How many times have you looked at your electricity bill and wanted to immediately turn off all the TVs, and the heater and unplug all the chargers just to save money?
This is a typical problem for an American household. Electricity rates are rising along with economic inflation; with an average of 13.26 cents per kWh (which increased by about 3% from 2018), how will your family adjust in the long run?
Most people are familiar with the idea of solar power, and numerous companies have been advocating for it, especially with global warming. How can we harness and at the same time, benefit from the energy of the sun and convert it to energy? That’s what solar power answers.
To make the transition more affordable in your pocket, there are ways that YOU can DIY Solar Installation!
DIY Materials
For starters, you will need the following equipment and materials for your DIY Solar Installation:
- Solar panels: material that will collect energy from the sun
- Solar Inverter: this item will convert DC to AC
- PV Disconnect: it will help turn off your system for maintenance
- Electrical Panel: all houses have electrical panels; this is where the electricity from the inverter will be coursed through and then run to your electrical outlets
- Net Meter: it will help monitor all the energy that you will emit and are currently emitting
The great thing about switching to solar power is that most materials are already available in local stores such as Home Depot or Costco. However, you’d need to check the capacity of the DIY Solar Installation kits because they might not be enough to power your home.
How Many Solar Panels Will You Need?
This should be the first question on your mind when you start your own DIY Solar Installation. Most people think that watching YouTube videos will help you with a DIY project—but for something as significant a project as this, you’d need to really do your research.
There are websites that would calculate the load of your electricity based on the appliances that you own; this part is a bit tedious and there are chances that the computation from online electricity calculators may be off since you still need to factor in the location of your home, where you’re planning to place it and so on and so forth.
If you’ve done a lot of DIYs in the past and this is the next step for your DIY wall of achievements, you might just pull it off.
The A, B, C Types of Solar Panels
Just like any product in the market, there are also variations for solar panels. There are monocrystalline, polycrystalline solar panels, and thin film solar panels. Here’s a breakdown for you so that you can better understand:
Monocrystalline Solar Panel: it has higher efficiency ratings and it generally looks better on your home exterior compared to the other solar panels which makes it the more expensive choice.
With monocrystalline solar panels, silicon is formed into bars and cut into wafers. These types of panels are called “monocrystalline” to indicate that the silicon used is single-crystal silicon. Because the cell is composed of a single crystal, the electrons that generate a flow of electricity have more room to move.
Polycrystalline Solar Panel: This is the more economical option for a solar panel which also lowers its efficiency rate. Unlike monocrystalline solar panels, the melted silicon to produce them is poured into a square mold. This silicon is then cooled and finally sliced into square wafers creating the polycrystalline shape.
Determining the Best Location
After you’ve decided on the materials for your DIY Solar Installation, where then would you put them? The majority of homes that use solar panels place it on their roofs. Why? Simply because that’s where all the heat of the sun is exposed.
If you don’t want it on your roof or if your roof has minimal exposure to the sun, look elsewhere. Do you have a backyard where you can place it? If so, have you determined how many panels you’ll need and how many will fit in your backyard? That’s a thinker!
These questions are best answered by professionals.
Call for a Professional Solar Installer
Yes, you can do the DIY yourself and you’ve just had an overview of how to. But if it’s too thorough and complicated or you think you aren’t confident to do the solar panel installation, you can always seek the services of solar panel experts. They’ll do everything for you to make sure you’ve got the best solar power system and you’ll reap the benefits you signed up for.
Go Solar with SunPower by EcoSolar USA
Making the decision to go solar while tricky can be easy. Gain the understanding you need and boost your confidence with solar power by contacting SunPower by EcoSolar USA for a free consultation. Enjoy 20 to 75 percent savings on your energy bills.
SunPower by Ecosolar USA is your top choice for experts in solar power system installation.
Solar power is the future. Whether you opt for mono or poly solar panels, DIY Solar Installation, or having professionals install them at your home—the benefits tomorrow outweighs the cost that you will incur today.