Join daily news updates from CleanTechnica on e-mail. Or follow us on Google News!
Scientists anticipate that summer season 2024 will deliver a few of the hottest temperatures on file.
The upper temperatures imply higher demand for electrical energy and that always results in larger costs for households. Fortunately, the expansion of solar energy and battery storage helps to protect customers and stabilize the grid when temperatures soar.
That’s why hundreds of thousands of American householders are selecting to take management of their vitality payments and construct resilience for his or her communities by including photo voltaic and storage to their properties.
If you happen to’re seeking to shield your self from rising temperatures and rising prices, the Photo voltaic Vitality Industries Affiliation (SEIA) has 8 ideas that will help you maximize the worth of your photo voltaic funding.
1. Determine Out Your Electrical energy Wants
First, you must first get a way of your electrical energy wants and prices. Your utility invoice reveals how a lot you pay per thirty days and per kilowatt and can enable you to perceive how a lot photo voltaic might prevent.
2. Think about Your Photo voltaic Choices
If you happen to assume photo voltaic is an effective possibility for your loved ones, subsequent you will have to find out your house’s photo voltaic potential. The quantity of photo voltaic your roof can produce depends upon your location, the orientation of your house, and the scale and form of your roof.
On-line instruments like Google’s Project Sunroof may help you identify your house’s suitability for photo voltaic and offer you a greater thought of potential financial savings.
3. Determine Out How You Wish to Pay for It
There are a number of methods to finance your photo voltaic set up.
Like shopping for a automobile, you may select to personal or lease a house photo voltaic system. If you wish to personal you may buy the solar panels or enter in a loan agreement. If you wish to hire the panels, you may lease the panels or enter a long-term contract for the electrical energy you utilize. Every financing possibility has its strengths, so have a look at your entire choices and select what works finest for you.
4. Ask About Storage
Vitality storage is an effective way to develop the worth of your photo voltaic array. With battery backup energy, you may retailer extra photo voltaic vitality produced through the day and dispatch that vitality within the night or when the grid goes down. Putting in a photo voltaic + storage system places you in charge of your vitality selections and is without doubt one of the finest methods to spice up your house’s resilience.
5. Get A number of Quotes
Like all main buy, you must comparability store. There are a number of on-line marketplaces that may enable you to discover native photo voltaic corporations and examine your choices. It’s vital to do your homework on companies in your space, so we advocate getting a minimum of three quotes from completely different photo voltaic corporations.
Check out system measurement, upfront and/or month-to-month prices, and complete prices over time.
6. Test References
With a number of quotes in hand, be sure you analysis the businesses in search of your small business. Speak to your folks and neighbors about their expertise going photo voltaic and have a look at buyer evaluations on-line.
You must also examine what security and coaching certifications the corporate has too. Test to see if the corporate is a member of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and have a look at firm rankings on the Better Business Bureau and different evaluate websites.
7. Perceive Your Settlement
When you select an organization, learn the effective print of your settlement and perceive all the phrases and circumstances earlier than signing it. Be sure to work out how a lot you’re paying every month, how lengthy the contract lasts, and if you happen to’ll personal the panels. SEIA’s Home Solar Guide has an inventory of questions you must ask your photo voltaic installer earlier than signing a contract.
8. Maximize Your Incentives
Don’t overlook to entry all of the incentives accessible to you after you make your photo voltaic buy. The solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) might enable you to save hundreds in your taxes and was not too long ago prolonged to 2035 and expanded to incorporate incentives for standalone battery storage programs. There are additionally a variety of state incentives that might enable you to save much more.
Tens of millions of American properties are already having fun with decrease vitality payments and higher resilience because of the photo voltaic + storage programs on their house. With so many sources and new incentives accessible, there’s by no means been a greater time to go photo voltaic.nbsp;
Try SEIA’s resources for solar customers and study extra about SEIA’s consumer protection efforts.
Courtesy of SEIA Comms Team.
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Wish to promote? Wish to recommend a visitor for our CleanTech Speak podcast? Contact us here.
Newest CleanTechnica.TV Movies
CleanTechnica makes use of affiliate hyperlinks. See our coverage here.
CleanTechnica’s Comment Policy