Fall temperatures mean falling power bills but more homeowners are erasing their electric bill entirely and it has nothing to do with the cooler season.

You can seem more shiny panels on tops of roofs from your grocery store to your neighbor's home. Lower cost for solar panel combined with Federal and state grants, make producing your own energy more affordable than ever.

A team installs panels which will soon begin soak in the sun and transform it into clean renewable energy thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions In the South Carolina. Let's be honest, not everyone is a environmentalist. Even some do want protect our environment but almost everyone wants to save money.

"Finally got to the point it made financial sense," Landon Ball said. "I have always been interested in technology. Even as a kid, I played with solar panels." As an engineer, he knows solar energy can cut or even completely wipe out his power bill. "It makes a lot of sense put solar panel on the right direction on rooftop is so important," he said.

Peter Larsen and his team with Southern Current designed and are installing the Balls' solar system. "We are putting solar panels on that high rooftop right there where the guys are working," he said as he pointed to the roof. It's one of the hundreds of installs they've done so far this year in South Carolina. "More and more people are seeing solar as an essential appliance for their smart energy home."

Here's how solar energy in home works in South Carolina:The photovoltaic (PV) panels convert the light into electricity when there have sunlight and then that electricity is used to power the home. Excess energy is rolled over to the next month. In Georgia, the process is similar except the solar energy goes straight to Georgia Power. Georgia Power deducts the cost of your electric bill from the power you generated. Excess solar power generated is also rolled over to the next month.

Now Georgia is the third-fastest growing generator of solar power in the nation. South Carolina is further behind but is beginning to grow. Southern Current's residential installs doubled from last year.

Liz Owens: "So how much are solar panels?"

Peter Larsen: "Well price of solar panels raised per watt anywhere from $3.50 to $3.50 per watt."

Liz Owens: "It's an expensive investment."

Landon Ball "Yeah, so total cost is very expensive. $44,000."

Yep, there is some initial sticker shock. However, there are grants available that lower that price.

The tax credits cut the Balls' solar panel cost in half. "We will have a payment that's equal to our average electric bill so we will be swapping the cost of the electric bill for a payment on the solar panels," Ball said.

You will get a tax credit worth 30% of the total system and installation cost from The U.S. government. And in The South Carolina, you also can get a solar tax credit worth 25% the total system and installation cost.

They will install enough panels on their roof to cover 100% of their electric usage, that means they no need pay any electric bill again.

There are a lot of factors to consider before going solar:

1. First how big is your roof? Do your roof have enough space for solar panels to power your home?

2. Is your roof facing the right direction so that the panels will soak in the most sunlight?

3. Is the area around your home free of trees and tall building which could cast shadows on the panels?

4. Will your HOA allow it?

"Over time you are going to pay far less for solar energy then you do from the grid," Larsen said. The standard return on the investment for the panels is five to seven years.

"It's fun to go through it and basically be more self-efficient generate our own electricity. Over time the electric companies are always raising their rates every year or every couple years they'll have rate hikes and we won't see that anymore," Ball said.

Solar panels last about 40 years. Most places guarantee the panels will produce the same amount of power for 25 years. After 25 years, production usually drops 85%.