Solar panel systems help homeowners maintain an eco-friendly and energy-efficient property; it sounds pretty straightforward, right? Before installing your first solar system at home, it’s important to start learning the biggest pitfalls to avoid along the way.
Don’t worry—buying solar panels isn’t a treacherous journey, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make frustrating, preventable mistakes in the process. Dive into the list below to familiarize yourself with the costly mistakes to avoid when designing a solar system.
Not Shopping Around
Many solar panel installers offer their services, and the prices frequently vary between each provider. Instead of presuming you have the best deal, you should do further research into what local companies offer in terms of price.
Of course, solar systems are a valuable and worthy investment, but that doesn’t mean you should overpay for the installation. So, beyond choosing a trustworthy company with a good reputation, select a company that offers a fair price. Yes, they do exist.
Assuming You Won’t Experience Power Outages
Some homeowners assume installing solar panels is a free ticket out of any local power outage. When you want to optimize your home to prevent power outages, you must choose your solar system components wisely.
Even if you have a solar system in your home, you’re still at risk of power failure if your system is utilizing the electrical grid. That said, you can design your system to ensure that you can keep the house functioning if the power goes out in your area.
The solution is a solar battery, such as the Tesla Powerwall. A solar battery stores excess solar power during the day to ensure you can always access clean energy when necessary. Luckily, you can speak with residential solar panel installers that also install solar batteries to build the ideal system for your home.
Off-Grid & Grid-Tied Confusion
Solar panels are a substantial investment, so it’s critical to understand how your system works. Thus, one of the top mistakes to avoid when designing a solar system is assuming you won’t be grid-tied.
Solar panels convert the sun’s rays into clean energy, but these systems will typically store such energy in the electric grid. However, as mentioned above, solar batteries can retain energy throughout the day so that you have easy access to power 24/7.
As a result, if you want a truly off-grid system, make this intention clear to the solar panel installer you hire. That way, they can set you up with a reliable battery bank for retaining electricity, making you no longer grid-tied.
