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Why Go Solar Now … eight key benefits of going solar The biggest decision for home owners who are concerned about ever- increasing energy bills is whether or not to install solar on their homes. By Pamela Garcia, Founder, Simmitri. Simmitri is a Silicon Valley Corporation, birthed in the Gilroy/Morgan Hill area, in 1995, that helps it’s residential and commercial cli- entele harness Solar Energy Technology in all its forms today, and into the future. simmitri.com 1 2 3 Solar provides clean, renewable energy from the sun in a constant, “earth friendly” and unlimited manner. Solar helps customers lower their electricity bills significantly; these benefits can be exponential, over time. Solar allows customers indepen- dence from the power and control of the monopolistic utility companies, including: rates that continually increase over time, “tiered” charges/ changes that generally favor the utility not the customer, “customer-negative” changes to net-metering rules (“Grid pay for power” produced from solar), lack of current technology upgrades to grid, customers to pay for maintenance of an antiquated grid structure and the practices that accompany it. 4 Solar allows customers to “lock in” (protect) their rates of pay for electricity, or eliminate it all together. Solar provides, in many instances, “free energy for life” and independence from the control of the utility companies. 5 Solar panel technology requires little, if any, maintenance and is shown to function efficiently for well over 50 years. 6 Multiple purchase and finance options make solar available and attractive to almost anyone who wants it, for very little, or zero, out-of-pocket costs! 7 With the recent extension from Congress of the (ITC) investment tax credit, customers can save 30 percent of the cost of the solar system in the form of a tax credit. 8 After solar has been installed, there are significant increases to a home’s overall value. Choosing the Right Solar Panels After deciding to Go Solar, the next step is to choose the right product and the right company to manage the solar project. Asking and evaluating the answers to these two important questions will help in your quest to make the right decision. What is the efficiency of the solar panels being used? This whole area of panel efficiency is quickly becoming a top priority to most manufacturers, solar system designers and installers. Increased panel efficiency means lowering the price of solar energy for everyone. At first, lower-cost commodity panels may seem like a great choice, but the fact is, a higher efficiency panel produces more energy, which lowers the cost per unit of energy produced. With a high-efficiency panel, you can generate more energy over time and make bigger returns on your investment than with a conventional panel. If you’re looking to get more bang for your buck, look for a better performing panel. SunPower panels are much more efficient and will produce more energy than less efficient competitors. For example, SunPower Panels produce in 15 years, the amount of energy a conventional panel needs 25 years to produce! When comparing similarly sized systems, SunPower panels simply outperform their competitors by margins that seem out- landish at first glance. In the first year of performance, the kilowatt hours delivered by a SunPower system are more than 60 percent greater than that of conventional panels, and 75 percent greater after 25 years. SunPower panels are clearly the market leader in efficiency, American made and backed by a billion dollar company that has been around for over 20 years now.   Simmitri is a PREMIER SunPower dealer, which has been exceeding the expectations of its customers for decades. Let Simmitri add you to that ever-growing list. For more information on the best way to Go Solar, Call  SIMMITRI at 408,779.3333 GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN MAY/JUNE 2016 gmhtoday.com 55