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How Can Solar Make A Difference On Your Energy Bill?

Installing solar panels

Solar energy is a great source of free and clean energy that can help us to consume a smaller amount of energy from the grid and pay less on energy bills.

Solar Energy in the United States

In the U.S., the best states to go solar are California, North Carolina, Arizona, Nevada, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Texas, Utah, Georgia and Florida.

Being a state where solar is well-developed, California receives a high amount of sunlight every year, which means that by going solar in California, you can make the most out of your solar panel system.

According to EIA.gov, the average electricity use per household in California is around 17 kWh/day (this is an average across the year, which means that some days the consumption is higher, while in other days the consumption decreases).

To make a difference on your energy bill, you need to install at least a 5 KW solar PV system on your rooftop or in the backyard.

A 5 KW solar PV system using a solar cable 6.0mm will generate on average 20 kWh/day (this is an average estimate because during the summer, the system will generate over 30 kWh/day, and during the winter will barely generate 5 kWh/day), but because the system will generate energy only during the day, the energy produced by the panels will cover the daily consumption and the rest of the energy produced will be fed back to the grid to power your neighbors.

During the night (when the sun is down), the energy consumption of your home will slowly go down, so by covering the energy consumption of the house during the day (and sending energy back to the grid), you will pay only the energy consumed during the evening and during the night.

Sending Energy Back to the Grid

By sending energy back to the grid, you will save some money (the utility company will pay you for the energy sent back to the grid) and this way you will recover some money for the energy consumed during the night (when the sun is down).

This is how you save money on energy bills using a grid-tie solar panel system.

To have zero energy bills. you have to use an off-grid solar PV system, and your bills will be zero just because you are not connected to the grid.

However, an off-grid solar array will require a big battery system to store the energy produced during the day and used during the night or during the cloudy days when the production of energy of the panels is diminished.

During the summer, the average consumption of electricity per household in California is around 17 kWh/day because the AC units will work intensively to cool the house, however, during the winter, the daily consumption increases up to 31 kWh/day due to the fact that the water heater and the heating system of the house will consume more electricity.

Installing Solar Thermal Panels

By installing solar thermal panels, you can warm water, cook food and even produce electricity.

The solar panels used in this case are liquid cooled solar panels and they capture the heat from the sunlight and remove it for reuse.

The heat captured by each panel is transferred through a closed-loop thermal system to the water heater to produce warm water all year long.

A San Jose solar company, can help you to lower your energy bills using the sunlight and their solar thermal technology based on liquid cooled solar panels.

As you have seen, the Sun can help us to lower our energy bills in many ways.

A solar thermal system produces electrical and thermal energy for your house or business, and will help you to significantly decrease your energy bills and your carbon footprint as well.

Article written by:

I write about the renewable energy sector, electric cars and climate change issues. I love nature and good food, so I travel all over the world to see new places and meet new people. Magda Savin

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