptive and able to prioritize different solar panels based on light conditions. These inverters are more expensive than string varieties but provide better performance on systems with variable shade cover or panels facing multiple directions.
Microinverters are ideal for getting maximum performance out of complex systems. Unlike the above two models, microinverters are installed on each solar panel and convert energy on-site rather than needing to route the raw DC energy to a central inverter. This allows each panel to operate at full efficiency but is also the most expensive option.
The best inverter for you will depend on your system’s complexity and shade coverage, with more complicated and shade-covered systems benefiting most from more expensive inverters. Your electrical service professional can help you weigh the costs and benefits of different models for your specific system.
Financial Incentives and Tax Breaks
Recent incentives at the state and federal levels have made solar system installation more affordable than ever. Brda Electric stays on the cutting edge of these policy trends to help homeowners get the best bang for their buck.
Here’s how people considering a new solar installation can take advantage of these government incentives.
Federal Tax Credits for Solar Energy
The Residential Clean Energy Credit offered by the IRS offers a tax credit for any new energy-saving upgrades made to your home between 2022 and 2034. The credit is worth 30% of all qualifying costs (until 2032), including equipment, installation and labor. As long as your system is a new installation, this amounts to a 30% discount on your entire project come tax time.
Missouri State Incentives
If the energy and tax savings weren’t enough, Missouri also has one of the nation’s strongest net metering systems. By having your local utility provider connect your solar system to the power grid, you can earn credits against your utility bill for any excess electricity you produce.
Many homeowners are able to completely eliminate their utility bills with this program! Better yet, your utility provider is required to make the connection process simple and free under Missouri’s Net Metering and the Easy Connection Act.
Financing Options for Solar Panels
Many homeowners don’t have thousands of dollars in liquid cash they can spend upfront on a solar system. Luckily, there are a number of financing options that homeowners can access by leveraging their home equity.
At the city level, there’s Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy home upgrades. PACE loans can fully finance your system.
The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) offers two options: the FHA 203(k) and the FHA Solar and Wind Technologies Mortgage.
FHA 203(k) is a combined home purchase and renovation loan that allows homebuyers to roll their solar system costs into their mortgage payments. The FHA Solar and Wind Technologies Mortgage is basically just a mortgage specialized for green energy upgrades.
National mortgage lenders Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae also offer a list of renovation and green energy mortgage programs that can be used for solar system costs.
Some homeowners fund their solar panels with a power purchase agreement (PPA). Under these contracts, a third party purchases energy produced by your residential solar panels. They benefit by using solar power to achieve their sustainability goals while you earn some extra cash from the energy you supply.
Regional Information for St. Louis, Missouri
We’ve discussed the broad benefits of solar power, so let’s look closer at our local region and how solar installation works here.
Solar Energy Potential in Missouri
St. Louis makes a great home for solar systems for more reasons than tax incentives. Our great city is a natural hotspot for solar panels, given its natural climate. St. Louis’ location puts it on par with national averages for solar efficiency. Locations closest to the equator get the most sunshine, and Missouri is nestled right in the nation’s midsection. This puts most MO homeowners in a good starting position as candidates for solar power.
Navigating Local Regulations and Permits
Solar installations are carefully regulated in St. Louis, requiring a multi-step process of obtaining a permit and complying with inspection and zoning requirements. During the permitting process, you’ll need to submit detailed documentation of your planned renovations, including:
- A site plan with proposed solar panel placements.
- Pictures of the proposed installation site from the nearest public sidewalk or street.
- A comprehensive installation plan that outlines the full design of the solar system and any batteries or mounting equipment.
St. Louis County requires a licensed electrician to manage all solar installations. Work with your installer to ensure all the required documentation is submitted to the city for approval.
Brda Electric technicians are fully licensed, certified, and familiar with local regulations to manage the installation process seamlessly.
Success Stories from St. Louis Locals
All this data is one thing, but it helps to hear about real experiences that St. Louis residents have with their solar systems.
Local, Mike Robinson, shared,
“[Brda’s] team showed up right on time to clean our solar panels… once the cleaning was done our output increased by about 25%! They also installed modules for our older inverters that will allow us to monitor the panels remotely. They were very knowledgeable on the solar panels and did a great job overall. They also installed a whole house surge protector that I had been wanting to do for some time. Great work and would highly recommend Brda Electric.”
Ann Pott touted,
“These guys were so awesome! They came back on a Saturday morning to finish up something, and who does that? They were some of the only providers that we could even find to remove and reinstall my roof solar panels so I could get a new roof put on, but I was not disappointed! They were so nice, accommodating, efficient and hardworking… I will sing their praises as soon as I figure out a nice tune that goes with ‘Brda, Brda, what skillful electricians, what great customer service!’”
Why Choose Brda Electric?
If the accounts shared above show anything, it’s that Brda’s electricians know how to make solar panel installation and maintenance stress-free.
Expertise
With over 35 years of expert service in St. Louis, Brda’s commitment to quality has earned an A+ rating from the BBB and over 500 five-star reviews on Google.
Service
Our friendly, trained, and safety-focused staff are available 24/7 for emergencies, so our clients are never left in the dark.
Excellence
We’re committed to delivering cost-effective solar solutions that exceed your expectations, and we’d be honored to help upgrade your home with green energy.
Start Your Sustainable Solar Journey Today
Ready to transition to clean, green energy and cut your utility bill for the next 30 years? Solar panel installation is more easy and affordable than ever before!
Brda technicians can walk you through the process from start to finish as your partner for a renewable future. From planning to compliance to ongoing maintenance, we do it all!
Our teams work efficiently to deliver quick project turnarounds that are done right the first time. Start the process with a fast quote from Brda—see the difference the Sun can make for your home.
