Things You Should Know Before Taking the Solar Energy Plunge

If you’re looking to reduce your impact on the environment while lowering your electric bill then solar energy may be the way to go. Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to utilize it without making quite a few changes to their home and surroundings. Hopefully, this article will let you know what you need to convert your home to solar power.

To consider using solar energy, one of the first things you will definitely need is an unobstructed view of the sun. If you live in a heavily wooded area or in an area that receives a lot of bad weather then a solar energy system may not be for you. This type of system stores up the sunlight to use as energy in your home. If not enough power is stored then you’ll end up having to buy some from your electric company. This means it’ll take longer to recoup the money you spent for the panels.

Another thing to consider is how much energy you use. To do this, just contact your local electric company. They can give you an idea of monthly usage while test meters will let you calculate on a daily basis more accurately than averaging the monthly amount. This is an important step that will help you determine how many solar panels you’ll need. If you don’t get enough then you’ll end up having to pay the electric company for the additional power you need. If you get too many then it will take a lot longer to recoup the expense of the panels.

Another way to help reduce the initial cost of your system is to check for subsidies or tax credits from local and federal governments. This should be one of your first steps. It’s a great way to trim initial costs and give you faster savings in your energy bill.

While it is possible to go 100% solar, it’s not usually recommended. A cloudy day will affect your power input so many people keep their regular form of energy to work alongside solar power. This will increase the amount of energy available on bad weather days. Depending on where you live, you’ll probably still need heat or a/c. Even without these, I bet you’ll want the refrigerator to stay running even on cloudy days.

Rather than staying hooked up to the grid, you could just get an outside generator of some sort capable of providing enough energy to get through the dark days. The calculations will help you out here, too.

In conclusion, if you have the necessary amount of sun, have a backup energy source in place for bad weather and can account for your energy consumption, you’ll be on your way to joining the green movement.