4 Reasons Why Winter is the Best Time to Go Solar

Arizona winters are a point of pride among locals. While almost everywhere in the country is frozen with no signs of thawing, we’re kicking back in beautiful 70-degree weather. Our mild winters offer relief from our high summer electricity bills, making it easy to pay little mind to solar and its financial benefits. Most people don’t realize that winter is the best time to go solar if you’re looking for maximum savings in your first year.

So, while we're kicking back in the beautiful Phoenix winter, we’d like to take a moment to remind you to get started now if you hope to avoid those rising utility costs. To help, we’ve put together these four reasons why winter is the best time to switch to solar.

1. Maximize and bank your excess energy

Suppose your utility district supports an energy buyback program. In that case, you’ll receive a significantly faster financial return by installing solar during the cooler months when you are more likely to produce more energy than you use. Selling excess solar energy back to the utility is easy when you're not running the AC. As a result, going solar in winter is the best way to ensure that you’ll have credits available to help offset your skyrocketing summer bills.

2. Solar installation timelines 

Designing and installing a solar energy system can take quite a while. Once you decide to go solar, it can take weeks to design an optimized system for your home, secure financing, acquire permits, and complete the installation and activation with your local utility. Even if you start this process in late spring or early summer, the process might only be finished once much of the summer has passed. Getting it done now ensures you’re up and running when the temperature rises.

3. Flexible schedules

Solar installers usually see a dip in business through fall and winter. This helps open up the installation schedules dramatically. In the summer, more business means finding the right time in a packed installation calendar is harder when trying to reduce current electric bills or work around summer travel plans.

4. More time to evaluate options

Going solar in winter takes the pressure off having to make quick decisions. Since going solar begins a relationship that can last for decades, giving yourself plenty of time to make the best choice is imperative. Look at all of your options and quotes, and make a confident decision on which company will help you best achieve your energy goals.

We invite you to learn more about the Sun Valley Solar difference. Download our free solar whitepaper, which helps you understand some of the most important considerations when switching to solar. You can also contact one of our solar experts for a custom solar quote. 

This blog has been updated since its original publication date of 1/23/2018.