Monthly Archives: August 2020

One of the decisions that homeowners have to make about their solar system is whether to get a battery backup. These batteries can store energy from your solar panels, providing power when the local grid is down or when your solar panels are not actively capturing and converting electricity (such as at night or on a cloudy day). Installing a battery backup does add to the overall cost of your system, so homeowners need to understand what they are getting and what other costs might be associated with a solar battery. How Solar Energy Capture Works A residential solar energy system uses photovoltaic panels to capture energy from sunlight by activating electrons from atoms, but those panels create direct current...

Installing a solar system on your home is one of the best ways to save money and protect the environment by reducing your reliance on fossil fuels. However, as many homeowners examine the options for solar they discover a potential challenge: solar panels capture energy during the day (obviously), while most of your energy consumption occurs when the sun is down. One solution is to install a battery backup, which stores the energy from the daytime for use at night, but that adds to the cost of installing your system and can put solar out of reach for some homeowners. An alternate solution is to connect your home to the local grid and send excess solar energy to the power...

Solar panels are by far the most popular form of renewable energy for residential homes, but many homeowners still wonder if they can afford solar energy, and if installing it will really save money. The good news is that the answer to both questions is probably yes. What is Solar Energy? Solar is a renewable form of energy that converts sunlight into electricity to power your home. It requires photovoltaic panels installed somewhere on or near your home, plus a converter and a battery system if you want to have a backup. Most homeowners install the panels on the roof, but you can also put them in the yard if your roof isn’t suitable for the panels or doesn’t get...

Many people today are looking for ways they can reduce fossil fuel energy consumption, and the best way to do that is to turn to renewable energy. There are multiple types of renewable energy that can provide an alternative to burning fossil fuels, including: Solar Wind Hydropower (water) Geothermal Biofuels However, not all of these types of energy are realistic for homeowners to consider. Biofuels, for example, come from harvesting plant materials and animal waste. Hydroelectric power generation involves building huge dams that can channel energy from large waterways into usable electricity. While those things might work for large companies or governments, for most people the effort to get a usable amount of energy isn’t worth the costs. For homeowners,...

Summer is usually a time when many people across the intermountain region see their power bills skyrocket, especially in places like Nevada and Southern Utah, where temperatures can easily top 110 degrees on any given day. If you’re tired of wondering how much you are going to have to spend on power bills to cool your home, or you’re afraid of opening that bill when it arrives each month, now is the time to switch to solar energy. Predictable Energy Costs One of the greatest benefits of switching to solar energy is the ability to predict your energy costs from month to month. During the hottest months of the summer or the coolest winter months, your bills are going to...