Taking The Leap into Renewable Energy with Solar

Solar power can reinvigorate your home’s power supply – and, if managed well, your finances. Once your panels are paid off, you can expect to save about $100 per month over about 25 years (the lifespan of your panels). To save you the math, that’s about $30,000. 

Sounds good, right?

Although the headline case for solar panels is compelling, there are some things you should think about before you go ahead. Do you live in LA? Plan the logistics, technical, and perhaps most important of all, the financial aspects with with reputable solar companies in Los Angeles. They do this kind of thing for a living, so they can guide you through the nitty gritty from funding your purchase to local planning authorities.

Once you have appointed a trusted solar panels company, you can get into things properly. With solar projects like all big things, the devil is in the detail. 

Start by making sure you can fund the purchase. Once you know how many panels you will need to run your home (you’ll get this information once your best solar company has done the pre-assessment of your property), you can figure out the outlay you’ll need.

As a general rule of thumb, a home solar panel system will cost at least a few thousand dollars. Inevitably you will need to put up some of the cash or at least a deposit, but there are financial products and grants specially tailored to stimulating solar adoption. Later down the line you can also benefit from tax credits as an extra reward for your investment.

The installation process

You do not need to get permission to install solar panels, but you will need to get the project signed off once it’s completed to ensure electrical safety standards. This can be managed through your local administration, with details usually available on their website.

As well as the panels on your roof, think too about where you will store bulkier parts of your solar equipment such as batteries. These are essential to store the surplus power your system generates in order to keep your system running at night and during darker periods of the year. Although your panels can generate electricity even in periods of minimal sunlight, it is still useful to build up a store.

Connecting to the grid – or not

You can also opt to stay connected to the main grid. This depends to some extent on where your property is situated, but if it is possible then it can be worthwhile. 

By staying on the main grid, you are able to provide your surplus energy into the grid. To return the favor, you can then pull your power from the grid if your system is not yielding enough. As well as ensuring reliability of your electric provision, net metering also has the advantage that you can reduce the need for excessive batteries in your home.

Planning for solar panel installations takes a little time, but you are better off for it in the long run. By working with a trusted local expert, you will also have complete peace of mind.