The first step to getting started and designing any solar panel installation is to calculate your average annual kilowatt-hour consumption. This information is available to you by signing on to “My Account” at the SDG&E website. If you haven’t set up your account, you can do so here. The SDG&E website is a terrific resource, where you can learn a great deal about your energy use. Here are steps to access your monthly kWh consumption for the past year:
- Sign on to “My Account”
- Mouse over the “My Energy” tab and select “My Energy Overview” from the drop-down list.
- In the dropdown list next to “View” select “My Energy Use”
- You’ll have the option to view daily or monthly charts. For the purpose of going solar, select monthly.
- A bar graph will appear. You can hover over the bar graph or click on the green “T” just above the right-hand side of the chart to view a list of your monthly kWh consumption. You’ll also find printer and file icons if you’d like to save the information.
Another option for reviewing your energy history is accessing your “Green Button Data.” This data is critical for modeling time of use rates or incorporating energy storage. Follow the previous steps 1-3, then:
- Click on Green Button Data icon.
- Select your electric meter and date range for the past year.
- Click on “Export.”
- Once the report is generated, click on link to “download.”
- You now have an XML file you could forward to a solar installer for review, or you could analyze the data here: “Center for Sustainable Energy”