Preparing Your Home for a PV System

Obviously if you have got to this point and are having a PV system installed, you are concerned with reducing your home's carbon footprint and maximizing your energy savings. Well, there is something that you can do around the home while you are waiting for your PV system to be installed that will help accomplish both of those goals without costing any more money. The best part is that this measure will also maximize the return on your PV system.

The first thing to do is to get to know your energy usage. Not just the amount of kilowatt-hours you use each month, but the time of day that you use them. Some utilities charge a premium rate for electricity used during peak hours, and now you are installing an energy system that will give you the most amount of energy in the middle of the day. With both scenarios when you use electricity is just as important as how much when trying to save energy costs.

For a grid-tied system, you will be paid for the excess energy you create, but at a lower rate than what it costs you to buy it back. And for a battery-tied system, the batteries can only hold so much energy and so some may be lost if it is not used. It makes sense that the best way to maximize your energy savings is to use that higher amount of energy when it is available. So how can this be done?

Install timers for high energy products like dishwashers and washing machines and run them at reduced rate times or when you are not home. Use power tools, electric mowers, and many other items around the house that use electricity for a short period only during off peak rate periods. Get used to thinking about when you use your electricity. Then, once your PV system has been installed, use these same methods to plan the majority of your energy usage during the brightest part of the day. This will maximize the amount of electricity you use from your PV system and minimize the amount of energy you have to buy or generate with other methods.

You have already reduced your home's carbon footprint simply by increasing the amount of green energy you use. Your PV system will save 400-650 kg of carbon emission each year depending on the size of system you installed. By following the methods outlined above to increase your home's dependence on your PV system, you will also be reducing your home's carbon footprint, helping yourself and the environment at the same time.

Finally, the organization Energy Saving Trust has plenty of other ideas to reduce your home's carbon footprint and maximize your energy savings. Look at it this way; the more energy you save, the higher the percentage of your home's energy that will be supplied by your PV system. With enough energy savings your usage and your PV system's production will eventually meet. Then you won't have to pay for electricity at all. Now wouldn't that be a wonderful thing!

It's time to enjoy your PV system so let's take a quick look at how you can ensure maximum energy savings for the years to come.

Next: Maintaining your PV System