As home owners shift towards more sustainable energy for their homes, solar energy systems are the ones that are getting the most mentions on account of their cost and overall sustainability for your home. However, before installing solar, you need to understand what it comprises. The most primary components of solar energy systems are the grid networks, solar panels, batteries and inverters.
The solar panels are made of a metallic structure supporting blocks containing photovoltaic cells. The arrangement of the cells influences the output of electrical charge that the photovoltaic cells can produce. Therefore, many companies that produce solar panels compete on the arrangement and materials making the photovoltaic cells and blocks and this is what gives them a competitive advantage over others in the market.
The battery is another major differentiator in that your preferred solar company or solar panel companies may not have a particular battery provider and therefore will suggest several different brands you can choose from. The type of battery of course depends on how much power you want to save and apart from complex ones like Tesla’s power wall, all other battery types are pretty standard and can offer about 8-10 hours of backup power after a full charge.
Steps To Take Before Hiring A Solar Installation Expert
To make the installation process easy and cost effective, ensure you get a certified professional to conduct a pre-installation survey of your house. You can do this even before you enter into an installation contract with any solar company and most solar companies and even solar energy companies in San Jose are willing to conduct the survey for free. The pre-installation survey will indicate how many solar panels you need to install on your roof and also the type of grid network for your home. Some people prefer an entire grid network whereas others would want a hybrid system in conjunction with the grid network.
Tips to Reducing Overall Installation Expenses
On average, the cost of installing a solar system comes to about $45,000 and $100,000 depending on the size of the house and the amount of components your home will need. Therefore any cost reduction measures will be an added advantage to you in the short term and long term.
A short term cost reduction measure is to first look for government incentives and grants for solar installation. Since solar energy is the most sustainable energy source at the moment, governments and private sector investments has been on the rise, leading to grants and cash incentives for first time installers. Your preferred solar company will be aware of any incentives before you sign the dotted line.
In the long term, you will realize greater returns because your home’s value will go up significantly once you install solar. And added home value means that you can get higher mortgage on your home or even sell it with an extra markup which would far outweigh whatever you had spent on the solar energy systems.
Before I installed my solar panels, I wish I had known more about the potential shading issues from nearby trees and buildings. It ended up affecting the efficiency of my solar system, and I had to do some last-minute adjustments.
Speaking of solar installations, using a solar comparison website like this site, really saved me time and effort. It made it super easy to compare prices between different providers. It took the hassle out of the process and helped me make a more informed decision.