“Why do you want to go solar?”
Most people have a list of reasons, but there are three that stand out:
- Environmental protection
- Financial benefits
- Energy independence and security.
Extreme weather and uncertainty about the climate have had a noticeable impact on the grid’s performance. When temperatures are much higher or lower than normal, people may pull more power than the grid was built for, leading to widespread and lengthy outages – especially when there is additional damage due to weather events.
This is why more homeowners are choosing to add battery backup to their systems. Energy storage is essential to maintaining the comforts of living that we have grown accustomed to. A grid-tied PV system with no back-up is great for your wallet and your footprint – and that may be enough if you aren’t worried about power outages! During the day, the power you produce powers your life, then the excess is sent back to the grid while you incur credits. At night or on bad weather days, you pull from the grid and pay for it with your credits. Many people can completely offset their energy costs this way.
Adding a battery, however, maximizes your use of renewable energy and reduces your reliance on non-renewable grid power. During the day, the power you produce goes first to the load in your home, then charges the battery, and the rest goes to the grid to collect credits. At night, on cloudy days, or when the power goes out, you pull energy from your battery first. This means you only use energy from the utility company if you’ve used up all the energy stored in the batteries.
Your storage system can be customized to fit your needs. If you want to be completely energy-independent, you can add multiple batteries. Or, if you want to keep costs low, you can add a smaller storage system that is just wired to power essential loads in case of a power outage. We’ll review everything you need to know, including how to monitor your residential solar system and how to know how long you can run your home off your backup system. If you’re curious about how these are installed, watch our recent video on YouTube!
Do You Have an Existing SolarEdge System?
If so, you may be able to take advantage of the SolarEdge Re-Energize program! If you add a battery to your system, you may qualify to upgrade your inverter and get a new 12-year warranty! Contact us today to see if you’re eligible.