Solar power is the fastest-growing renewable energy source in the U.S., according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, which forecast earlier this year that solar projects would account for most of the growth in U.S. electricity generation through 2025.
As utilities continue to roll out massive new solar collection projects, homeowners can also do their part in reducing planet-warming pollution and reliance on dirty fuel sources.
To that end, Aurora Solar has just announced a suite of software tools to help both homeowners and solar professionals plan out efficient and sustainable electrified homes, according to a press release shared by CleanTechnica.
Patrick Donahue, chief product officer for the company offered his view: "Aurora Solar is the industry's leading solar partner, committed to the success of the solar community. We understand the unique challenges solar professionals face when it comes to selling solar, as well as the confusion homeowners often have around electrifying their home and going solar."
Aurora, which says it serves roughly 80% of the top 75 U.S. solar companies, has added a variety of capabilities to help customers electrify their homes and harness the sun's clean resource. This includes building an energy-load profile, which adds up the impact of electrical appliances and energy efficiency solutions like heat pumps, home insulation, and EV charging.
It surveyed how people have used Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) incentives to save money and found that heat pumps were a popular starting point, with 22% of respondents having them installed, while 17% had solar power systems.
Other clean energy upgrades can have a major impact on in-home air quality, such as installing induction stovetops to replace gas-powered ones. You even have a chance of getting an IRA rebate for one, depending on where you live.
"It's like having a tailpipe from a car directly piped into your house," energy consultant DR Richardson shared with The Cool Down about gas stoves in 2022. "Do you want to expose your kids to that?"
Aurora Solar is raising awareness about zero-carbon solutions by providing detailed information upfront, essentially demystifying the whole process.
"With Aurora's new whole home energy tools, solar professionals and homeowners can partner to design a holistic clean energy solution, whether that means adding heat pumps, electric vehicles, more storage, or efficiency solutions as homeowners envision their electrified, resilient future home plans," said Donahue.
The company's new software products are expected to be rolled out over the summer.
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