See What Solar Could Look Like on Your Home
You don’t need to schedule an appointment just to get an initial look at your home’s solar potential.
Synergy Power uses OpenSolar technology to help homeowners visualize a potential solar energy system using their property, electricity usage, and available roof space. It’s a useful first step if you’re wondering how many solar panels might fit, how much electricity a system could produce, or whether adding battery storage makes sense.
What Is OpenSolar?
OpenSolar is professional solar design and proposal software used by solar installers to model photovoltaic and battery systems.
We use it as one of the tools in our design process because solar isn’t simply a matter of counting how many panels will fit on a roof. A useful solar design needs to consider the property’s layout, roof orientation, electricity consumption, equipment, expected production, battery options, and utility rates.
The estimator gives you an easier way to begin exploring those questions before moving into a detailed project design.
Start With Your Actual Home
Generic solar calculators typically start with statewide averages. Your house isn’t an average.
Two homes on the same street can have completely different solar needs. One may have a large south-facing roof and relatively low electricity consumption. The house next door may have significant afternoon usage, an electric vehicle, a pool, a heat pump, or plans to add battery backup.
That is why we prefer to start with the actual property whenever possible.
OpenSolar gives us tools to model solar panels on a property and evaluate different system configurations. From there, our team can refine the design using your electricity usage and what you want the system to accomplish.
What Can You Learn From a Solar Estimate?
A preliminary solar estimate can help answer some of the questions homeowners usually have at the beginning of the process:
- Is my home a reasonable candidate for solar?
- How much roof space may be available for solar panels?
- Approximately how large might my solar system need to be?
- How much electricity could a proposed system produce?
- Would battery storage be worth considering?
- How might my current electricity consumption affect system sizing?
- What could solar look like on my roof?
It’s a starting point, not a substitute for a complete solar design.
Solar Design Has Changed
There was a time when residential solar sales focused heavily on one number: annual electricity production.
That’s no longer enough.
For many California homeowners, when electricity is produced and consumed now matters along with how much electricity is produced.
Newer utility solar billing structures may value electricity exported to the grid differently from electricity you use directly in your home. Time-of-use electricity rates can also change the value of electricity at different times of day.
That means a thoughtful solar design should look at more than filling every available section of your roof with panels.
Add Battery Storage to the Conversation
A home battery gives you another way to use the electricity your solar panels produce.
Instead of immediately exporting all unused daytime solar energy to the utility grid, a battery can store some of that electricity for use later in the day.
Battery storage can also provide backup power when properly designed and installed for that purpose.
Synergy Power installs home battery storage systems alongside new solar projects and can evaluate battery options for many existing solar installations.
We don’t automatically recommend a battery to every homeowner. We look at what you’re trying to accomplish, how you use electricity, your utility rate structure, backup priorities, existing equipment, and the economics of the complete system.
An Online Solar Estimate Is the Beginning, Not the Final Design
Online solar design tools are useful, but there are things satellite imagery and software can’t determine with certainty.
Before we install a system, our team may need to verify roof conditions, electrical equipment, measurements, shading, structural considerations, utility requirements, battery placement, code requirements, and other property-specific details.
Your final Synergy Power design may therefore look different from the first system you see in the estimator.
That’s a good thing.
The purpose of the initial estimate is to give you a realistic place to start. The purpose of our design team is to turn that starting point into a system we are comfortable installing on your home.
Why Synergy Power Uses Professional Solar Design Software
A solar system is expected to operate for years. We think the design deserves more attention than a salesperson dragging a few rectangles across a satellite photo.
Our process considers the complete project, including:
- Historical electricity consumption
- Available roof or installation space
- Solar panel placement
- Expected system production
- Inverter and equipment selection
- Battery storage options
- Electrical service and equipment
- Utility requirements
- Permitting requirements
- Future electricity needs
For example, tell us if you’re planning to buy an EV, replace a gas appliance with an electric one, install a heat pump, add a pool, build an ADU, or make another change that could substantially increase electricity use. Designing only around yesterday’s electric bill could leave you with the wrong system for tomorrow.
From Online Estimate to Installed Solar System
If the initial numbers look promising, the next step is to have Synergy Power review the project in detail.
We’ll look at the property, electricity consumption, available installation area, utility information, equipment options, and your goals. From there, we can develop a more complete solar proposal and explain the assumptions behind it.
You should understand what you’re buying before you sign a solar contract. That includes the equipment, expected production, battery configuration if applicable, project cost, warranties, and the reasoning behind the system size.
Frequently Asked Questions About Our Solar Estimator
Is the OpenSolar estimate a final solar quote?
No. Think of the online estimator as an initial design and planning tool. Final system pricing and design require Synergy Power to review your property’s specific conditions, electricity usage, equipment requirements, utility information, and other project details.
Can the estimator tell me exactly how many solar panels I need?
It can help establish an initial system size, but the final number of panels should be based on your electricity consumption, available installation area, panel specifications, shading, utility rules, future energy needs, and other design factors.
Can I add a battery to my solar system?
Yes. Synergy Power designs solar-plus-storage systems as well as battery installations for qualifying existing solar systems. The right amount of storage depends on how you use electricity and whether your priority is backup power, greater use of your own solar production, or both.
Will solar completely eliminate my electric bill?
Not necessarily. Solar can reduce the amount of electricity you purchase from your utility, but utility rate structures, fixed charges, energy consumption, system production, exports, and battery operation all affect the final bill. We prefer to model realistic expectations rather than promise a “$0 electric bill.”
Does using the estimator mean I’m committing to solar?
No. Use it to explore what solar could look like on your property and decide whether you’d like Synergy Power to take a closer look.
Ready to See Your Solar Potential?
Start with the online estimator and get an initial look at solar for your property. If you like what you see, Synergy Power can take it from there and develop a system based on your home, electricity usage, and goals.
Already ready for a detailed proposal? Talk with Synergy Power about your solar project.
