The High Cost of Doing Nothing

Many years ago, enough that could now be described as "several," Netflix, the all-you-can-eat DVD rental service, sent out a missive to its customers that it was lowering its monthly rates to the tune of about $3 per month. (I'm guessing here, but I'm thinking that this was around 2003.) At the beginning of this year, Netflix returned their rates not only to their initial price point but a HIGHER one, now charging over $20 per month for what used to be only $14.99.

And what does this have to do with solar?

Simple: economics. No one--or at least hardly anyone--ever reduces their rates for anything. In most cases when that happens, it's usually called a "sale" and it only lasts for Presidents' Weekend. And in this economic climate of declining currencies and dwindling fossil fuel reserves, of this I am certain: utility companies are not going to in the near or not so near future, charge anyone less for anything.

I really enjoyed this post today from the Guardian about the incalculable costs of nuclear power, and I say this not from an environmental perspective but from a purely economic one. Nuclear power is terribly, terribly expensive to get online which, as this article points out, is why no plants can come online without a tremendous amount of government subsidies. I also liked that this article linked to a recent Harvard study that cites that the true cost of coal--the real health costs associated with our country's favorite fuel source--is estimated to be anywhere from $175b to $523b annually.

The California Utility Commission estimates that real inflation of utility costs to be 6.75% annually. Well, actually, that's a number that we at Green Worx feel comfortable citing, as it's an average we calculated by citing directly from annual Commission reports, where some years utility costs actually spiked as much as 9%.

Did I mention that they think that cleaning up that plant in Japan could cost as much as $12b? And that is their first best estimate?

I never use scare tactics to convince anyone to buy anything ever, because it's a sales tactic left to people that deserve the moniker "snake oil" somewhere in their job description. I like facts. Simple, straightforward, cited, sourced and footnoted facts. ("Hey, it's not just ME saying this. It's Harvard. It's the California Energy Commission. You don't like our facts? Take it up with them.")

Here's another fact: the sun won't ever charge you anything and if it ever goes away, you're going to have larger survival issues to contend with outside of your energy bill. The world's most common sources of energy have costs associated with them that are only going to rise. Period. Utility bills are only, therefore, going to get more and more costly.

Investing in a solar system is tantamount to putting a hard stop on your energy bill. It is an investment that will pay for itself in under a decade. It is an investment that will be worth MORE in years to come (and I can't think of a single argument against an appreciating asset). Solar isn't an environmental decision...it's an economic one. It adds to the value of your home. It puts the reigns of control in your hands in terms of how much you will spend on fueling your home.

As a solar system is an investment grade decision, in the coming weeks, when we will be inundated with the true cost of cleaning up the worst nuclear accident this century; when Japan, as demolished as its been will undoubtedly need aid to solve what seems to be an insurmountable problem; please ask yourself not if you can afford to go solar, but if you can afford not to.