Posted Tuesday, January 9, 2018

3 Lesser-Known Facts about Solar Energy

The more you know about the technology that is a part of your daily life, the more you can leverage that technology to enhance your everyday experience. This goes for the cars we drive, the cell phones we use and the many ways we interact with each other in our day-to-day lives. As part of our “Increase Your Solar I.Q.” series, we’re serving up three little-known facts about solar power. Use these facts to impress your friends or just jumpstart some solar power ideas of your own!

Fact #1: The average American home consumes nearly 11,000 kW/h (kilowatt-hours) of electricity, annually.

A kilowatt-hour is defined as “a measure of electrical energy equivalent to a power consumption of 1,000 watts for 1 hour”. The use of everyday electrical devices like garage door openers, microwaves and computers contributes to this overall number. In order to offset this power use completely, you would need to install 30 solar panels that each produce at least 250 watts of power. That’s a lot of solar!

Fact #2: Americans spend, on average, about $110 per month on electricity.

That’s over $1,300 a year. When estimating the cost savings realized by installing solar panels, the average monthly electricity use is calculated and then used as a benchmark for savings overall. Most of the time, the cost of the solar power generation system itself can be recouped within 3-8 years, depending on the size of the system.

Fact #3: Of all of the US cities that operate on 100% renewable energy, Las Vegas is the largest.

“Sin City” enjoys access to a wide swath of renewable energy sources, including solar power and hydroelectric power. Even though the US has a lot of room to grow in the field of renewable energy, it’s great to to cities like Las Vegas setting the standard high for others to follow. What determines the growth of solar power within a city is largely a function of available sunlight and the rebates available for construction of new solar power projects.

It’s always exciting when we work with a new customer who wants to get going with solar power – we get the chance to educate them on their options and see them through the entire process, from system design to commissioning and beyond. We’d love the chance to do the same for you; so, contact us today and learn more about our completely free energy assessment. It’s quick, easy and we work hard to address all of your questions. Contact Urban Solar today!