*Sharing a collaborative post on solar power and why it makes sense to consider it for your home, that we hope is helpful*
What could be better than powering your home with the biggest, brightest, renewable form of energy on the earth? Better still, you get to reduce your costs, and do something good for the earth.
Nevertheless, behind the headlines it is still important to shine the light on some of the finer points of solar energy. As with all major projects, the devil is in the detail – and familiarizing yourself with some financial and technical information is always a good starting point.
Solar is more than just the panels
Solar panels take all the headlines, but there is far more to a home solar system than just the eye-catching shiny plates on the roof. A trusted solar company in Los Angeles can design your system in detail, but you should know there are also inverters, batteries, and racking to consider.
Not only do you need to budget for these in terms of their cost, but you also need to factor in the space for them around your property. This is especially true for bulkier items such as batteries, which are essential to ensuring you have all the power you need 24 hours a day.
Racking is also vital to ensuring your solar panels can perform to optimal levels. It also ensures your roof is well protected, and the panels are safely stowed.
Using – and storing – your energy
Once your panels have generated electricity, the next trick is what to do with it. Your home will not need all the energy at the same time, so you have two options.
First, if your property is in an area connected to the main grid, you can opt for a net metering system. This means you can push surplus into the grid and pull from it anytime you fall short. Alternatively, you can opt for batteries to have your own self-sufficient energy system. There is also a hybrid option in which you can be on-grid but opt to keep some of your own batteries.
Bear in mind if you use batteries, you will also need a charge controller to manage the levels. You will also need the other equipment to connect the batteries safely to the system.
What to look out for with home solar
The cost is the first thing to take into account. Unless you have the savings to invest a few thousand into your project, you will need to work with a trusted solar panels company to pick from a choice of options. That said, there are start-upprograms available to almost every homeowner, so you should be able to get at least some kind of support.
The sun is obviously the next vital component of solar power. It helps, but is not essential, to live in a sunny area. As mentioned previously, you can store surplus or pull from the grid if you live in an area of less sunlight. Don’t forget to factor the cost of batteries and associated components into your purchase, however.
Apart from that, there’s not too many downsides to home solar!