In recent years solar power has become increasingly popular. With the increased availability and decreased costs of solar panels, making the switch to solar power is a great option to lower your electric spending long term. For qualifying systems, switching to solar power will even get you a 30 percent federal tax credit on the cost of buying and installing the system. If you have a basic understanding of solar power, and are wanting to get started, there are just a handful of things to consider before going out and buying your system.

First, you will want to find out how much electricity your home will need. To do this, calculate how much wattage you use in a normal day, by multiplying the hourly wattage use of your electrical appliances and systems by the number of hours you use them in a day. If you don’t know how much wattage a device uses, you can use a basic watt-hour meter to get an exact reading.

Next, make sure your system will meet any code requirements for where you live. These would include any state or local building codes, easements or even your homeowner’s association rules.

Finally, decide if you want your system connected to the grid or not. Here in Kansas, you can actually receive a credit toward power in the future for any surplus energy your solar system provides while linked to the grid, if you go about it the right way. Look into this to see whether it would be a good fit for you, or if you want to stay completely off the grid.

Analyzing your power consumption, code requirements and deciding whether or not to be on the grid are key topics to consider before making the switch to solar power. Keep these three things in mind when deciding what size solar power system you’ll need for your home, and making the switch to solar power can be a profitable undertaking for your home, the environment and your finances.

For more expert advice on making the switch to solar power or other issues related to home comfort, please contact us at Comfort Systems. We provide quality HVAC services to the Wichita area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Wichita, Kansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about switching to solar and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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