Archives: Resources

Why Isn’t the Grid Better in 2023?

Time to Read: 5 minutes Date: March 23, 2023 Four Minutes and Thirty-Seconds Away from Total Collapse? That’s a Little Too Close for This Texas Writer  It’s officially been 2 full years since Winter Storm Uri, and Texans are still dealing with power outages. Despite the ERCOT nodal protocols used to improve Texas power grid conditions, blackouts are still a huge problem. So what exactly is going on? And what does the future of a growing Texas look like with traditional power supplied from the Texas power grid?  In this article, we’re going to explore many of the reasons that,…

Red Flags – How to Prevent Being Fooled When Exploring Solar

Time to Read: 7 minutes Date: March 21, 2023 Every Texan needs to know what red flags to look out for on their solar journey. Not all solar power systems are designed the same. Like with any large purchase, there are ways to customize a solar power system. In many ways it’s like buying a car - it needs to be suited to what you need it to do. If you are hauling things around your property or farm, you’re going to need something with the space and power to do that. If you need something reliable that gets great…

Homeowners Insurance and Solar Panels – What You Need to Know!

Time to Read: 4 minutes Date: March 16, 2023 Many Texans with homeowners insurance wonder if their policies cover solar powered systems. With more Texans going solar every day, this is an important topic to cover! When it comes to homeowners insurance, there are several questions you may already be asking. Will my monthly insurance payments go up? Will my policy cover my new system? If it doesn’t, then will I need a separate policy just for a solar power system? With these questions in mind, we wrote this article to explore how homeowners insurance works with solar power systems. …

How to Make Sure Your Solar Panels are Working

Time to Read: 6 minutes Date: March 14, 2023 Knowledge is Power Being able to tell if your solar panels are working is one of the most important parts of having a solar power system. When you have a solar power system installed, the IES Texas Solar team is there from start to finish and beyond. Our team will make sure you have everything you need to monitor the health and efficiency of your system. After all, you want to be able to tell how much power your solar power system is generating! Knowing this also lets you know how…

Take the Plunge! What you Need to Know About Solar Powered Systems and Pools

Time to Read: 4 minutes Date: March 9, 2023 It’s no surprise that solar power goes so well with things like pool systems. When it comes to running pool systems on solar energy, your pool can keep running no matter what happens with your power. Even if there is another arctic storm or heat wave, you can keep the pool pump running. This is important for several reasons. Why are Pool Pumps so Important? Pool pumps keep the water in your pool circulating. Several reasons that this is important are: The pump evenly distributes all of the chemicals your pool…

Revealing This Year’s Summer Predictions, Will Texans Have Scorching Heat?

Time to Read: 5 minutes Date: March 7, 2023 A Texan summer is characterized by scorching heat that brings the temperature to staggering heights. The electric bills that go along with the heat also tend to go up significantly. Luckily, solar power systems help Texans decrease their bills while keeping the air conditioning running, even when there are power outages. As summer approaches, Texans all have the same question on their minds: just how darn hot is it going to get? We’ve taken a look at the forecasts to see just what predictions have been made about the weather for…

What you Need to Know About ERCOTs New Proposal

Time to Read: 4 minutes Date: March 2, 2023 Improving and maintaining the health of the Texas power grid is one of the biggest concerns for Texans. The Lone-Star State currently finds itself in a “double-edged sword” situation in which its power grid needs maintenance and overhaul, but puts the cost on residential customers. Many Texans have noticed significant increases in their electricity bills over the last few years. This is especially true around seasons with extreme seasonal temperatures. With power grid issues in mind, ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) is now proposing a new plan that could possibly…

How to Stop Soaring Electric Bills in Their Tracks

Time to Read: 5 minutes Date: February 28, 2023 Planning for electric bills can be a frustrating thing for Texans, especially with so many companies and plans to choose from. Over the past couple of years, electric bills have fluctuated in price. For example, in a recent article by Utility Dive, consumers paid an average of 14.3% more for power than they had in 2021. Further, Utility Dive points out that the U.S Bureau of Labor Statics determined that this is more than twice the overall 6.5% rise in prices. ERCOT has been making changes in an attempt to improve the…

How Much Did Electricity Bills Go Up in 2022?

Time to Read: 3 minutes Date: February 24, 2023 Electricity bills have been a primary point of concern for Texans over the last few years. It seems like every year it gets a little more expensive, and Texas isn’t immune to inflation. During the seasonal peaks when it’s blisteringly hot or mercilessly cold, electricity bills make a massive jump. But one big thing that could put things into perspective is to look at just how much the price for electricity changed over the last year or two. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the changes in…

Solar Power Energy! Reasons to join the Sunny Side.

Time to Read: 4 minutes Date: February 23, 2023 We sing the praises of solar powered energy in all of our articles, but this time we thought it would be a good idea to let our solar community have their voices heard. In this article, we shine our solar-powered spotlight on a few customers who switched to solar and/or had backup power installed. Backup Generator Installation with Greg Radabaugh https://youtu.be/jTt8yCAOYUI Gregory Radabaugh talks about how IES really shined during the installation process. Gregory Radabaugh was thrilled by the professionalism and care that IES Texas Solar is known for. Greg asked…