Integrating Renewables and Intelligent Energy Storage at Home

Integrating Renewables and Intelligent Energy Storage at Home

Posted: 2017.02.09

By: Kevin Williams

Categories: Carbon Reduction

Renewable energy and intelligent energy storage complement each other in many ways. Both allow you to reduce your carbon footprint while spending less money on electricity, and when used together they create a synergy that provides a benefit which is greater than the sum of its parts. The reason for this is simple: when you generate your own electricity and then store it to be used later, you’re greatly reducing your dependence on the grid.

When you have an intelligent home energy storage system, you can control how your self-generated energy is used throughout your home to a granular level. The result is that you can turn your home into a self-sustaining, energy independent smart home that maximizes the savings benefit of the renewable energy source. An intelligent energy storage system can also communicate your home’s energy usage data back to the utility company so that it can reduce waste and pollution.

Selecting and installing renewables in your home

If this sounds like something that would be appealing to you, then you can use the following process from the U.S. Department of Energy to select and install renewable energy sources for your home. From there, you can integrate your renewables with an intelligent energy storage system and then sit back and watch as your home “charges” itself automatically each day.

Step 1: Determine how much electricity you’re already using and thus how much you need to generate to have a significant impact on your electricity consumption. You can use WISE’s Home Energy Assessment tool to do this for free. It will give you an accurate reading of how much electricity your home consumes overall room-to- room and even down to individual switches and outlets.

Step 2: Check up on local codes for small energy renewable systems. This way, you’ll know that your use of renewable energy sources in your home is legal and won’t result in fines or penalties that will set you back and undermine your goals. These include:

  • Building codes
  • Easements
  • Local covenants and ordinances
  • Technology-specific requirements

Codes vary by state, county, and city, so it’s important to have a clear understanding of which rules regarding renewables apply to you and how to comply. You can reach out to your local state or city government to receive guidance on how you can accomplish this.

Step 3: Once you know what your options are from a legal standpoint, the next step is to select a renewable energy system that fits your budget, goals, and lifestyle. This can be a simple solar, wind, or hydropower system or a more sophisticated hybrid system. It just depends on what you’re trying to accomplish with your home’s energy needs and how much you need invest in these assets for your home.

Once you have a renewable energy system in place, you can connect it to your intelligent home energy storage system to maximize the benefits of both. This synergy creates a unique smart home electrical system that fully optimizes your home’s energy usage, resulting in lower electricity bills, smaller carbon footprints, and the satisfaction of knowing your home is powered by sophisticated and smart technology.