Some websites claim they can calculate how many solar panels you’ll need for your home or property, but switching to a solar electric system isn’t that simple. Before buying whatever equipment a website recommends, you should first assess whether your location can accommodate solar, gather data on your household’s electrical usage, and find a reputable certified installer.
My wife and I live in a rural area of East Texas, where wind and thunderstorms can easily knock out our electricity. Significant weather events have downed the grid in our region for days. When we decided to install a solar electric system in 2014, we’d reached the age when dragging around a generator and cables was no longer feasible.
Soaring energy prices are the reason many people consider producing their own electricity. (See “Average Electricity Rates by State” on Page 28.) Others, like us, want to be prepared for outages. Regardless of your reason for installing a home power plant, be sure to
