After installing a home solar panel system, one homeowner was delighted by the numbers — or rather, the lack thereof — on their first energy bill. They took to the subreddit r/solar to share the good news.

"First bill with solar, not too bad," they wrote, along with a photo of the $0 bill.

"Welcome to the good life!" one person congratulated them.

"Love to see it," another said.

Installing a home solar panel system is one of the single best ways to slash your home energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time. With resources like EnergySage's free tools, it's easier than ever to get quick installation estimates and quotes from trusted installers.

As the original poster's bill showed, not only did they not owe any payments, but they'd actually also received hefty energy credits. This was thanks to Net Energy Metering, a system that allows owners to sell excess energy generated by their home systems back to the public power grid. 

"You guys got it good," one commenter wrote, awed.

But other commenters pointed out that OP's NEM credits were so abnormally high — over $1,300 — that they might want to consider making more use of their setup.

"Time for this person to look into buying an EV, a heat pump water heater, and/or a heat pump HVAC system," one wrote.

Indeed, another advantage of home solar systems is that their savings compound the more they're used. 

Would you be more likely to get an EV if it helped cut your energy costs? Big time 👍 Depends how much I'd save 💸 Still a no for me 👎 I already have an EV ⚡ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

For example, a homeowner who upgrades to an electric vehicle and uses solar power to charge their vehicle has effectively eliminated both their home energy and car refueling expenses. Even better, they've achieved these significant savings while slashing their personal pollution production and making their air and environment cleaner.

Considering that costs and incentives vary state to state, the free mapping tool from EnergySage is a great place to start. It shows the average cost of a home solar system in your state, as well as any and all available incentives in the area that you could use. 

In fact, with EnergySage's help, the average person can unlock nearly $10,000 in incentives for solar installations and purchases.

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