Solar Panel Maintenance: Spoiler, It’s Almost Nothing
Solar Panel Maintenance: What You Actually Need to Do (Spoiler: Very Little) When I was in the research phase — after I’d already worked out exactly how many panels I needed and understood my…
Solar Basics
Solar installation guides and reviews: from DIY rooftop panels to full home systems. Real costs, real savings, and what to expect from the process.
DIY Energy Audit: Found $200/Month in Waste
DIY Home Energy Audit: The Weekend Project That Showed Me Where $200/Month Was Going Before I got serious about solar — the seriousness kicked in when my bill hit $412 in a single month — I made a…
Time-of-Use Rates: How I Cut My Electric Bill 40%
Time-of-Use Electric Rates: How I Gamed My Utility and Cut My Bill 40% I want to be careful with the word “gamed” here, because what I actually did was completely above-board — I just…
What Solar Salespeople Won’t Tell You: 6-Month Dive
What Solar Salespeople Don’t Tell You: My 6-Month Research Deep Dive I’m a mechanical engineer. I spend my days analyzing tolerances, running failure mode analyses, and questioning every…
Battery Backup vs Generator: What I Learned Pricing Both
I got quotes for both a whole-home generator and a battery backup system. The numbers were closer than I expected. Here is how I actually made the decision.
How Many Solar Panels Do I Need? I Did the Math
Every solar salesperson will ask your average monthly bill. Two companies gave me the same usage estimate and came back with systems differing by four panels and 11,000 dollars. Here is how to run the numbers yourself.
My $412 Electric Bill Made Me Actually Look at Solar
My electric bill last August was 412 dollars. That is when I started actually paying attention to solar. I had ignored the door-to-door guys for years. Here is what six months of research actually found.