John Y.K. Lee of Havertown saw his electric bill double this past fall and that was enough to get him investing in solar energy, writes Erin McCarty for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“All of a sudden there is all this perturbance in the energy market,” said the 50-year-old Penn neurosurgeon. “I really started getting interested in our energy situation and future. I started investigating what I could do.”

Households are seeing electric bills skyrocket, with some suburban homeowners receiving bills of nearly $500 for December.

The onslaught of price rises has made some consumers think about ways to reduce their energy bills, and that’s turning some to solar.

Solar could be described as a long-term energy investment that also reduces carbon emissions.

“It generates electricity gradually,” said Dunbar Birnie, a solar expert and a professor at Rutgers University. “It is a slow repayment, but to the extent it might be increasing your home value, then it benefits you after five years. After you sell, then it benefits the next owner.”

The break-even point for Pennsylvania homeowners generally is between seven and 10 years.

Read more about how high residential electricity costs are creating more solar energy converts in The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

Is solar worth it? A homeowner weighs in.