How Much Does It Cost
Determining how much a wind or solar system will cost is like trying to figure out how much it would cost to take a family vacation to Bermuda. A lot of planning needs to be done before you actually leave on the plane to get there. It is the same type of planning you will need to research before your purchase of the right size system. With this in mind, you would certainly want to watch and stay within your budget as well. But first, instead of thinking in terms of cost, let’s begin using the word “invest” instead for the remainder of this article.
Before deciding on how much you would like to invest and the size of your system, the most important consideration you should make first is to cut your energy use as much as possible. Most homes in North America are not what we would call energy efficient. Although some of the newer homes that are being built today are more energy conscience than older ones built in the past, the price paid to build the house will dictate how efficient it is going to be. This will normally leave room for improvement. From firsthand experience, I can say there are many ways to make a brand new house much more energy efficient than the builder who built it. If you add up all the leaks in the average house, even new houses. it would be like leaving one window open all year long. Seal up the leaks, and you have eliminated a lot of lost energy never to return. And, imagine how much more comfortable your home can be after these problems are fixed!
Other ways to cut your energy use would be to look at your family’s lifestyle. How often are lights left on when no one is using them? Are you using LED light bulbs when this is happening? Is the television on when people are out of the room? How long is the average shower per person in the home? Of course other considerations could be to turn the thermostat down in the winter and put on a sweatshirt, or turn a fan on during the summer instead of running the air conditioner. When doing laundry, hang the wet clothes on the clothesline instead of popping them in the clothes dryer. The ideas are endless to cut your energy consumption. Considering the two subjects covered and some other creative measures, it would not be impossible to slash your energy use as much as 50%. But keep in mind, for every dollar you spend on becoming more energy efficient, you will save three to five dollars on the system you will need to offset your current consumption.
After these topics have been challenged and conquered, now you are ready to plan and determine how big of a system you will need and pretty close to how much it will cost. This of course would be where you decide on the kind of system you want to install. Will it be a grid tie with a battery backup? Or maybe an off grid system? Will it just be a system with net metering tied directly to the grid. Depending on the system you choose and the size you need it to be, it is much easier to figure out now that you have reduced your energy consumption down to the lowest denominator. Plus the price tag for your smaller system needed is far less than it would have been had you not done the recommendations listed earlier! And who says you have to build it all at once? Why not build it in phases if you have a limited annual budget? Make it a 3 year or a five year plan if that’s what it takes.
To sum it up, planning to install a alternative power resource for your home doesn’t have to be out of your financial reach. Although, being in a hurry to install one is the easiest way to overspend for it. One should not worry so much about the cost of a system but should rather focus on the value of the investment you will receive once you have covered just some the bases listen in this piece. And, by doing it yourself, you will appreciate all the benefits of what your system truly has to offer you. Because once your system is finally up and running, you realize you did it on a budget most homeowners can afford. With the help of BrightSpot, we can help you identify most challenges you may have with your homes energy use, then offer the real solutions you need and the best approach to becoming energy independent! This is real value that nobody else will offer you. Call us today for a free on site visit to see how to get started.