If you are a homeowner and are considering solar, how you move forward really depends on who you are.

Imagine this: You are your partner just bought a new bookshelf from Etsy. It is being handmade and shipped to your doorstep in a couple weeks. The shelves need to be installed on the wall of your living room. The bookshelf consists of seven shelves and 14 brackets that need to be installed on the wall at the right distance from each other, and perfectly level. Each shelf also came with LED lights that have to be attached to the underside of the shelves in a way that the wiring and the fixture are discrete and out of sight.

What do you?

• You know you are handy and enjoy DIY’ing, so you set aside a day from your weekend and just do it yourself
• You are not that handy, but prefer to teach yourself and save the money. You might even call a few local handymen, who come by to give you an estimate and discuss how they would do it. You listen to each one and do it yourself anyway
• Call a few local handymen for estimates and just pick one that seems most reasonable and reliable

Going solar is not dissimilar, although it is a lot more complex as a process, with many components and processes. Some homeowners are skilled and inclined enough to take care of the entire process themselves, handling each of the financial, technical and local policy compliance, and even installing the system by themselves. While others could not be bothered with anything other than the savings and just need a reliable solar installer to manage the project on a turnkey basis. Many others fall somewhere in between: they get involved in the process, talk to installers, solar equipment sellers, other homeowners, local building officials, to learn as much as they can about the various components and processes.

Here at SolarAcademy, you will find the tools and resources no matter who you are. Being clear about who you are from the get-go will help you navigate this process more effectively.

In our next article, we will break down the different processes and components of solar buying to help you understand your gaps in knowledge, and point to resources that will fill those gaps.