What is the payback?
The payback certainly is in terms of resource savings, but there is much more to this than dollars. The Army’s business processes no longer adequately support the Operating Force. Increasing effectiveness is a large part of Business Transformation. The ability to leverage those resource savings in terms of manpower and funding and applying those savings to increase capability in the Operating Force is a fundamental benefit of this effort. In addition, in an era of constrained resources, it is essential that we continue to review and refine our business processes to ensure we optimize effectiveness with efficiency.
Payback is immediate. If you finance your solar system, payments are typically less than your former electric bill. A solar system will also add value to your property, reduce your monthly expenses and insulate you from rising energy costs. If you pay cash, you will on average recover 100% of your investment within 5-7 years but as utility rates increase, you could fully recoup your investment in less than 5 years.
This is usually one of the first questions we get, and the answer is “It depends.” No one knows how fast electricity rates will rise, and traditional payback concerns to not take into account the long term savings produced by a 20 year investment. The early years contribute to the cost of the equipment. The later years show increasing savings because you are avoiding the inflated electricy costs in the future. Texas electricity costs are increasing at the rate of about 5% per year with no end in sight. An alternative energy system is a way to gain control of a certain part of you expenses and protect them from increasing. An alternative energy system is a good long term investment.
