Seizing the SLED Moment
By: Balto Staff
As the rush toward net zero intensifies, the path to a fully sustainable home can feel unclear and difficult to navigate. We’re here to clear the path. Solar-led electrification (SLED) offers an actionable path forward—leading with solar to power in-home all-electric systems like heat pumps and EV chargers. Embracing SLED now is not just a step toward decarbonization; it’s a timely strategy to combat rising energy prices, reduce dependency on failing power grids, and cut household emissions.
What Is Solar-Led Electrification?
Solar power offers the lowest-cost energy source available today. Home electrification maximizes this benefit by converting traditionally fossil-fuel dependent systems—like heating, cooling, and transportation—to electric alternatives powered by solar. The key is leading with solar installation, so you have enough low cost solar onsite to power your electric appliances from the get-go. But sizing a solar system for future energy use cases is complicated.
Balto Energy recommends customized solar systems and whole home electrification plans that factor in past and future energy use.
Why We Need SLED Now
1. Rising Electricity Prices and Dropping Export Rates
U.S. electricity prices have spiked in recent years due to uncapped utility spending and pro-utility policy shifts. For instance, California’s NEM 3.0 policy has made it less lucrative to export excess home-generated solar energy back to the grid, incentivizing homeowners to use all their solar energy onsite. SLED allows homeowners to use their solar energy directly to power their appliances and charge backup batteries, eliminating reliance on high-cost grid electricity and alleviating the impact of export rate reductions.
2. Future-Proofing Your Home
Given electricity price increases and price volatility, solar is an important investment in future-proofing your home. Installing solar now will ensure your home is ready to handle charging electric vehicles and running electric appliances in the future, so you don’t have to depend on the grid.
3. Grid Instability and the Need for Resilience
Power outages are becoming increasingly common due to aging grid infrastructure and extreme weather events. SLED offers a way to insulate homeowners from these disruptions. By combining solar with battery storage, homes can power through outages. SLED is not only an economically beneficial step for homeowners, but a strategic one, increasing their resilience during peak demand periods or natural disasters.
4. Urgency to Cut Carbon Emissions
Transitioning away from fossil fuels is an essential part of achieving climate goals. Given that residential energy use is responsible for just about 20% of US yearly carbon emissions, installing solar and electrifying your home is a significant step forward for you and for the planet. By replacing gas and oil systems with electric alternatives and powering them with solar, you can reduce your yearly electricity and heating related emissions to almost zero.
Join the SLED Movement
Rising electricity prices, grid instability, and the need to decarbonize all signal the importance of adopting SLED now. With Balto Energy’s tools and financing solutions, homeowners can create a pathway toward an electrified lifestyle and pave the way for a more sustainable, resilient, and cost-effective energy future. Get in touch with us to see how SLED can work for you.
