Richard Montgomery More Content Now USA TODAY NETWORK
Reader Question: Is America in a housing bubble? We think today s out-of-control real estate market is crazy. We are attempting to downsize our lifestyle with a smaller home. In two instances, we made an offer and someone outbid us. Our home is free and clear, so we are cash buyers. We don t want to sell until we know we ve got a place to go. Unfortunately, there are not many homes to look at, so we don t want to sell our house first and end up compromising on our new home. Home trade-in programs and iBuyers are costly. What other options are available to us? Author note: We addressed this question in a recent column on April 5, 2021. Here is another option.
The first thing to understand about solar power is that sunny days aren t necessary to make energy.
“It’s not sunshine that you need for solar energy, it’s daylight and the sun rises every day,” said John Purvis, owner of Solar Revolution, a solar installation company in Erie. “Obviously, on sunny days the panels generate more energy, but even on a cloudy day, there is UV light and that is all you need.”
So, even if you buy into the “dreary Erie” trope and think solar power would be a risky investment in Erie, Pennsylvania, there are many homeowners who have been converting daylight into electricity for years. And they are happy to show off their electric bill to prove you wrong.