October is settling in. On the East coast especially, it really feels like fall. Autumn brings with it some wonderful things, like fresh apples and crisp blue days; but it also brings colder weather and shorter days, meaning your furnace kicks in and your lights are on longer. Energy bills go up. A solar installation that was providing 75 percent of your electrical consumption now might only be providing 50-60 percent if you have electric heat and use traditional incandescent bulbs. Partly this is also because the solar panels receive fewer hours of direct sunlight during the shorter autumn and winter days.

So if you want your solar array to keep supplying as much of your electricity as possible, it’s important to make sure your home is energy efficient. How do you do this effectively? The best first step is to get a home energy audit. Sometimes free through local state or utility-sponsored programs, they never cost more than a couple hundred dollars and can save you thousands in the long run. A professional energy auditor can identify not just where air leaks occur and tell you if you need a new water heater (for instance), but can provide solutions on both the small and large-scale investment levels. If you need new appliances or HVAC components, they can even help you figure out which ones might be eligible for state rebates.

Many states offer free energy conservation resources. Here’s a few major ones on the East coast:

So if you have a solar installation in New Jersey or anywhere in the New England area, get started with a home energy audit to make sure you’re getting the most out of solar.