Solar power is a reliable, renewable source of energy. It reduces your dependence on electricity generated by fossil fuels and can significantly lower your monthly power bill. With those things in mind, few people find it important to cut back on energy consumption before a switch to solar. After all, you’re already “going green” by adding a solar power system. Do you really need to be energy conscious in addition to that? But reducing your electricity usage before adding solar is important for many reasons. Keep reading to find out what they are.
Reduce Equipment Needs
The amount of equipment you need for your solar power system will depend heavily on how much power you use in your home. If you can work on reducing your energy consumption until you’re comfortable and habitually using less power on a daily basis, you can reasonably install a smaller solar system while still meeting your energy needs.
This could include fewer arrays, a smaller inverter, fewer storage batteries, and other reductions in your equipment needs. Even if you can only get a slightly smaller system, this can significantly reduce the overall cost of getting solar power for your home.
Don’t Exceed Your Production
Working to reduce your energy usage now will make it less likely that you’ll exceed your system’s energy production once you get solar power. While there will naturally be some days where your system won’t produce much energy (such as during cloudy weather), being more energy conscious means you’ll exceed those production levels a lot less often.
Any time your consumption exceeds your production, your system will tap into the city power grid. So, it still pays to be frugal with your electricity in your home. If you’re constantly exceeding your array’s energy production, you’ll still be very reliant on the city power grid, and your electricity bill will still be a regular expense for you, despite having installed solar.
Sell More Back
Most cities allow solar power users to take advantage of net metering. This system allows you to send any excess power produced by your solar array back to the grid for an energy credit. The less power you’re using in your home, the more excess power you have to send back to the grid. This means more credits, which can cancel out your power bill altogether.
Ultimately, working on reducing your energy consumption is always a good idea—even if you’re planning to get solar power. Work on cutting back your electricity usage now, and you can continue saving money even after you install your grid-tied solar system.