Understanding the differences between energy production and consumption

Though they’re closely related, did you know that Vivint Solar measures energy in a different way than your utility company? They’re similar, and both rely on each other for information, but we look at different things when calculating the results of your solar energy system and your electrical system.

Vivint Solar calculates energy production whereas your utility company calculates your energy consumption. Another way of looking at this is that your Vivint Solar bill shows the amount of energy your solar system produces or generates whereas your utility bill shows the amount of energy your household consumes. Let’s take a closer look at these two concepts, shall we?

Energy Consumption

In general terms, energy consumption is the amount of energy you use or “consume” in your day-to-day life. Is your refrigerator always on? That’s you “consuming” energy. Did you turn on your lights? That’s more energy consumption.

Any action that requires you to use electricity to power something is considered energy consumption. This is what the utility company monitors, calculates, and charges you for each month. Depending on the time of day or year, your household may consume more or less energy. For details about how your own energy consumption fluctuates, you can simply check the last six months of your utility bills. To see the impact that different seasons can have on your solar energy production, feel free to also check out Do solar panels work on cloudy days? and Do solar panels work in the winter?

Energy Production

Energy production is different. Energy production is the amount of power something produces. In our case, it’s the amount of power your solar energy system produces. When the sun hits your panels, the panels essentially absorb the sun’s rays and convert the product of said rays into energy. It produces energy. Like energy consumption, the amount your system produces depends on the time of day or year.

For details about how much your system is designed to produce, login to account.vivintsolar.com and review your Computer Automated Design (CAD) in the “Documents” tab.