Residential solar installations have been steadily growing in popularity for nearly twenty years, now powering millions of American homes every single day.
In 2024, home solar panels are well past the doubts of many who originally thought the market was an unsustainable trend.
With homeowners saving money on electricity costs in neighborhoods everywhere, WIRED even nicknamed solar panels “the best fad ever” with strong backing evidence that the technology will be around for quite some time.
As a local company led by industry veterans, Apollo Energy has always seen solar as a long-term solution. In this article, we explore three reasons why home solar will continue to grow in popularity across the US, before outlining a few steps you can take to make the most out of your residential renewable energy installation.
Low-Cost Power To Cover Electrification Upgrades
With low-cost clean power generated on-site, home electrification and solar create a winning combination to keep your ongoing energy expenses and carbon emissions at a minimum. When transitioning away from gas-powered water heaters, appliances, or HVAC systems, solar panels can keep your utility bills low, even if your total electricity consumption increases.
To get you saving as soon as possible, there are many national and local rebates, programs, and incentives designed to drive down the adoption costs of both solar equipment and energy-efficiency appliances.
Dispersed Generation and Backup Energy Supply
When extreme weather conditions threaten ongoing access to grid electricity, solar panel and battery storage systems can keep your home’s essentials running during local utility blackouts.
After a recent storm sparked interest in solar batteries here in Colorado, we anticipate that sustained interest in semi-off-grid home energy systems will last through 2030 and beyond. This is especially true considering that the cost of solar batteries has rapidly decreased in recent years with continuous advancements in lithium-ion manufacturing and technology.
Easy Integration with Other Energy Devices
As solar panels, inverters, and other pieces of energy equipment become increasingly sophisticated, smart and Internet of Things (IoT) devices can further push the capabilities of your renewable energy at home.
Specifically, today’s premium solar energy systems can interact with EV charging stations, smart thermostats, and other connected appliances to maximize solar-self-consumption and minimize ongoing electricity expenses. These controls are becoming more and more valuable as utilities nationwide implement time-of-use energy rates.
How to Future Proof Your Solar Panel System
To prepare for an electric and sustainable future with solar, we advise our customers to “go big” when designing a new system. Solar panels produce electricity for 25 years and longer, so it is important to keep your system’s extended lifetime in mind before finalizing your project design.
Install as much solar capacity as you can.
An oversized solar energy system can completely cut out your grid electricity spending beyond unavoidable utility overhead fees. Then, if you were to increase your electricity usage, an oversized system could keep your solar savings rolling after the purchase of a new EV, electric range, or another home upgrade.
Although your budget may be the limiting factor of your maximum solar capacity, installing a large solar array all at once is typically much easier and more cost-effective in the long run than tacking on additional panels in the future.
In Colorado and Wyoming, most homeowners can install a maximum solar capacity equal to 120% of their property’s electricity consumption. Essentially, if you use 10,000 kWh of electricity per year, you could install a solar energy system designed to produce up to 12,000 kWh annually.
Add a battery-ready solar inverter.
Whether or not you are ready to take the leap into home solar storage, it is good to be prepared if and when that moment arrives. To do so, we strongly recommend installing a battery-ready solar inverter (like the SolarEdge hub pictured above) with built-in features to monitor your panels' performance, interact with other smart home components, and control your renewable power consumption for maximum savings.
Install a solar EV Charger.
When evaluating your EV charging options at home, you may want to consider a solar EV charger whether or not you already have panels installed. Smart devices like the SolarEdge Home EV Charger are purposefully designed to maximize your solar savings with easy system integration and app-based control directly connected to your other home energy components.
Discover the Future of Home Energy with Apollo
Offering comprehensive solar panel services in Colorado and Wyoming, Apollo Energy is a locally owned and operated business that truly cares about our customers. We are here to help you every step of the way, from system design to planning, installation, and beyond.
Our experts will help you discover the best possible solar solution for your home, including expert guidance on available solar incentives, programs, and purchasing options.
For questions or a free solar consultation, contact us today!
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