Over 3 million homes across the country are going solar to help combat climate change, save money on their electricity bills and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. But what is involved in getting those panels installed? To find out more about your individual circumstances like age or roof type can make it easier for you get started with this important guide for going solar by following the step towards sustainability!
Being a solar homeowner is an amazing experience, but there are still many things that need to happen before you can call yourself “a pro”. Your installer will help with most of these steps and make sure everything else falls into place!
1. Choose a solar company
You don’t want to make the mistake of picking an installer who won’t be able help you out when things go wrong. Make sure they’re qualified and insured by checking them with organizations like North American Board Of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP). When reviewing your contract, ask questions! Be specific about what services will be provided before signing up – do I need any extra equipment? Is there any maintenance needed?
2. Make sure home can support going solar
If you plan to install solar panels, make sure your roof can support them. It may help to know when your roof was last replaced. A professional installer will be able tell if your home is structurally suited for installing solar panels . It may also help financially by installing solar panels alongside another major investments like replacing your roof!
3. Determine your home’s solar sun score
The amount of sunlight that hits your home’s roof each day can make all the difference when it comes to going solar. Solar mapping services and tools are now available, like those on this website which will help you find out how much light penetrates into different areas of your home. This helps determine what kind of system would work best on each particular home – there’s also an estimate from remote data sources such as the solar savings calculator!
4. Calculate your energy consumption
It’s important to review your previous electricity bills when figuring out how much power you need annually and seasonally. This is a great way of doing an home energy audit so that any necessary changes can be made in order get the most from what system has been installed, including seasonal requirements such as air conditioners running during summer months due their high operating costs compared with other times of year.
Plan for future consumption changes
You could be planning to buy an electric vehicle that will need charging.
You may have just bought new energy efficient appliances! Your installer may also help by looking at these records but remember they must always remain confidential unless given permission otherwise!
5. Compare your different finance options
The solar market has been growing rapidly and there are many options for buyers. You can buy your system outright, obtain a loan from an installer that will include the tax credits when you own it (with some restrictions), or lease where payments depend on monthly rental fees rather than fixed costs like with buying outright!
You can choose between two different options for your power needs. You may pay a fixed monthly fee or enter into an agreement where you’d buy the electricity generated by this system at any given time, based on how much per kilowatt-hour it costs!
6. Submit for required permits and schedule inspections
When installing a solar power system, know that it can take weeks or months for you to get all of the necessary permits and inspections. This largely depends on where in your area these processes are being done at any one time—so make sure there’s enough space between appointments!
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s SolarTRACE tool may give an idea as how long this process might last if performed locally by noting permissions status from 1-5; however keepinmind we’re still talking about individual cities/jurisdictions which have their own unique rules when handling such matters (e..g New York City requires special permission whereas San Francisco doesn’t).
There’s more than one way to get the benefits of clean energy. If your home is not suitable for rooftop solar, you can still invest in a community or shared program and make an active commitment towards achieving carbon-free electricity by 2035! For information about going green with this great investment opportunity visit: Homeowners Guide To Going Solar.
When you invest in a community or shared solar program, your home is still the center of attention. You join others who are taking action and making their voices heard about climate change by going green! Visit our Homeowner’s Guide for on how to get started today and compare different solar quotes.
For all those homeowners out there looking at ways they can reduce energy bills while also cutting down costs? Investing now could be just what’s needed before the tax incentives disappear later this year (or next).
2 thoughts on “#1 Step-By-Step Guide for Going Solar | Sun Street Journal”
Two questions…
1 – Is it normal to pass on the loan for your solar system to the next owner of your house?
2 – I was told that Florida power& light would have a metering charge even though I was getting 100% electricity from my solar system. Is this common and how often might they raise that price?
Hi Lee,
To answer your questions:
1. Every day their are 1000s of homeowners moving that have solar panels installed on their home. The most common way of handling this is the same way you would with any other upgrade you choose to have done to your house. You would increase your homes value by roughly $30K to $40k and therefore make more money in the sale of your home resulting in the system beings paid off when the home is sold. It is also possible to transfer the loan payment depending on the loan option that you had went with. It is important that the solar company you are working with goes over the different options with you so that you know when this time comes.
2. Yes there is a net metering charge which is the $8.99 customer charge that every customer pays. This is justified in the fact that FPL is providing the storage for the energy produced by the solar system. FPL is functioning as a battery would. Over the last several years this rate increase by cents and is very unlikely to change a significant amount in the future.
Hopefully we answered your question. Feel free to contact us if you have any other questions!