Solar Panel Tips that Let You Make the Most of Your Purchase
Investing in a solar panel in Santa Clarita is one of the most fantastic investments you could make for yourself if you have a fixed long term residence or place of work. It is a device of the future that launches you into a phase of sustainable energy production. Your dependence on conventional sources of energy for producing electricity gets slashed down by almost a whopping 90%, and so do your electricity bills. And if you do a few things right, you can further maximize on the benefits you reap from your investment in solar installation.
Now is the time to do it
With all the government incentives and tax rebates in place for installing solar panels in your home, now is the best time to get the installation done. In future, when solar panels become the norm, the incentives to install them may not be as great as they are today. And knowing that it is the only futuristic way to go about things, it makes sense to do it now than a few years down the line. And being in the sunny state of California, your solar estimate would be very high making a photo voltaic installation project a must-do for you.
Determine your solar estimate with mapping tools
Numerous readily available mapping tools can give you an estimate of the maximum output in solar energy a solar panel installed in your location can produce. Besides giving you your accurate solar estimate, these tools also give you information on the ideal size of the panels, their most optimum placement and orientation, and the local contractors based in locations near to yours.
Get an optimum size of a solar panel for you space
A bigger size of a solar panel gathers more of the sun’s rays and consequently produces more electricity. How big your solar panel needs to be depends on your electricity needs as well as how much sunlight you get. A city with fewer sunlight hours per day and few sunlit days per year would need a bigger solar panel than a sunnier place.
Keep in mind your present as well as future electricity needs
Your electricity requirements change with time. The amount you use now may not match with your requirements five or ten years down the line. Depending on what stage of life you are at and where you are headed, get a solar panel that meets your present as well as future needs optimally.
Else, in case your domestic electricity use goes down in future and you get a solar panel with only your current needs in mind, you will end up wasting a significant chunk of energy your system produces. Similarly, if your requirements are likely to go higher a few years down the line (due to increasing family size etc) and you don’t plan for them in advance, you will have to again start depending on conventional electricity sources in spite of having a solar panel in place.
Pay attention to where you are installing the system
The exact place where you are installing your photo voltaic systems needs to be assessed very carefully before starting with the installation. You need to keep in mind not just the present but also the future orientation of the space; for example, a spot might look very sunny to you in the present, but might not remain so in case a small tree around it grows into a large, shady one and prevents direct sunlight from reaching your solar cells.
Another point to keep in mind while choosing a spot is, that if your roof seems like it could require renovation in a few years, you might like to do it in advance before you install the solar panel. If you choose to renovate your roof later, it could get cumbersome and costlier for you.
Consider a shared solar installation
If you are not living in your current place of residence in the long term or if you do not have sufficient roof space to have a solar panel, you can still take the initiative towards making electricity greener and cleaner in your locality by getting a community solar panel. There are many provisions in place for shared and community solar installations so everyone can benefit from it collectively.
Choose the best solar contractor in Santa Clarita
Look for solar companies certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, and contact a few of them to give you their bids. Use criteria like years of experience, positive customer reviews, price and warranty to select the best contractor in your locality.
It is best to choose a contractor who, other than having generic experience and expertise in solar installation, also has experience in working within your state. This is to ensure that they are familiar with the local laws and permit systems. Going for a contractor who knows his ways around the local systems will make your project proceed much faster and smoother.