How much do any of these renewable energy systems cost, and how much will I save on utility bills?

There is no single or simple answer, even if you are only talking about one kind of energy, such as solar. Some short answers we can give here:

• They are all definitely in the thousands.
• Solar and renewable energy rebates as well as other incentives can reduce the cost of any RE system.
• The size of the system is of course a factor.
• For solar thermal and solar pool heaters, you have to consider the price of the fuel used to back up the system.
• The price of other sources of energy will continue to rise, so who knows how much money you will save in the future?
• It also depends on how much you pay your utility for electricity or natural gas, and how much your utility will pay you for any excess power (with net metering) that you generate with your solar system.
• You can ask your renewable energy system provider how much your new system will produce on an annual basis and compare that number to your current annual electricity or hot water demand to get an idea of how much you will save.