Start with project and equipment identity

Keep the proposal and final contract, installed equipment model and serial information, manuals, receipts, warranties, and dated installation records together. Where they apply, retain permits, inspection records, utility interconnection documents, and the final configuration supplied by the installer or utility.

The U.S. Department of Energy's homeowner solar guidance describes a process that includes understanding electricity use, assessing options, reviewing bids, financing, permits, and interconnection. Your applicable process can differ by location, utility, property, and project, so preserve the actual documents rather than assuming a generic checklist is complete.

  • Connect each document to the equipment and home it describes.
  • Preserve names, model identifiers, dates, units, and source organizations.
  • Mark missing or conflicting details instead of guessing.
  • Keep account numbers, financial records, and private files access-controlled.

Keep power, energy, and settings distinct

Equipment ratings, storage capacity, vehicle-charging power, and utility-bill energy are different quantities. Preserve the source unit—such as kW for power and kWh for energy—and do not convert or compare values without the required time and measurement basis.

When a provider or device reports a setting, operating state, or production total, keep the source, time period, and definition. A device-reported value is useful evidence, but it is not automatically a field-verified measurement or proof of whole-system performance.

Build a history without manufacturing a result

Keep pre- and post-project utility bills, service events, warranty contacts, parts replacements, and documented configuration changes. Compare like periods only when their dates, units, meter or account, and bill components are clear. Retain gaps, corrections, rate changes, and overlapping billing periods.

A lower bill after an upgrade does not by itself establish savings or efficiency. Weather, rates, billing-period length, occupancy, settings, charging, and other equipment may have changed. A defensible performance analysis needs a declared method, suitable measurements, context, and validation.

Use qualified help for physical and electrical work

Recordkeeping can prepare a more focused conversation, but it does not authorize installation, inspection, repair, emergency response, or code interpretation. Follow manufacturer instructions, applicable utility and permitting requirements, and qualified professional guidance for solar, battery, electrical, structural, and vehicle-charging work.

DwellMetry currently supports ordinary equipment, document, warranty, service, maintenance, and utility records. Solar, battery, EV, and home-upgrade optimization, forecasting, control, savings verification, and diagnosis remain long-term research topics rather than current customer capabilities.