COOL CAT’S SOLAR POWER 101
Row of blue solar panels on orange roof. Group of blue solar collectors with orange roof tiles. It's a photo of my own roof in the netherlands. In my country there is a enough sun to make electricity. The equipment stands on a steep flat roof with orange roof tiles. The panels have the same beautiful blue color as the sky. from the attic level you can view the street with trees on the ground.
Hey, Myrtle Beach! Cool Cat shouting out to give you the skinny on the coooolest way to power your home and take care of the planet too. Solar energy is where it’s at!
You might be thinking, “Hey Cool Cat, I got those EnergyStar machines you always talk about and I have the cats from Carolina Cool come out to maintain my systems and keep things running efficient. Do I *really* need to get in on this solar thing?”
I’m just a cat that likes helping my friends save money. South Carolina is tied for the 19th highest electricity rates in the U.S. And we’re 27th in the nation for harnessing that sweet golden sunlight for solar power. Not going solar means missing out on some big time tax credits and rebates that make solar energy more affordable than ever.
Here’s how it works – Carolina Cool installs solar panels called photovoltaic cells on your roof. These photovoltaic cells take energy of the sun’s rays and convert it to an electric current. The current charges up a battery system and also helps power up your house during the day. At night, you use the power stored up in the battery system – so you only pull from the power grid when you absolutely need to. And check it out, if your solar system creates more power than you need, the utility companies will pay you for the power you send out to them. That’s right, not only do you get tax credits and rebates but through a system called net metering, the electric company will buy your excess power from you. And don’t worry about those cloudy days – just like you can still get a sunburn on a cloudy day because the sun’s energy still comes through the clouds, your solar system can still harness that same energy from the sun.
Now here’s where it gets hot! Aside from federal tax credits the cats in D.C. have lined up, you also get tax credit on your state taxes with the South Carolina Solar Energy Tax Credit. And we’re not talking some one year deal – the state allows you to claim 25% of the total cost of your system (both the system components and the installation by Carolina Cool). You can only take up to $3,500 per year – or 50% of your state tax liability, depending on whichever is less. What you don’t use rolls over to your state taxes the next year and the next year and the next year…for up to 10 years. If that’s not enough, our friends over at Santee Cooper have a coooool rebate program for customers that go solar.
When you’re ready to go solar, just give the cats at Carolina Cool a call. They’ll come out and give you a consultation on how solar power can work for you – and tell you about all the ways you can save major cash when you cash in on solar energy.
