The Power Of The Sun (All Over The Side Of My Garage)

My journey to green energy continues. This is my house.

That is 39 solar panels. They will provide about 85% of my energy needs. We spent quite a bit of time research different options and different companies. I’m finding that my view of energy in general has been changed by having these panels on my roof. 

I wrote about the Irony Of Clean Energy a few weeks ago. And while the panels are here, they are not connected yet. But, I find myself questioning everything I’ve learned about home energy use. Is it free when it’s from the sun? Is it now okay to run a dryer load because I want to dry a single towel? Can I run my dishwasher multiple times per day guilt free? 

Lights? So long as I don’t mind them burning out sooner, are fair game. Maybe, I’ll adjust to this “new normal,” but in the mean time it’s confusing me. 

We opted to get enough panels to supply 85% of our usage because we have a house full of teenagers. I’m buying these panels over the next twenty years. My youngest kid at home is 13. In a few years, I’m going to use a lot less energy than I do now. I didn’t want to supply 100% of my current energy needs and then end up with double or triple what my lovely wife and I will need in the future. 

The biggest surprise of having solar installed was the wall graffiti. This is the side of my garage.

I have no idea that I was going to be sacrificing that much wall space to my new energy plant. The panels no longer look ugly, like earlier ones did. They need to do some work on the rest of the installation. 

?Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday at 7:00 AM Mountain Time. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. 

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