Key Terms Mentioned in this Website:

Types of Light Bulbs

Compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), also known as a compact fluorescent light or energy saving light (or less commonly as a compact fluorescent tube [CFT]), is a type of fluorescent lamp. Many CFLs are designed to replace an incandescent lamp and can fit into most existing light fixtures formerly used for incandescents.

Incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe is a source of electric light that works by incandescence (a general term for heat-driven light emissions which includes the simple case of black body radiation).

Light-emitting diode (LED) is an electronic light source. The first LED was built in the 1920s by Oleg Vladimirovich Losev, a radio technician who noticed that diodes used in radio receivers emitted light when current was passed through them.

Electricity Measures

Kilowatt, kW - The kilowatt is equal to one thousand watts.

kWh, or kilowatt-hour, is a measure of electricity. It describes the amount of power (kilowatts) used over a period of time (hours). A 60-watt light bulb that is illuminated for one hour uses 60 watt-hours of electricity, or .060 kilowatt-hours. If it is illuminated for a half hour, the bulb will consume .030 kWh of electricity, or half as much. The average home consumes roughly 20-25 kilowatt-hours of electricity per day, or 600-750 kWh per month.

Megawatt, mW - The megawatt is equal to one million watts.

Watt, W - is a unit of measure of electricity.  A typical household incandescent light bulb uses electrical energy at a rate of 25 to 100 watts; compact fluorescent lights typically consume 5 to 30 watts, and LED lamps typically use between 1 and 5 watts.

Other Terms

Array Tilt is the slope or pitch of the roof. For an optimal Solar installation the array tilt should be close to your latitude.

Azimuth is usually measured in degrees (°). For an optimal Solar installation you want to be as close to 180° as possible.

Carbon dioxide (chemical formula: CO2) is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state.

Carbon offset is a financial instrument aimed at a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon offsets are measured in metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e) and may represent six primary categories of greenhouse gases. [1] One carbon offset represents the reduction of one metric ton of carbon dioxide or its equivalent in other greenhouse gases.

Inverter is an electrical device that converts direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC); the resulting AC can be at any required voltage and frequency with the use of appropriate transformers, switching, and control circuits.

Net metering is an electricity policy for consumers who own (generally small) renewable energy facilities, such as wind, solar power or home fuel cells. "Net", in this context, is used in the sense of meaning "what remains after deductions" — in this case, the deduction of any energy outflows from metered energy inflows. Under net metering, a system owner receives retail credit for at least a portion of the electricity they generate. Most electricity meters accurately record in both directions, allowing a no-cost method of effectively banking excess electricity production for future credit.

Off the grid or off-grid refers to living in a self-sufficient manner without reliance on one or more public utilities. Usually requires battery power as a backup or other generator.

On the grid - with reliance on one or more public utilities.

Photovoltaic system (or PV) is the field of technology and research related to the application of solar cells for energy by converting solar energy (sunlight, including ultra violet radiation) directly into electricity. Due to the growing demand for clean sources of energy, the manufacture of solar cells and photovoltaic arrays has expanded dramatically in recent years.

Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) or Solar Renewable Energy Credits are a form of Renewable Energy Certificate or Green tag. SRECs are available in states where a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) exists with a specific allocation for solar energy. SREC programs provide a means for SRECs to be created on behalf of a solar panel owner and sold to state electric suppliers to meet the solar RPS requirement. Electric suppliers are required to use the SREC program to show compliance with this part of the State’s Renewable Portfolio Standard.

Tonne (t) or metric ton (U.S.), also referred to as a metric tonne, is a measurement of mass equal to 1,000 kg or 2,204.62262 lb.