Whether or not to get solar panels: all advantages and disadvantages at a glance!

Whether or not to have solar panels installed is a question that more and more people are facing. More and more, solar panels are becoming a valuable option. Solar panels are a considerable investment, which you also want to earn back. On this page you can read all the advantages and disadvantages of solar panels so that you can make the right choice. Get solar panels or not? Elektra Unie has the answer.

Advantages of solar panels:

Solar panels have many advantages, both for our planet and for your wallet. We are happy to show you why investing in solar panels is a logical choice!

Solar panels are the best choice for the environment. Solar panels are extremely good for the environment. When you choose solar panels, you are also 100% sure that your energy has been generated cleanly. Solar energy is sustainable and it ensures that we, but also your children and grandchildren, can enjoy our beautiful planet for a long time to come.

The cost-recovery period of solar panels: save on your energy bill

Of course, you like to help the environment, but who doesn’t want financial savings? The cost-recovery period of solar panels is currently under ten years.

Because solar panels last about 25 years, you can enjoy free energy for no less than 15 years. Even with the offsetting arrangements disappearing, solar panels are still a logical choice. In addition to saving on your energy bill, the value of your house will increase when you have solar panels installed. Of course, you won’t be able to add your entire investment to the value of your home right from day 1, but when you move after a few years, there’s a good chance you’ll already be breaking even.

Solar panels or not: there are even more advantages!

In addition to the financial benefits, there are more schemes that allow you to save money. For example, from 1 January 2023, VAT on solar panels for private individuals has been abolished. The VAT on solar panels has therefore gone from 21% to 0%.

So where last year you had to pay the VAT before being able to get a refund from the IRS, this will no longer be necessary from 2023 onward.

In addition, various municipalities have set up subsidies, so that you can apply for an extra premium or subsidy when you opt for solar energy.

Until at least 2031, you will be able to return your generated power if you generate too much and get it back in months when you have too little power. This is called netting. Although this scheme is slowly being phased out, solar energy remains an economical way to generate energy.

After all, the sun never runs out, even on a cloudy day there is often enough sunlight to generate energy.

Disadvantages of solar panels:

In addition to advantages, there are of course also some disadvantages to solar panels. There are financial disadvantages, but also keep the cost-recovery period or maintenance in mind.

Of course, it is also possible that you really do not like solar panels. It remains a matter of taste, but it is true that solar panels are becoming more and more prevalent.

Financial disadvantages to solar panels

Solar panels immediately save on your energy bill, but there is a large investment involved. You have to be willing and able to make this investment. Every situation is different, but the installation, the panels, the conversion of the meter cupboard and the inverter can vary from €4,500 to more than €12,500.

Although you will earn this back in the years to come, you must first make the investment.

Even if you want to move within a few years, the investment is too large to benefit from it. It takes about five years to break even with the sale of your home. Solar panels make your home worth more.

In addition, the net metering scheme is slowly being phased out. With this scheme you could get back the overage of power you generate 1 to 1 and then get it back when you need it, until 2023.

From 2023, every year you can get 9% less of your electricity back in net metering schemes, as now you sell electricity to the network operator, so to speak, and you can buy it back. However, you pay more per kWh than you get for it.

On balance, solar panels will still yield returns even after the phasing out of this scheme, just slightly less than before.

Optimal efficiency of your solar panels

Your roof must be suitable for solar panels. The most ideal are solar panels placed between the east and west sides, on the south side, at a 36-degree angle.

Take this into account when calculating your return, so that you get the most out of it!

Other disadvantages of solar panels

Converting your meter cupboard can sometimes also involve a bit more work, occasionally cables have to be pulled, and you must have room in your house for a cupboard roughly the size of a vacuum cleaner.

Perhaps this doesn’t matter so much as to forgo solar panels, but it is still a good idea to take them into consideration.

Solar panel maintenance

Your solar panels require little maintenance, but polluted solar panels are less efficient and yield less. Once a year you have to have them cleaned, and they also need maintenance once every few years.

What to pay attention to when getting solar panels?

Optimizer solar panels or not?

Optimizers are an extra investment that you can add to some systems. Optimizers are linked between the inverter and each individual panel. This allows you to see your consumption per panel and get the optimal consumption out of it.

This is especially useful when you are dealing with shade from, for example, a tree in your garden. In that case, optimizers can be an advantage.

Solar panels or not? Elektra Unie knows!

Solar panels or not? Elektra Unie knows! Of course, you opt for solar panels to save on your energy costs. We are happy to discuss the possibilities that are right for your situation with you. We take all the advantages and disadvantages into account. Every situation and every roof is different, so solar panels are always tailor-made.

Are you curious about what solar panels can do for you? Calculate the savings for your address and start saving. This way you can make the decision whether you want to have solar panels.

Frequently asked questions about whether or not solar panels are installed:

Solar panels or not?

This depends on the situation, and depends, among other things, on your ability to make the investment, and whether your house is suitable for it. The number of hours of sunshine in the Netherlands is sufficient to get a good return from your solar panels, so take a quick look at the possibilities.

What do solar panels cost?

The exact costs for solar panels differ per situation. What type of solar panels do you choose, what is your current consumption, how many panels do you need, what power do the panels have? Including installation, the costs can vary from €4,500 to more than €12,500.

Why solar panels?

Having solar panels installed is an investment, but you immediately save on your energy costs. From 2023 onwards, you will earn back the investment you make in about 9 years on average. Solar panels last at least 25 years, so you can benefit from your solar panels for years to come.

When can solar panels be switched off?

You never have to turn off your solar panels. If your devices do not require power, but your installation does provide power, it will be fed back into the public grid. There are installations that can switch themselves off, but you don’t have to do anything.