Calculating the amount of solar power, you need is not an easy task. It requires a lot of work and careful planning. The drawbacks of making a mistake could cost you a lot of money in the long run. Imagine you run the numbers incorrectly, and you get a system that doesn’t cover your entire usage.

Instead of getting all of the benefits from solar, you’d still be dependent on the grid. The opposite is also true. If you get a lot more panels than you actually need and you don’t get a battery to store it, the energy just gets wasted because it has nowhere to go.  Visit this link to find out more.

Giving back to the grid requires a lot of paperwork and regulation, and it might take months before you can start doing it. For that reason, it’s best to use an application that will measure everything for you.

Gathering info about your power usage and your house doesn’t have to be complicated. There are modern tools that assist both you and contractors when it comes to giving out recommendations about the size and the type of the system that you want to install.

What should you do?

First of all, you need to find all of the invoices about power. If you’ve got online banking and pay all of your bills through the net, that’s going to be incredibly easy. Additionally, if you’ve got all of the paper invoices, that’s going to feel like a walk in the park.

However, not having anything will take a bit more work. Then, you’re going to have to call your electricity provider to take a look at the database and give you the information you need. No matter the outcome, you’re going to get a general idea about the kilowatt-hours you spend in a day and in a season.

It’s important to take a look at each month individually and don’t round down the numbers. When you take a look at the bills, you’re going to see that in some months you spend much more than average. That could mean that you’ve been running the air conditioner for too long in the summer. You can go to https://www.solargraf.com/ to read more. An application can design an entire system in less than a minute if you provide the correct info.

When you have the design, you need to take into account a few adjustments that you might want to make. Are you going to purchase an electric car? If so, then you’ll definitely want to have a power source in the garage.

Building an addition to your house will definitely increase usage. The same thing applies to any major modifications or added appliances. On the other hand, if you decide to go completely green and replace your old appliances with modern ones, you might notice that you’ll be using less power than you did previously.

Working with professionals

Once you have a general idea of what you want, it’s time to look for specialists that can do the job correctly. There are probably going to be a few family members or friends that will try convincing you to pick a specific company, but don’t commit until you’ve done thorough research.

There are plenty of internet tools and apps that will assist you in finding and comparing contractors quickly and efficiently. Before choosing a firm, it’s wise to ask for three different quotes from three different companies. Give them the same metrics and qualities to be able to compare prices correctly.

When you decide on the top performer, it’s always good to ask a few additional questions. Ask for the contact of a few previous clients to see whether they’re satisfied with the service and the products. Feel free to look at their certifications.

If they hesitate to show you their certifications, this means that they’re not qualified, professionals. Also, check whether they hold an electrician’s license because you don’t want to do business with someone who doesn’t know the basics of power.

Usually, the guarantee after the installation is twenty years for the panels and a decade for the inverter. Anything less than that could be a sign that the company installing it doesn’t have the best possible equipment. Finally, make sure to get a good deal on maintenance and perform regular checkups. It’s much better to maintain than to replace.

To sum up

Calculating everything you need to have been a daunting task that could take you weeks to complete. However, using modern tools and applications makes that process much faster. There’s no need for you to know everything about electricity before installing a photovoltaic system. Armed with the right knowledge, you can negotiate with a company about what sort of system you need and how to perform maintenance. Doing your own research goes a long way.