Energy efficiency should be a priority before going solar. Some people use solar energy to lower their bills. It’s a big consideration as a reason for going solar. But to have solar and leave all the doors and windows open and the air conditioner on does not make sense. Would you turn your outside flood lights on and leave them on all night? If you want security, get a motion sensor in your flood lights. But don’t leave the lights on 24 hours a day. If you do and you have solar, that is abusing the energy you are producing.
You can also use a solar powered system as supplementary power so you won’t be using as much electricity, gas or propane. If you use photovoltaic, you don’t have to incorporate your whole house. You can do a portion of your home if you make your house energy efficient. It makes it possible to take a little that you have and go a long way. But if you want to be a glutton for energy, you can, and keep going the way you are. You can keep burning the fuel you want to burn. You can keep the electric companies in hog heaven, if you want. It’s not up to me. It’s up to the individual customer to decide what energy level they will use. Do you want to be a glutton for energy or conserve energy?
One customer kept telling me he wanted to go solar. Yet, he seemed to want to run every appliance in his house at the same time. The idea of energy efficiency is to reduce your usage of energy and reduce the impact on the environment. You must do what is necessary to maintain your efficiency by not being gluttonous for power. Some people have solar but are inefficient with their system. Do you want your heated pool to be 100 degrees at 3:00 AM when you are sleeping? Do you bake in your oven, heat in your microwave, wash clothes, dry clothes, and shower at the same time and proclaim to be energy efficient? That affects the purpose of saving money and saving energy. Why have solar if you are going to abuse it? It is like saying you want to eat everything – cakes, pies, ten course meals, cookies, and all sugary treats – and not get fat. You can still use what you want within your home. But be efficient and prioritize your use. Make wise decisions of what energy you use at what time.
Insulating your home is the best way to get started. Customers have different ideas of what they should do about insulation. I recommend you talk to an insulation expert. Talk to someone who can give you figures from years of research on what the insulation value can become in your home. Then, you can decide how to spend your money. You want to decrease your usage of energy and become energy efficient. What is your plan?
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