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Recent Blog Posts

Top 10 Reasons to Go Solar for Your Home

September 4, 2020 by Lisa Simonelli

Many homeowners in Texas want to go solar because it’s highly beneficial. Of course, the top reasons include money savings and helping the environment. You can also increase your home’s property value when you add this efficiency upgrade for your home. Plus, it can reduce your carbon footprint.

Whether the motivations for going solar are more environmental, personal, or economic, it can help to understand all the benefits of solar power. There’s sure to be something for everyone. This list isn’t exhaustive, but it does include True Service Connets top 10 advantages of solar energy and why it’s the ultimate for residential electricity savings.

1. Eliminate or Reduce Electricity Bills

Homeowners know that electricity is one of the most important things for your home. It allows you to see in the keep the lights on, stay connected, and do all of your tasks. Of course, it runs the HVAC system, refrigerator, and every other appliance in the home. Therefore, it’s no wonder that your energy bill is a considerable monthly expense for you.

However, with a solar panel system, you can generate free power while it is in use. Generally, they last over 25 years or more with product and production warranties. Though some systems can produce 100 percent of your consumable energy, most of them are designed to reduce the costs somewhat. These cost savings are noticed immediately.

2. Protect Yourself from Price Jumps

Solar panels are sure to help you hedge your utility prices. Residential electricity prices are always rising. Each year over the past 10 or so years, it’s been raised about three percent. Though that doesn’t seem like much, it definitely adds up. When you invest in solar energy, you can keep the same electricity rate, protecting yourself from increases in energy costs. Homeowners with a fluctuating cash flow each month might find that going solar helps manage expenses.

3. Investment for the Home

Texas residents shouldn’t look at solar panels as an expense. Instead, they are an investment opportunity. Though you probably don’t look at them like bonds or stocks, they can still provide significant returns, which could rival what you might make if you put money into a commodity. The average Texas homeowner can pay off the solar panel system within eight or so years. However, even while you owe money, you’re going to see a return on investment of at least 20 percent and possibly more.

Solar Panels for Home

4. Independence from Other Countries

The sun isn’t quite infinite as an energy source, but it can produce enough for hundreds or thousands of years into the future. This is essential for the US to achieve energy independence. When we can create our own electricity using the sun, we can reduce the risk of price fluctuations from the global energy market.

5. Boost Property Value

Studies have shown that residential properties with solar energy systems might sell more quickly and have higher property values than homes without solar power. Solar installations are being taken into consideration by appraisers now. Plus, homeowners are more educated about their benefits, so the demand for properties already equipped with these panels continues to grow.

6. Protect Our Environment

Solar energy can help you reduce your family’s carbon footprint. Generally, buildings produce about 38 percent of the United States’ carbon emissions. If you go solar, it decreases that number significantly. Therefore, when more and more people choose solar energy, this number is lowered even more. Typical residential panel systems can eliminate about three or four tons of carbon emissions every year. This is the same as planting more than 100 trees every year.

7. Create Jobs/Boost the Local Economy

The solar industry is booming, so many people are learning how to install them and maintain them. Therefore, you are helping to create jobs faster for the US economy. This growth should continue to rise as more homeowners and business owners realize the benefits of solar power. Plus, these jobs often pay higher because special skills are needed. They can’t be outsourced overseas because people need to be onsite to add the panels. Therefore, you can be sure that the local economy gets a boost, and more people have decent wages and work on which they can rely.

8. Protect the Roof

Most homeowners in Texas worry that the added weight of the panels might damage the roof, but the opposite is true. When you’ve got these solar panels on the roof, it protects them from the elements. Therefore, you can save money on roof repairs and ensure that your roof has a longer lifespan.

9. Tax Incentives

Right now, the federal government is offering tax incentives for those who choose to go solar. This savings is seen at tax time, but it can be a way to get a bigger tax return. Think of it as a savings account, where you get the money in April or May. You can then use that for whatever you desire.

To get the tax credit, you must have a solar panel system installed. There are some rules to follow, but then you are eligible for a 26 percent credit that will drop to 22 percent in 2021 and 10 percent in 2022.

10. Choose Reliable and Dependable Energy

With solar technology, you are always going to get consistent energy when you need it most. The sun is going to be there forever and even produces solar power on cloudy days. Of course, there may be times where you require electricity from the grid. However, you’re still able to pull power from the grid to get reliable and dependable energy whenever the need arises.

Conclusion

Texas residents who want to save money on electricity bills may find that solar energy is the best way to go. We talked about the many reasons to choose solar panel systems so that you are well-aware of the benefits you could experience. Now is the time to consider it. You may find that the savings you see are worth the initial cost of installing the solar panels on your home. See if your home might qualify right now and choose a suitable installation expert.

Filed Under: Blog

How to Choose the Best Broadband Internet Provider

August 28, 2020 by Lisa Simonelli

The world relies on digital media for just about everything that goes on today. Business owners are depending more and more on broadband internet providers to be the heavy lifters in their business operations.

Sure, it’s possible to run a business without commercial broadband internet, but why would you? High-speed internet means having a stronger signal, better security, and quicker cloud access. As well as multiple-user support, less stress, and a better return for your money.

High Speed Internet

High-speed internet keeps offices running smoothly. Employees can share documents and printers without sending attachments via email. You can gather higher volumes of data at a greater speed, analyze it, and turn that into better business results. Faster upload speeds give you faster cloud storage and better live communication.

Broadband Internet

Without high-speed internet to drive your marketing strategy, you run the risk of losing out on possible revenue. With high-speed internet you can use instant communication to interact with active and potential customers. You can use social media to get your brand and message out to your target audience. You can build brand loyalty when you show them who your company is through multiple media sites.

With so much competition between broadband internet providers these days, it is difficult to choose the best one. Many communication companies have business broadband internet packages that provide options suitable for your business. It’s just about finding the right match.

Ask yourself these questions when evaluating your business needs:

1. What is the optimum download speed for your business?

Most broadband internet providers categorize their commercial internet packages based on download speeds measured in Mbps (megabits per second). You can whittle through the list of options quickly if you determine what speed you need for your business. How do you do that? Take a look at how many connected devices your business operates with daily.

Internet speed, or bandwidth, equates to the amount of data you can download, or upload in a second over your entire network. For example, you might have a bandwidth of 50 Mbps which works great if there is only one device, but when two people are downloading at the same time, they are sharing that speed 50/50. The more devices that are downloading at once, the smaller the share per device.

Here is a list of the speeds that work best to support your number of devices:

  • For 5 to 10 connected devices you need a connection of 75 Mbps
  • 10 to 15 devices – 150 Mbps
  • 15 to 20 devices – 250 Mbps
  • 20 to 30 devices – 500 Mbps
  • Above 30 devices – 1000 Mbps (1 Gbps or gigabits per second)

2. What type of internet is best?

There are different types of internet connections used around the world today. Here is a look at the pros and cons of each type to help you decide which one might work best for your business.

• DSL (digital subscriber line) internet comes through existing phone lines. On the positive side, DSL is fast, convenient, and slightly cheaper than other alternatives. But the negatives are you need existing phone lines and you risk losing your connection whenever there are problems with the phone lines or electricity.

• Fiber-optic connections have the highest speed and the lowest latency. They are good for simultaneous use on multiple devices, great for video conferences, and transferring large data files. On the negative side, fiber-optics are not available everywhere and they do have a higher cost.

• Satellite internet is an option that works for rural areas where there are no DSL or fiber-optic connections. It isn’t a great option if you have another choice because of the huge distances between your devices and the satellite which creates a latency issue.

• 5G internet service is not available everywhere but the three major wireless providers in the U.S. have it in certain metro areas.

3. Residential or commercial internet?

Residential internet

Many providers offer both residential and commercial, or business internet packages. In most cases, business speeds are two to five times faster than residential connections, have no data caps, and no throttling, but they do cost more. While it’s true that most residential connections are high quality, business internet packages come with more features and benefits, making up for the higher monthly charge.

Residential internet generally comes with restricted upload speeds and best-effort service agreements. These are more affordable because more customers share the network, but speed is sacrificed. In advertising, providers use wording like “up to” xx Mbps, and that is their best offer, but expect a slower connection most of the time. Also, residential connections throttle their upload speeds. They might give you 20 Mbps download speed and 2 Mbps upload speed.

With business packages, you get a guaranteed performance agreement and generally get the speeds they advertise with parity, meaning your download and upload speeds are equal, which is vital for good performance.

4. What else does your business need?

  • If you have multiple business sites to cover, you might look for a provider that bundles multiple bills into one.
  • Does the internet package come with a static IP? Most business connections do, but if it isn’t included, make sure you can add a static IP when the service is set up. A static IP is the best choice if you host a web site or email service at your place of business. You can also access controls to heating, air conditioning, and video cameras remotely through a static IP.
  • How much customer support do you need? If your broadband internet is business-critical, you should get a support package that provides help on a 24-hour, seven day a week, every day of the year basis.
  • Do you want a provider that offers bundles of internet, voice, TV? Or, do they allow you to create a custom business plan that suits your requirements?

Choose the best broadband internet provider for your business

1. What providers are in your area?

When you have an idea about what your business internet needs are, you can look for the best provider. There are a lot of online tools you can use for free. Just enter your zip code and you’ll get a list of local providers. Some sites let you use filters to narrow the list of prospects. For example, you can click on fiber-optic providers and limit your choices even further. The results you get give you information like the company name, internet speed, cost, how to contact the company, and user reviews.

Once you have a few options, you can go to the provider’s site and look for the specifics.

2. Check the providers specifications

Before you commit to a broadband provider, make sure to read their specs. Get the specs and quotes for services that look suitable for your business so you can compare them. You should look for uptime, latency, and packet loss (small units of data called packets that don’t make it to the intended destination).

Check out the provider’s service level agreement (SLA). This gives the details on their service guarantees, service credits, and contract termination options.

3. Is the provider platform ready?

Does the commercial broadband internet provider you are researching support your business software? Do they support customer applications, SD-WAN, MPLS, or augmenting MPLS? In most cases, a software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) does not carry bandwidth penalties and is super secure. But, augmenting MPLS allows your business to add internet links into a hybrid WAN to boost the performance of MPLS. These are details that you may have to get from a company representative.

4. Read reviews

Before you make your final choice, look for reviews of the provider’s service. You can find third-party reviews online, or ask friends, family members, and other local businesses to find out if they are satisfied with the provider.

In your search for the right broadband internet provider for your business, it is best to have as much information about your business requirements and what the providers in your area have to offer as possible. This way you’ll get a good fit and you won’t let yourself get fooled by a too good to be true offer.

Deciding what internet service to choose can be overwhelming. That’s where we come in! Visit our website to learn more about what True Service Connect can do for you!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Internet

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