Installing a home battery or solar before tax credits end? Use this to assess your home first

As homeowners, few things get us lathered up quite like comparing our homes to the homes of our friends, family, and neighbors.

Whether it's a point of pride or frustration, we have a hard-wired need to share and overshare our home-related wins and losses.

Also: Stop waiting for an emergency to upgrade your home's tech - there's a better way

There are certain areas of the home, however, that have elevated potential to bring value to our lives beyond bragging rights or short-term fixes. Home energy tech, in particular -- while much of it is still nascent and yet to achieve widespread adoption -- is quickly becoming fertile ground for home-to-home comparison. 

Here's the challenge: From the power-starved house to the energy-optimized smart home, there's a wide disparity of power needs and technology that characterize each situation, making it harder to draw comparisons or ...