Solar Panels
Solar Panels | Thermostat Upgrades | Heating and Air Conditioning | Ten Mile
Imagine stepping into your Ten Mile home and feeling the perfect temperature—courtesy of the sun and the smartest controls on the market. HEP pairs high-output solar panels with precision HVAC technology so your heating and air conditioning work in harmony with clean, renewable power. From installation to ongoing maintenance, our local team delivers seamless comfort while trimming utility bills and shrinking your carbon footprint.
Ready to take control? Our thermostat upgrades put the finishing touch on an energy-savvy system, letting you adjust settings from anywhere, learn your schedule, and automatically sync with solar production for maximum savings. Trust HEP to transform your house into a responsive, eco-friendly retreat that keeps you comfortable every season.
FAQs
How can upgrading to a smart thermostat improve the efficiency of my solar-powered HVAC system in Ten Mile?
A smart thermostat constantly measures outdoor temperature, indoor comfort levels, and the amount of solar electricity you are producing in real time. By learning your family’s schedule and monitoring sunlight intensity, it automatically reduces HVAC runtimes when your solar array is covering most or all of the electric load, and pre-cools or pre-heats the home when the panels are at maximum output. In Ten Mile’s mixed-humid climate, this typically cuts heating and cooling energy use by 10–20 %, boosting the share of solar power you use on-site and shrinking your monthly TVA bill.
Will a thermostat upgrade qualify for federal or Tennessee incentives when combined with solar panels?
Yes. The federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (Section 25C) allows you to claim 30 % of the cost of an ENERGY STAR-certified smart thermostat—up to $150—starting in 2023. Although the thermostat alone does not earn the larger 30 % Residential Clean Energy Credit (which is reserved for solar hardware), combining both projects on the same tax return is allowed. At the state level, Tennessee currently has no separate rebate, but local TVA power distributors sometimes run limited-time smart thermostat programs that provide $50–$100 bill credits. We monitor these incentives for our Ten Mile customers and file the paperwork for you.
Can your technicians integrate my existing solar array with a new high-efficiency heat pump and smart thermostat?
Absolutely. During the initial visit we inspect your PV system’s inverter, production meter, and any existing monitoring devices. We then select a thermostat model—such as ecobee SmartThermostat or Google Nest—that can communicate with both your heat pump and solar monitoring platform via Wi-Fi or a dedicated API. Our licensed HVAC electricians program the thermostat to receive solar production data so it can automatically shift heavy HVAC loads to sunny hours, maximizing self-consumption and keeping export credits high under the TVA rate structure.
What happens during a typical thermostat upgrade appointment in Ten Mile?
1. Pre-visit call to confirm your HVAC make/model and Wi-Fi strength. 2. On-site electrical safety check and thermostat removal (takes 10 min). 3. Verification of 24-V common wire or installation of a power extender if needed. 4. Mounting and wiring of the new smart thermostat baseplate. 5. Firmware update, Wi-Fi pairing, and connection to your solar monitoring app. 6. Walk-through of scheduling, geofencing, voice-control, and energy-report screens. Most jobs take 60–90 minutes and require no drywall repair. We finish by testing both heating and cooling cycles to be sure they respond correctly in Ten Mile’s spring and fall swing seasons.
Do smart thermostats still work during power outages or at night when the solar panels aren’t producing?
Yes. Even when the panels are offline at night, the thermostat draws milliwatts of power from the HVAC control board, so programming and schedules remain active. During a grid outage, operation depends on whether you have battery backup: • With battery storage or a whole-home generator, the thermostat and HVAC system continue as normal. • Without backup, the thermostat’s internal battery will keep settings for several hours, but the HVAC equipment cannot run until power is restored. Either way, your data and custom schedules are saved in the cloud and will automatically sync once connectivity returns.
What is the expected payback period for a thermostat upgrade when paired with solar HVAC improvements in Ten Mile’s climate?
A smart thermostat in the Ten Mile area typically saves $120–$180 per year on heating and cooling costs. Installed cost after the 30 % federal credit averages $200–$250. That produces a simple payback of 1.5–2.0 years—often faster when combined with time-of-use savings and TVA demand response incentives. When bundled with a heat-pump upgrade and solar panels, the thermostat’s incremental cost is small, yet it can add 5–8 % to the overall energy savings of the system, improving the return on investment across the entire project.