Solar Lifts California Home Sales Prices

California, USA --Homeowners in California who invest in photovoltaic systems are netting up to 6.4 percent more in resale value for their homes than for similar homes sold without solar systems, according to a new study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in Berkeley.“We find compelling evidence that solar photovoltaic systems in California have boosted home sales prices,” said Ben Hoen, the lead researcher on the study and a principal research associate at Berkeley Lab. "The irony is that we found that premiums were smaller for new home sales than for existing home sales, and the big question was why," he said. "In discussion with homebuilders, we surmised that PV is being used not to boost sales price but differentiate from other homes. The developers have a lot of money wrapped up in new homes, so if a relatively low-cost PV system will help it sell, they install it," he explained.