LEARN THE SOLAR BASICS
Facts: Solar technology, cost, and size
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
PROCESS FOR GOING SOLAR
GETTING SOLAR READY
You own your home, your roof is in good condition, and you’re interested in learning more.
HERE ARE YOUR NEXT STEPS:
1. Review your annual energy usage and find ways to reduce it
Check your electricity bills to see how much energy you’ve consumed in the past year, measured in kWh. (See the FAQ section for an explanation of the unit kilowatt hours, kWh.)
If you increase your energy efficiency, you will need less energy from your solar panels.
Visit the Office of Sustainability’s Energy Efficiency webpage to learn more. Review the rebates for energy-saving appliances provided by our local utilities and learn energy-saving tips!
2. Learn the basics about solar
Do you have adequate space and access to sunlight on your property for solar? Does solar make financial sense for you? Learn more about solar technology, economics, and installation to find out.
This Indiana Solar 101 webinar and Solar United Neighbors’ (SUN) FAQs page provide extensive, helpful background on those topics.
*Interested in adding solar to multi-family buildings? It may be more complicated than adding solar to a single-family home. Review SUN’s suggested project models for multi-family buildings to understand what’s possible.
3. Explore your solar potential
There are many online tools to help you estimate the potential solar energy production of your roof.
Estimate your annual and monthly electricity production by entering the address of your property into Google’s Project Sunroof or the National Renewable Energy Lab’s PVWatts Calculator.
Watch this explainer video to help you effectively use the PVWatts calculator.
4. Talk to people who have gone solar
Join the Solar United Neighbors of Indiana Facebook group to be connected to other individuals who have gone solar and get the latest solar news!
Also check out Southern Indiana Renewable Energy Network’s (SIREN)’s interactive map of solar installations and locate the solar systems in South Bend.
