Last week we posted about having solar panels installed on the roof by Solar City and after getting our electric bill yesterday I think perhaps it may be a good move. We pay our bill using an equal payment plan provided by NV Energy whereby your bills are averaged out during the year and you pay the same amount every month. Then, once a year the energy use is re-calculated and your bill adjusted accordingly. It's a great program and makes budgeting a lot simpler. I have noticed though that our electrical use has been creeping steadily upwards for a couple of reasons plus hotter than average temps have been increasing the demand for air conditioning.
The salesman did say that this whole thing would be 'a process'. Whenever someone says "it's a process" that's code for, "This is a lengthy procedure - don't expect to have everything done in a week or two." And I know how that works, so the key here is to just be patient and take each step as it comes.
The second step in this 'process' came yesterday with the Site Survey. A technician comes to the house and accomplishes a variety of tasks:
-He took pictures of the electrical meter currently installed on the house (eventually it will have to be replaced - more to come on that)
-He took pictures of the the modem/router! I guess this is to verify the homeowner really does have Internet connection, which is needed to relay status details of the system once it's installed
-Took pictures of the water heater!!! I can understand this if it was run on electricity as that is big power draw but ours is gas. He said, "That's standard, we have to do it for every house." hmmm
-Went into the crawl space above the house. We don't have an attic or loft so he had to get up in that tight fitting area and take measurements and check for structural suitability
-Went into the crawl space above the garage. The attached garage is separated from the house by a firewall. Because of the differences in framing between the garage and house they may need to shore up the framework in the garage.
-Lastly he spent about 1.25 hours up on the roof taking detailed measurements of the entire swath of real estate up there to include the pitch of the roof on the house, the garage, the slight overhang above the stoop, any interrupted spaces like where the HVAC unit sits (newer homes have the HVAC units mounted on a slab at ground level, but all the older homes here in Da Hood have roof mounted units)
Okay, so this was Step 2, the Site Survey, total time spent at the house about 1.75 hours
Step 3 is another visit by the salesman in 2-3 weeks going over the results of the Site Survey.
It's a process
Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina
The salesman did say that this whole thing would be 'a process'. Whenever someone says "it's a process" that's code for, "This is a lengthy procedure - don't expect to have everything done in a week or two." And I know how that works, so the key here is to just be patient and take each step as it comes.
The second step in this 'process' came yesterday with the Site Survey. A technician comes to the house and accomplishes a variety of tasks:
-He took pictures of the electrical meter currently installed on the house (eventually it will have to be replaced - more to come on that)
-He took pictures of the the modem/router! I guess this is to verify the homeowner really does have Internet connection, which is needed to relay status details of the system once it's installed
-Took pictures of the water heater!!! I can understand this if it was run on electricity as that is big power draw but ours is gas. He said, "That's standard, we have to do it for every house." hmmm
-Went into the crawl space above the house. We don't have an attic or loft so he had to get up in that tight fitting area and take measurements and check for structural suitability
-Went into the crawl space above the garage. The attached garage is separated from the house by a firewall. Because of the differences in framing between the garage and house they may need to shore up the framework in the garage.
-Lastly he spent about 1.25 hours up on the roof taking detailed measurements of the entire swath of real estate up there to include the pitch of the roof on the house, the garage, the slight overhang above the stoop, any interrupted spaces like where the HVAC unit sits (newer homes have the HVAC units mounted on a slab at ground level, but all the older homes here in Da Hood have roof mounted units)
Okay, so this was Step 2, the Site Survey, total time spent at the house about 1.75 hours
Step 3 is another visit by the salesman in 2-3 weeks going over the results of the Site Survey.
It's a process
Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina
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