Beyond the first few steps in the waiting process comes the real work, construction. Every solar project will be a little bit different depending on the design, location and local building requirements. Our solar awning project construction happened in three steps: Awning Construction – Step 9a – coming soonBecause our roof orientation and configuration was […]
Going for Solar – Waiting (Step 8)
Posted on November 6, 2010 Written by Leave a Comment
After you have done all the hard work of planning, negotiating, selecting a contractor and signing all the papers, comes the hardest and easiest part of the process: The Waiting! Waiting is easy because there is nothing to do, but wait. Waiting is hard because there is very little you can do to accelerate the […]
Going for Solar – New Electric Meter (Step 7)
Posted on October 24, 2010 Written by 1 Comment
One of the steps to having a grid-tied solar installation is that you need to have an electric meter that can go both ways. We are fortunate that we live in Massachusetts which has a long history of net-metering and our electric company, National Grid, quickly approved our application and installed our meter so effortlessly […]
Going for Solar – Paperwork (Step 6)
Posted on October 12, 2010 Written by Leave a Comment
As with any big purchase in life, there is bound to be a few papers to sign. Solar projects are no exception. While this is not a fun part of the process, it is important. A good solar contractor like SunBug Solar, who we used, will make this process easy and do most of the […]
Going for Solar – Choosing Your Contractor (Step 5)
Posted on September 20, 2010 Written by 2 Comments
Installing a solar system is not a small investment. In many cases it will be more expensive than buying a car and the contractor will be working in your home, so it pays to get a good contractor and one that you are comfortable with in the long run. For our project we sought bids […]
Going For Solar – Get Multiple Proposals or Bids (Step 4)
Posted on September 13, 2010 Written by Leave a Comment
Since solar installations (even after incentives) cost more than most cars, you should definitely speak to several companies or contractors before making your decision to proceed and selecting the right one for you. Because we were not doing the standard roof top solar installation, several of the big players in our area NexAmp and GroSolar […]
Going For Solar – Efficiency First (Step 2)
Posted on June 8, 2010 Written by 1 Comment
Before investing in a renewable energy system like solar panels, be sure to tackle efficiency improvement projects first. You will get a quicker return on your investment and the amount of energy you need to generate through your renewable energy projects will be reduced. There is an exception to this rule if you live into […]
Going For Solar – Dreaming (Step 1)
Posted on May 3, 2010 Written by 1 Comment
Ever since I was a kid learning about solar photovoltaics (PV) from Paul Maycock I have dreamed of having solar PV installed on my house. In the past few years while reading Steven Strong’s book, The Solar Electric House, I learned that Paul was/is one of the pioneers of the field of photovoltaics. Before any […]
