Home solar, explained plainly
Understand home solar, one basic at a time.
Solar Home Basics is a collection of plain-language guides for homeowners: how panels work, how many you need, what drives the cost, which equipment fits your roof, and what happens after installation. No jargon, no hype — just clear explanations you can read in one sitting.
All guides
Every guide follows the same pattern: what the concept is, how it works in everyday life, a simple worked example, and the common mistakes beginners run into. Work through them in order, or jump to the topic that is confusing you right now.
How Home Solar Panels Work
Sunlight in, electricity out — cells, inverters, the grid, and what happens on cloudy days and at night.
Read the guide →How Many Panels Does a Home Need?
Sizing starts with a year of electricity use, not roof area — how installers calculate it.
Read the guide →Solar Panel Costs Explained
What actually drives the price — size, equipment, roof work, labour, permits — and how to read a quote.
Read the guide →Monocrystalline vs Polycrystalline
How the two panel types are made, how efficiency differs, and when each one makes sense.
Read the guide →Solar Inverters Explained
String, microinverters, optimizers and hybrids — shade, monitoring, expansion and batteries.
Read the guide →Solar Batteries Explained
Capacity vs power, evening use, backup during outages, and the honest trade-off.
Read the guide →Net Metering Explained
What happens to your extra solar power, and why the rules vary so much by place.
Read the guide →Is Your Roof Suitable for Solar?
Direction, tilt, shade and roof age — how to judge a roof before anyone climbs up.
Read the guide →Solar Installation Process
From first survey to switch-on: design, permits, installation day, inspection and permission.
Read the guide →Maintenance and Lifespan
What panels need over 25 years, how output slowly declines, and the warranties that matter.
Read the guide →Three principles behind every guide
1. Concepts before products
We explain how things work — cells, inverters, batteries, export rules — before any brand names appear. Understanding the mechanism first makes every later decision easier to judge.
2. Honest about limits
Production, costs and incentives all vary by place and change over time. We explain the drivers and tell you what to verify locally, instead of quoting figures that would be wrong somewhere else.
3. Education, not advice
These guides teach general concepts that apply to many homes. They are not personalized professional advice, and they never promise savings, earnings or results.
Frequently asked questions
Where should a complete beginner start?
Start with how solar panels work, then read the sizing guide. After that, the costs and roof guides explain the two topics that confuse most people.
Is this site giving professional advice?
No. Everything here is general educational information about how home solar works. It is not professional, financial or installation advice, and it does not recommend any product or installer for any individual home.
Do I need a battery?
No. A standard grid-connected system works without one. A battery is an add-on for evening use and backup during outages — the battery guide explains when it makes sense.
How often is new content added?
New guides are added regularly, and existing guides are reviewed so the explanations stay accurate as rules and equipment change.
New to solar?
Begin with how panels turn sunlight into electricity — the simplest starting point for the whole system.