My Home Solar System
Why did I decide to get solar panels?
My Story
Let's be honest, we all have differing opinions about green energy, climate change, helping the environment, saving the planet, and whatever other phrase comes across the news cycle.
However, for me, getting a home solar system was driven by two things: 1) improving my sense of personal security, and 2) improving my current and future financial freedom.
What does this mean? Without getting into details, my financial history has been checked with very high highs and very low lows. I don't come from a rich background and have had to work hard for everything I've achieved and acquired. This means that there have been times in my past where I was not sure if I would be able to pay my next rent bill or buy food.
When you find yourself in a low period financially, and hopefully this does NOT happen to many of you, you quickly learn what expenses you CAN control (how much gas you use, the type of food you eat, the subscriptions you have, what you purchase, etc.) and what expenses you CANNOT control (taxes, the need for insurance, the need for a car/house, etc.).
After coming out of these low periods, my personal goals became twofold: 1) I would make sure I always had a safe and secure place to live (personal security), 2) to figure out how to have a worry-free retirement, even though I was unable to put a lot into my retirement at that point (financial stability).
Because of these two goals, I have chosen to live as debt free as possible AND to reduce/control as many of my expenses as I possibly could, not just for right now, but also for my future. Over the past several years, I've reduced my debt to almost nothing. However, as the economy has been crazy over the past few years, and my electric bill has been very volatile and every increasing, the desire to reduce/control this bill rose to the top of my list.
Side Note: To live debt free has been the choice I made for me. Some people may disagree with my approach, and that's ok. You do you. The intent of this website is NOT to debate financial strategies or debate climate change, the goal of this site is to give you real information and to share my experience after deciding to install a residential solar system onto my home.