Getting Started
Now you understand how solar power works so where do you start? You need to first determine if the costs benefit your situation.
- Before calculating your conversion to solar energy savings first make sure your home is running as efficiently as possible.
You'll see this expressed on the web as
"green homes".
- 10 Simple Ways to Cut Home Energy Costs
- Green Home Remodeling Guides
- PGE customer calculators allow you to focus on the energy use of a specific appliance in your home. You will learn how much you can save by installing new, energy-efficient appliances and how to operate them efficiently.
- PGE Winter Gas Savings No-Cost Energy Saving Tips & Low-Cost Home Improvement Tips
- Southern California customer calculator
- Energy Library
- Energy Guide - analyze current appliance energy usage.
- SmartEnergy Tool from PGE will analyze your current usage. You will need to create an online account with PGE.
- Gather your last year of electricity bills. Break down the costs (and tier costs if applicable) and add up the kilowatts (kW). A typical California home uses 6500 kW yearly.
- Costs will vary with the different types of installations, but use the various calculators to check what your savings could be.
