You've probably seen or heard the ads from the local solar companies promoting solar power conversion and promising a free consultation to help you decide if it's right for you. You may even be thinking that solar power would be a great way to save money and separate yourself from the municipal grid. If this sounds like you, but you're hesitant to call for that free estimate because you don't know what to expect, there are some things that you should know. Here's a look at what will typically happen when you call for that solar power assessment.

Review Your Electricity Bills

The first thing that you'll often be asked for is copies of your last year's worth of electricity bills, or at least as many as you can supply. These are important for the solar company representative to get a good idea of how much energy your home needs throughout the year. Since energy demands can fluctuate from season to season, looking at the whole year gives the technician a clear picture of how much energy your home needs. That way, he or she can formulate the proper solar panel structure to meet your needs.

Measure The Installation Space

Whether you're having the panels installed on the roof or in a clear patch of land, your solar technician will need to measure the area to determine how much space there is to work with. This is an equally important consideration, especially if you have a home that draws a lot of electricity. You may find that you don't have enough space for the number of panels that you would need to meet your home's demand. In that case, your technician can make recommendations for how to offset that.

Assess The Wiring Infrastructure

Finally, the technician will also evaluate the wiring infrastructure in your home to determine if you already have sufficient wiring in place for the solar panel addition or if they will have to add or replace wiring to get the job done safely. All of these things factor into your final solar panel design.

These are the steps you can expect from your solar panel assessment. After this consultation, you'll typically be offered an estimate to help you understand how much solar installation will cost and what the scope of the project will be for your home. Talk with a solar panel installation contractor near you today for more details of what to expect.