Energy Independence Secrets

Solar Panel Installation Basics: Key Considerations

27 May 2021 by Marjorie Morales

If you have decided that the time is right to convert to solar energy in your home, you've probably started looking at solar panel options. When you see so many different options, sometimes it's hard to know which is the right choice for your situation. Here's a look at some of the things that you should prioritize as you're planning your solar installation.

What Is Your Household Demand?

The first thing you need to know before you can plan an effective solar panel system is what kind of household demand you have for electricity. Your household's electricity usage will directly affect how many panels you need, the production rating of those panels, and the general infrastructure setup.

In most cases, your solar panel system installer will look at two years of electricity usage for your home as the baseline for this. From there, they will ask about any changing needs in your family. For example, if you expect to start a family in the next few years, have children who will be graduating and moving out, or any other anticipated changes, those will be accounted for, too. Remember that the average solar panel system lifespan is several decades, so you'll want to think long-term as much as the present.

Do You Want Total Energy Independence?

Another important element of solar panel system installation is whether or not you want complete grid independence. With many solar panel systems, the infrastructure is installed, but you are still connected to the local power grid. In those systems, any power generated by the solar panels that you don't use at the time will be transferred to the grid supplier and stored as energy credits for you. When you need that energy, such as at night when your panels aren't producing, the grid provider supplies it back to you. However, staying connected to the power grid means that, if there's a power outage, you'll lose power too.

If it's important to you that you not be connected to the local power grid at all, your solar panel installation contractor will talk with you about battery storage systems. That way, any unused power generated by your solar panels will be stored in a battery bank for you to access when you need it. This is beneficial because, when the local grid suffers an outage, you'll still have power.

These are a couple of the most important considerations when you're looking to convert your home to solar energy. Talk with a solar panel installation company near you today for more information, like Hudson Valley Wind and Solar.

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