Your Solar vs. Winter Weather
If you thought our weather this year has been unusual, Solar Family, you’re absolutely right—and “unusual” might be an understatement. Between higher rainfall, milder temperatures, and even unprecedented snow in our area, we’ve seen weather records breaking all over. And your solar system might have seen a slight decrease in production because of it. Rest assured, your solar will still work—even under stormy skies. Just remember these key tips for getting the most out of your system in the winter: Conserve power by turning off lights when you’re not actively using them. Run appliances during the day to avoid evening [...]
SOLAR SAVINGS ARE HERE TO STAY
Solar Family, if you’ve been considering switching to solar energy but are hesitant, now is a great time to make the switch. With California's net billing tariff (NBT) program, you can eliminate your electric bill and save thousands annually by installing solar for your home. Take a look at this real example from a recent homeowner who installed solar under the program through PG&E. REAL EXAMPLE Without Solar With Solar Monthly Bill $275–$679 $10–$20 Yearly Increase 4%–10% No Return on Investment No Yes Yearly Savings No Yes Like the example above, we'd like to help you and your family [...]
Your Summer Solar Checklist
Our good ol’ California sunshine has returned to the state. That means your solar panels should be working at peak production… provided everything is functioning as it should. To make sure you’re ready for the upcoming season, here are three ways to ensure you get optimal performance out of your solar system: Regularly check your monitoring. Log into your monitoring platform to ensure your system is producing and no alerts or errors are present. Check the status of your inverter, if possible. Each inverter is different. Depending on your specific system, you may have a display screen or indicator light that shows if your system [...]
Spring Cleaning for Your Solar Panels
The sun is returning to California… finally. If you want to make sure your solar panels are ready for summer, schedule a cleaning with us or do it yourself. Watch this instructional video to see how it works—it’s easier than it looks! We recommend cleaning your solar panels every one to two years. If your system is due for a scrub (and you want us to take care of it for you), contact us today. Schedule a Cleaning 3 Energy-Saving Tips for Homes & Small Businesses With your solar panels working at peak production levels, the [...]
Battery Backups, Generators, or Both? Here’s How to Decide
Power outages used to come without warning and wouldn’t last more than a day, but now they’ve become a regular part of Bay Area life. Natural disasters, brownouts, and planned power outages mean we need to be ready to keep our homes running with a backup power source. Battery backups and generators are the two main backup power sources on the market right now. Let us walk you through the benefits of each one. Comparing Battery Backups and Generators Battery Backups Can store grid or solar panel energy Runs on electricity produced by solar energy Can schedule usage Good for [...]
How the New CA Solar Policies Affect Your Savings
On December 15, 2022, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) unanimously voted to approve a new Net Billing tariff (NBT), the latest policy for Net Energy Metering (NEM) for solar. If you are or plan on being a California solar owner, you need to understand how the NEM 2.0 and NBT policies affect you. The Purpose of Net Energy Metering Net Energy Metering was introduced to reduce costs for energy companies and to maximize the energy produced by solar owners. A solar array will generate energy during sunlight hours. An owner wouldn’t need that energy until getting home from work, [...]
How Does Winter Weather Affect My Solar?
Fall is in full swing, and our days are getting shorter—even in sunny California. That means your solar panels are likely generating less energy. And that’s perfectly normal! Why? Instead of our typically bright 15-hour summer days, we’re barely seeing nine hours a day in the winter. Plus, many of those daylight hours are dampened by overcast skies and rain. Less sunlight means less solar power. (That’s the basics of solar power production, of course.) The good news is, because your panels are generating so much energy during the summer hours, your true-up bill at the end of the year will [...]
Pointing Your Solar in the Right Direction
There are many factors to take into account when planning out the placement of your solar panels—and at Synergy Power, we consider every factor under the sun. That’s why we often arrange your solar panels in a south-facing direction. Why south? We live in the northern hemisphere. That means the sun’s peak is always slightly south of center. And although west-facing panels get more intense sunlight in the afternoon, south-facing panels generate electricity all day long—even at the height of summer. In fact, studies show that south-facing panels produce about 20% more power than those that face directly east or west. However, depending [...]
Customizing Your Solar
Your energy needs are unique. So when it comes to getting solar for your home, it’s important to get exactly what you need—and nothing you don’t. That’s why at Synergy Power, we always create custom design proposals instead of a small, medium, or large generalized proposal that may not suit your family's needs. Whether you’re powering a small home in the hills or a bustling business in the city, we want to ensure we build a system that is correctly sized for you. And when your needs change, we can adjust for that too. Plus, when creating your custom proposal, [...]
Summer Weather Brings Peak Solar Production
The seasons are changing—and in California, that usually means warmer, drier, and sunnier days. But as the sun goes down on winter weather, it’s time to remember what this means for your solar system and how to keep producing energy efficiently. How does the change in weather affect solar power production? It’s simple: Solar performs best from spring to fall. Like it says in the name, solar panels convert solar radiation (sunlight) into electrical energy. Therefore, when there are more hours of sunlight, the panels will generate more energy. Dirt, dust, and other seasonal debris obscure your panels. Just [...]
Recent Projects
