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What are the incentives that can be accessed for the installation of a photovoltaic system? With the increase in the price of energy, more and more Italians are thinking of using solar panels to produce energy, as the research data on Google Trends show trivially. Photovoltaics, it should be clarified immediately, remains a medium-long term investment and not a quick and painless solution to expensive bills. Installing solar panels on the roof of your home obviously has a cost that is not exactly low, but perhaps not as exorbitant as many think. Having made this premise, which is indeed a must, let’s see what are the facilities provided. Three types of incentives can be used to install a system that uses sunlight to produce energy. And namely:
- Restructuring bonus with 50% deduction
- Super bonus at 110%.
- Eco-bonus of 65% for solar thermal systems
In the first case, the discount to be recovered in 10 years in the tax return is equal to 50% of the expense, while in the second case 110% can be recovered in 5 years. In both cases it is possible to choose the discount on the invoice and the credit transfer. To take advantage of the 65% deduction it is instead necessary to install thermal solar panels, that is a system that uses solar energy to produce hot water and heat your home.
The 50% deduction
In this article, however, we will mainly deal with the first two facilitations and therefore with the installation of a “traditional” solar system. Let’s start by saying that the 50% deduction has also been extended for 2022, 2023 and 2024 and the bonus covers both the supply and the installation of solar panels, for a maximum total expense that cannot exceed 96 thousand euros. The maximum amount, it should be emphasized, refers to the single housing unit, also with reference to condominiums. The end of the works must be communicated to Enea within 90 days, with an indication of how much has been spent and the characteristics of the system.
The super bonus for installing solar panels
As for the 110% superbonus, things are more complex. Meanwhile, it should be remembered that the incentive will undergo a squeeze in the coming years with the stop starting as early as 2023 for single-family houses and autonomous buildings and the progressive reduction of the incentive also for condominiums. In the latter case, the deduction will remain 110% in 2023, and then drop to 70% in 2024 and 65% for 2025. This obviously according to current legislation. However, further changes by the next executive cannot be ruled out.
It goes without saying that taking advantage of the superbonus would be the most convenient choice from an economic point of view, but it should be remembered that the installation of solar panels is an expense that is not part of the driving work, i.e. those works that entitle you to benefit from the discount of the 110%. These include, for example, the thermal insulation of buildings or the replacement of winter air conditioning systems. In other words, you can benefit from the 110% incentive for photovoltaics only if one or more driving works established by law are carried out at the same time. Not only that: to access the bonus, the works carried out must lead to the improvement of at least two energy classes of the building.
Considering the constraints, the restructuring bonus represents a valid alternative for those who want to obtain photovoltaics without carrying out the energy efficiency work necessary to access the superbonus.
How much does a photovoltaic system cost
As we said above, even by taking advantage of the 50% deduction it is possible to obtain the discount directly on the invoice. The costs for installing solar panels vary according to the type of system and the power we choose to install. A system with storage, that is able to store the energy not consumed to use it when the solar panels do not produce enough, has a higher cost than a traditional system, but allows for greater savings in the bill. A 3 kw system without storage (ideal for a family of 2 or 3 people) can cost around 6 thousand euros turnkey. The cost is obviously halved if we take advantage of the discount on the invoice.
A system of this type will not allow to achieve energy self-sufficiency but will be of enormous help in lowering the cost of the bill. How much we are going to save will also depend on our habits. In the case of a system without storage, for example, to optimize costs it is essential to shift most of one’s electricity consumption into sunny hours. In this way we will be able to reduce the consumption of the energy that our manager supplies us for a fee.
Balcony solar panels
A cheaper alternative is to install balcony photovoltaic panels. The plug & play solar panels as established by the Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and the Environment (ARERA) must have a nominal active power lower than or equal to 350 W. Furthermore, they do not need to be installed, but to operate they simply need to be connected to a dedicated socket, without forgetting the bidirectional meter in the house, whose purpose is to calculate consumption and energy production.
Usually a balcony photovoltaic panel of about 300 Wp (Watt peak), does not exceed two meters in width, has a thickness of 40 mm and the weight is around 20 kg. A system made up of standard panels can produce about 400 kWh per year which leads to a saving of 10/15% in the bill. If, on the other hand, 3 340 Wp panels are installed, it is possible to produce up to 1500 kWh in a year which corresponds to about 300 euros a year less (here the details).
