Installing a solar energy system in your home is a significant investment, and you want to do everything you can to maximize its payoff. One of the key things to remember is that a quality solar panel system design isn’t one-size-fits-all, and there are things you can do to ensure optimal results. One of those steps is to have a solar energy audit conducted.
What Is an Energy Audit?
An energy audit is the process of analyzing your home’s energy needs. It involves evaluating your energy usage and the efficiency of your current systems to find opportunities to boost efficiency in your upcoming system designs. In a solar energy audit, factors like your home’s square footage, ceiling height, and average HVAC usage are also part of the evaluation.
Energy audits are conducted in combination with a review of your energy production goals to find the right size and capacity for your new solar energy system. They’re a critical step in going solar for companies that truly prioritize the value of the systems they design.
The Process of an Energy Audit
Having to schedule an energy audit can feel like another stressful task to accommodate, but they are actually fairly straightforward. During an energy audit, you can expect your auditor to perform the following steps:
- Walkthrough: Assess the interior and exterior of your home, checking your windows, doors, roof, HVAC, and insulation to pinpoint problem areas and note any existing inefficiencies.
- Leak detection: Close all doors and windows and depressurize the interior to see cold-air areas that indicate leaks.
- Bill review: Review your recent electric bills and provide recommendations on how to best conserve energy.
The benefits of an energy audit for solar are threefold. First, having the information gathered during an audit helps our engineers design a solar panel system that will work best for your home. Second, it allows you to prepare for the system beforehand by handling any issues that may hold back your new system from performing optimally throughout its life span. Third, addressing the issues uncovered in a home energy audit will allow you to save even more on energy bills over the entire life of your new system.
Simplify Solar Today With Simply Solar
At Simply Solar, we use solar assessments as part of our proven installation process. Our technicians can efficiently evaluate your home energy needs and incorporate the findings into our detailed solar panel system designs. If you’re looking to get the best value from your system, solar audits can help make sure you’re getting the most return on every dollar.
Call Simply Solar at (707) 285-7037 to learn more about energy audits and our solar installation process today.
