How do I read my Electric Meter?

A typical home uses a lot of electrical energy. There is the hot water, the heating, and the various electrical needs that all go into the final tally. So when it comes to converting your home from its current source of electrical energy to solar energy, it is necessary to first understand how your current electrical energy works before you can design an efficient solar energy system to meet your home’s electrical needs.
To plan for a sufficient supply of energy to be harnessed from the sun’s energy, you will need to have at least a basic understanding of your home’s current demand. It is assumed that as a homeowner, you have done your best to insulate your home well so that you are not misusing your current energy source. Given the precautions you have already taken to conserve energy, there are often still further steps you can take to curb your home’s energy demands. This is an important point to note if you are looking for an efficient system that will generate payback. With some simple measures, you will soon be able to enjoy the benefits that come with the efficient use and conservation of energy; often in a mere matter of months.
Solar energy system installation has a slightly different outcome. Although solar is known to offer good paybacks in due time, the duration of payback is slow. It can take between 5-15 years before one can really appreciate the financial payback, given the start-up cost of a quality solar system and provided that the installation was properly done from the start.
A typical financial computation from the layman’s point of view would be a preference towards a 7-20 percent investment return based on electrical usage efficiency and conservation, in comparison to the meager 0-7 percent return on improvements made through the implementation of solar energy.

Types of Energy for your home
It is nearly impossible to find a home that does not depend on some form of electricity today. Even the simplest task, like searching for an item in the storage room, requires a source of light, the simplest of which use dry cells. In the U.S, only a handful of people continue to eschew electricity, amongst them the orthodox Amish.
Although electricity powers almost every aspect of our home and life needs, it may not necessarily be efficient in its functionality. Electricity works wonders with many of our daily appliances, such as ovens, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioning and heating units, entertainment equipments, computers, and even our water heaters. Electricity is often used in conjunction with natural gas or propane fuels to heat our homes, and to run our stoves and water heaters, but these machines are still often heavily reliant on a main source of electricity. With such a variety of electrically powered devices, and the increasing demand for its immediate availability, electricity bills have risen astronomically in homes and places of business.
In order to be a wise consumer, and in this case, wise on electrical usage, you will