Making the Most of Your Solar Power

I installed solar panels on my roof a few months back and expected to immediately bask in the savings and benefits of the free and renewable energy coming from the sun. And as expected, my utility bills showed a sharp drop decline owing to the solar power being used during the day.

However, a closer scrutiny of the monthly bills showed me that I was still drawing considerable power from the grid! I figured that this usage was much more than what my household needed when the sun was not shining.

I called on a technician from the solar company in California, Plug It In Solar, who had provided the free installation for my solar power system. We put our heads together for a bit and figured out that I needed to alter my usage patterns a bit.

I realized that the majority of my power usage should be scheduled in the day time itself when the free electricity from solar panels is available. Therefore, we switched to using the vacuum cleaner, water heater, iron and ovens in the day time as much as possible. We now make it a point to charge our cell phones and laptops during the day and even started setting the washing machine and dishwasher to start as we leave for work.

Additionally, smart usage of solar power requires staggering out the usage a bit as well. We never run the high-wattage appliances together anymore. This can mean waiting for the vacuuming to be done before operating the oven or dryer, but the savings have swelled beyond expectation!