More and more Americans are dreaming of a zero energy bill with prices rising. Of course, this does not mean our energy is then free. We simply ‘put the money in our pockets’ by investing in green technology instead. This also makes us carbon-neutral. However, that is unlikely to be true in terms of the equipment’s lifetime carbon footprint.
The Right Place with Right Timing for a Zero Energy Bill
Contemporary technology dictates we acquire our alternative energy from the wind or sun. Comparative setup costs suggest this will be solar, so our first need is for a domain with plenty of sunshine.
Nestling under trees or in the shadow of mountains no longer makes sense. However, we may have additional outlays in terms of sun cream factor.
We are also going to need an intelligent inverter and some of our favorite topic, batteries. The inverter’s main job will be to process energy from the solar panels. This will be the key to our zero energy bill.
Exchanging Electricity with The Grid
When the sun is shining happily and we are pottering in the garden, the inverter will charge the batteries. This will ensure we have enough electricity for after dark.
When the batteries are full, the inverter will deliver the energy to the grid instead. This means the utility owes us money at this point, which is a nice feeling.
However, if we turn the washing machine on and take a hot shower after dark, we could begin to flatten the batteries soon. The intelligent inverter will decide when to start repurchasing electricity from the grid. This means we start owing the utility money, which is counter to our plans.
Hence we have to change our program that says electricity is there to use abundantly, if we want a zero energy bill. We need to plan our electricity use according to an energy budget for this to work. Perhaps we should do this anyway, because using energy warms the atmosphere however slightly.
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