Path-Q Solar
How can I decide whether my electricity history is representative enough for solar quotes?
Answer
Your history is more representative when it covers at least a full seasonal cycle, comes from consistent meter data, and reflects normal occupancy, equipment, rates, and operating habits. Identify unusual periods such as vacancies, construction, major appliance changes, outages, or extreme weather and tell bidders so they can adjust the analysis rather than treating them as normal demand.
Key points
- Use bills or interval data that show both consumption and billing periods clearly.
- Check for missing, estimated, corrected, or unusually short billing periods.
- Explain planned changes such as electric vehicles, heat pumps, additions, electrification, or battery installation.
- Ask each bidder to state the usage data and assumptions used in the quote.
What it depends on
- Length and quality of available usage history
- Changes in occupancy, appliances, heating, cooling, or working patterns
- Future electrification plans
- Rate structure and whether the quote evaluates energy, demand, or export value
Risks and trade-offs
- Sizing only to an anomalous high-use period can oversize the system, while using a low-use period can undersize it.
- Past consumption may not predict future demand after electrification or lifestyle changes.
- A quote based on annual kWh alone may miss time-of-use, demand, or export constraints.
Information you may need
- At least a representative seasonal set of bills or interval data
- Notes on occupancy and unusual events
- Planned changes to loads or operating hours
- Current rate information and the quote's stated assumptions
Your next step
What to do next
Assemble the usage history with notes on abnormal and future conditions, then ask multiple bidders to produce comparable quotes using the same stated assumptions.
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