Residential Solar
Is solar right for you?
Residential solar has many positives! Monetarily there has never been a better time than now to add solar. But, there are a few downsides you should be aware of before taking the plunge.
First, you need to have a good south facing area with minimal shadows for your panels. Next, you need a good implementation strategy.
To do it right requires math, analysis, and a good working knowledge of the basics. Think about it, when you add solar panels to your property you're basically going into the electrical generation business. Are you prepared for all that entails?
And, residential solar is the most expensive way to generate SOLAR electricity, per kilowatt hour. It is less expensive, and more efficient, to let commercial solar farms do the heavy lifting for you, which is why we're proponents of commercial solar farms.
So you still want to look into residential solar?
Before you look at becoming a power producer, it pays to reduce your usage first. Much of the energy the average household consumes is wasted. Learn what a kilowatt hour is and review your last several years electrical usage to develop a baseline.
Purchase a usage meter (like the P3 P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor) and use it on everything you can in your home to measure how much power your appliances/systems really consume. It is eye-opening and you can even make a game out of it to keep things interesting. Record your numbers and let them be your guide to smarter usage or replacement. If you really want to have fun, get a thermal camera and check out where all your heat/cooling dollars are going.
In general the best single improvement you can make to your home is to air seal and add additional insulation to your attic. An amazing amount of air and energy is lost through your attic in the heating season, which is why it's a top priority.
Getting a third party energy audit can be a good idea as well, but you may have to hunt for a qualified auditor to perform this task, as there aren't that many of them out there.
If you have an electric clothes dry, consider hanging your clothes up to dry outside. Most electric dryers are incredibly inefficient, and made even worse as you have to condition the massive amount of hot/cold air the clothes dryer pulls in from the great outdoors. There are amazing new highly efficient heat pump electric dryers you may want to check out as well, that don't pull air in from the outside and wash and dry your clothes in one appliance.
Below are a few sites to visit for ideas on how to reduce your energy usage and save.
🔵 12 Ways to Cut Electricity Costs -2024 Update
🔵 16 ways to conserve energy and save on your bills
A few more resources you might want to review before you invest in solar.
▶️ Don't buy solar panels: 7 reasons solar may not be right for you
▶️ Home solar panels are literally a scam (Clickbait title, but good video)
▶️ Avoid Solar Industry Scams!
Ready to move forward?
Proven strategies to make residential solar work better for you.
Learn a bit about solar power systems. Do your homework. You are going to become a power company; you should know what you're doing and why you're doing it. Learn the basics of your homes electrical systems. YouTube is your friend here, and there are many great channels to choose from, including... ▶️ Solartime with Martyna ▶️ DIY Solar with Will Prowse ▶️ Undecided with Matt Ferrell
Make sure you're going to break even on your investment in the timeframe you'll be in the house. Contrary to what solar salespeople might tell you, a system doesn't always increase the value of your home. In fact, some folks who might be interested in your house could be turned off by your system. So, make sure the payout occurs while you're still the owner.
Trees. Or more accurately lack of trees and other shadow inducing objects. For solar to work best you should have shadow free square footage from 9am to 6pm in the summer, and from 10am to 4pm in the winter. NO shadows or shade, regardless of what solar salespeople will tell you. If you can't avoid some shade, micro-inverters or panel optimizers may be able to help a bit, but if you can avoid shade in the first place you are much better off.
String inverters, paired with optimizers, are old school, but are a great way to go if you can. They are simple and robust, and present fewer points of failure.
Buy your panels and balance of system outright. Do not enter into a lease. Get a solar loan if you need to, but don't lease.
Use the majority of the electricity you produce; sell as little back to the grid as possible. When you purchase electricity, in Central Kansas in 2024 with Evergy, you're paying retail at 12 cents a kilowatt hour. When you sell it back, you will be getting wholesale rates around 2 cents per kilowatt hour. Size your system and change your usage to keep most of what you make.
Don't buy from a door to door salesperson, ever! EVER. Find reputable local installers and get at least 2 bids. ▶️ See this video to learn more.
Consider ground-mount panels over roof mounted panels. Roof mount panels are harder to maintain, produce less power due to heat, and make holes in your roof. Each hole is a potential leak. Also, ground-mount panels can be angled for optimum power generation in your area, and the snow is easier to remove in the winter. If you've got the unshaded space in your yard, then ground-mount is the way to go. Heck, you could even raise them up a little more and build a pergola or other shade producing canopy for outdoor living.
Keep your maintenance up. Make sure your panels are cleaned yearly and monitor your production periodically to make sure all is well. You could even use that nifty new thermal camera you purchased to check the panels for hot spots, which indicate an electrical malfunction of some sort.
Consider lithium iron phosphate batteries. This is a more advanced strategy, but it will allow you to keep and use more of the power you make, and provide a power backup in case of grid outages as well.
For the more adventurous, learn about solar and become a DIYer. The money you can save is immense, and the knowledge is priceless. Used panels, the sweat off your brow, and a great solar design can provide a payback on your investment in just several years. The downside: you've got a lot to learn to do it safely and correctly. A great resource for DIY solar is Will Prowse who runs the YouTube channel ▶️ DIY Solar with Will Prowse.
Resources for farmers who might want to add solar to their operation
🔵 A Farmer’s Guide to Solar Energy
🔵 How Commercial Solar Boosts Profits for Farms
🔵 Farmer's Guide to Going Solar