energy conscious consumers, and have even become a mandatory installation in certain localities.

Alternatively, for electric appliances that run on on-off cycles, like refrigerators and freezers, the Kill A Watt meter has proven to be useful in measuring usage. The Kill-A-Watt is a plug-in meter that provides accumulative data for monitoring.

Through meter readings and a study of the historical data of your electric bills, you will be able to get a better than fair idea of how much electric power you are currently consuming, how much you actually need to run your appliances efficiently, and where you might be able to begin cutting corners so that you are able to conserve energy with minimal sacrifice. Once you have gotten a hold on your consumption, you can then being to seriously consider which solar energy systems will be optimal for your home’s energy needs.

Solar energy is preferred over solar electricity, as the latter’s ability can be compensated by other more efficient solar appliances. For example, an electric water heater that consumes 4.5 KWh of power produces 9 KWh of electricity in two hours, whereas a solar appliance like the 2 KWh PV can offer the same amount of electricity - effortlessly, at a lower cost, and with lesser space demands.