Posts Tagged ‘energy’

Are You Prepared For A Solar Energy Upgrade?

Tuesday, September 11th, 2012

There are a variety of different reasons for adding solar power to your home. Not only will this reduce your monthly energy costs, but it also will reduce your overall carbon footprint. Solar energy can also increase the value of your home. Keep reading to find out some helpful information on solar energy.

Reduced carbon footprint. When you think about the fact that your solar powered system will not emit any harmful emissions or otherwise pose a threat to future generations, you cannot help but want one. Reducing pollution is a primary motivator for consumers seeking to power-up with PV systems.

One of the most obvious benefit of using solar energy is cost. The sun is constantly giving off free energy, we just need to tap into in. There are ways we can save on our every day electricity with solar energy. One option is to install solar panels on the roof of our homes. People who currently use this technology find they save about ninety percent on their monthly electrical bill. While converting your home to utilize solar energy will require an initial expenditure, you will get your investment back with substantial energy cost savings.

In addition, you might continue to use electricity in addition to using solar energy if you find that solar energy doesn’t provide you enough energy to meet your needs. This is problematic because if you do this, you’ll still have a large electricity bill as well as large installation costs for your solar panels.

Make certain that the product you are considering will come with a certificate for you to use for tax credits. The tax credits are not available for all products or for all products manufactured by a single company; you must ask about the specific product you’re interested in. Include research into any state tax benefits you might be eligible for that will impact your choice of product.

Find out how much your solar panels are going to cost you. Get in touch with a professional and have him or her inspect your property. The exposure of your property and size of your household will determine how many solar panels you need and what kind of technology you should invest in. Once you get a better idea of how much this investment will cost you, you can figure out how many years you will have to make payments on your system. In most cases, you will start saving money on your energy bills after fifteen years. Solar energy is a good investment if you intend on staying in your home for a long time.

This is the most popular way to bring solar power to your home. Unfortunately, it’s also rather expensive. The good news here is that there are a few ways to offset the costs and to actually profit. You can receive tax breaks for your solar panels, and you can also sell solar power back to your grid. So as long as you have the right rig, you can cut your energy costs by 100% and even make money.

With the high cost of energy and our society becoming more environmentally conscious, the demand for alternate energy sources is at an all time high. With this in mind, solar energy is one of the best choices available. This energy source is inexpensive, environmentally clean and always available. Implement the suggestions outlined in this article and you will not regret making the switch to solar power.

If you are searching for more particular information about Build Your Own Solar Panel, I highly recommend you visit the How to Install Solar Power Systems Blog.

New Innovations In Solar Energy For Homes Revealed

Friday, September 7th, 2012

This article will address some of the most intriguing solar energy facts. Solar energy is generally one of the most ecologically sound and desirable sources of power these days. Let’s get going with the obvious. Solar power has been in existence since the dawn of time. It has been used by microbial, plant, and animal life as a primary energy supply. Plants, using photosynthesis, create nearly all of the food on the earth and are at the base of the food chain. Furthermore the fossil fuels we rely on so heavily nowadays are created from plants and animals that lived a long time ago. Only in recent times have human beings been able to capture solar energy so that it may be utilized any time of day and night, and in any weather, stored and transferred.

Water heaters work in the same way solar lights do. They have their own solar power generators attached, creating heat from the sun, so you don’t need to tie them in with the rest of the home. Solar water heaters are a great way to save a lot of money on your hot water. They might be a little more expensive than regular water heaters, but they last longer and will pay for themselves.

In order to use solar panels effectively, you have to know how to properly use them. Solar panels are not overly complicated, but there are many things you must know in order to take the best advantage of them. Try researching different ways to use solar panels so you can save energy as well as save money.

The next reason to use solar energy is the cost benefits. With tax credits and incentives from your local utility company and your city, state and federal government, the initial expense can be far less than you think. On top of the tax credits and incentives, your monthly utility bill is drastically decreased. When you consider these things, most people break even on their investment in about seven years.

When you install panels on your home, you are making an investment in your home. Not only are you going to save my by lowering your electric bill each month but also you are going to be increasing the value of your home. A home with solar panels will sell much higher than a comparable home without because solar panels are such a powerful commodity.

When everything is said and done, you get to enjoy the benefits of your new solar panels for a long while. Every month that you stay in your home, you will be saving a good amount of money on your electric bill. Additionally, you are helping out the environment when you utilize green energies like solar power.

One of the most liked benefits of a solar system is that the systems are really quiet. You won’t have to hear squeaking like a wind turbine. You won’t hear any motors or generators kicking on or off. You won’t hear much of anything at all.

These are just some of the initial ideas to consider in determining whether to install solar panels in your home. If you can afford the initial outlay, the chances are that your investment will pay you back in the long run. When you can take advantage of local, state and federal incentives, you may very well recoup your investment in less than seven years. If that sounds like a reasonable time, then you should move forward with your decision.

Do you need more advanced tips on how to build a solar power system for your home? You can find all the information you need here – Residential Solar Power Systems, How to Install Solar Power at Home.

Answers About Solar Power

Wednesday, September 5th, 2012

Home solar systems are no longer rocket science. Putting solar on the roof of a house is as easy as hiring a contractor. Those cells either heat water or convert light to electricity (photovoltaic). If it generates electricity the juice is either used, stored in batteries, or fed back into the power grid for storage. Unfortunately, instead of embracing the big pictures, most people feel they need to understand the details of the picture before they can make the move to solar.

At first glance, that makes sense. After all, this in new technology. Well, actually, the first photovoltaic cell was created in the late 1800s. So, it isn’t new. Although, it would be fair to say that it has only become efficient enough in the last thirty years to be a viable option.

In truth, there are a number of technologies out there with wide acceptance regardless of a lack of understanding of the exact mechanisms involved. How many people have cell phones who wouldn’t know how to build one? Case in point, a majority of people could no more build an electric generator than a solar panel.

Putting those aside, the real issues remain. Consumers are mainly concerned with issues of cost and benefit. Also, They Want To Know How The experience of have solar will be different.

The typical home system costs between eighteen and forty thousand dollars. Although numerous local, state and federal programs offer tax incentives for going green with solar power. There are also a number of companies that offer creative financing for systems.

This does add to the number of things in the house that can break. Roof maintenance is certainly more difficult with all that solar equipment in the way. In cold climates, solar panels heating water can freeze, which necessitates the use of anti-freeze. Also, having a single solar panel go out can drop the production of the entire system by more than a quarter, so that needs to be monitored. If the system has a battery backup, those batteries need periodic checking for fluid level. Fortunately, most solar systems come with a twenty five year warranty.

The benefit of the system is free power, for photovoltaic, or free hot water. The value of that is directly related to the cost of electricity from the local utility grid. Since most utility company pricing is vulnerable to oil price considerations, it is unlikely, with diminishing fossil fuel reserves, that those prices will go any direction but up. Taking the projected power output of the system and multiplying that by the current cost from the grid and projecting a reasonable rate increase percentage, gives a good idea how quickly the system pays for itself. Then, after that, it’s free electricity.

Home solar require a large initial dollar investment. The few added maintenance tasks are less involved than maintaining a hot tub. The system will usually pay for itself around seven to ten years, and it is guaranteed to last at least twenty five. After that, who knows what mankind will be using for power.

For more info on Solar Energy, check out my Solar Power blog.

New Innovations In Solar Energy For Homes Revealed

Tuesday, August 28th, 2012

Solar energy is a trend in homes that is meant to reduce our carbon emissions, as well as hopefully getting out from under the power company’s thumb. While solar technology has not become cheaper than traditionally generated power in a home setting, understanding the basics will give you some idea of what you might want to add to your home.

Seven years may seem like a long time, especially if you are planning on moving in the near future. You may think that if you moved, you would not be able to recoup that money you spent, but actually you probably would. Homes outfitted with solar energy can command a higher resale price, and they are much more marketable than homes without solar energy.

Do you have lights to enhance your garden, patio or walkways? There is now solar powered lighting that requires no wiring at all. This is also a great idea for anyone that does not already have lighting, as it will take less work and save you money by not having to wire a professional to set it up. Before you invest in outdoor solar powered lighting be sure to investigate how well each brand has been reviewed by consumers. There are, like there are with any product, better models than others, and the prices can vary as well. Also look for any models that have a long life span so that you do not have to continuously purchase replacements. That will save you headaches and money over time.

Using solar paneling often saves you money in the long run because you are using less electricity. However, you need to make sure you are using as little electricity as possible before deciding to switch to solar. If you are installing solar panels so that you can continue to use unnecessarily large amounts of energy, you’ll end up installing a lot of paneling, which is expensive.

Make sure solar energy is the best option for you. You should know that most solar panels will work best if the sky is clear. The best area for solar energy in the U.S. is in the South-West. If you live in a state where you cannot count on clear skies and warm weather throughout the year, you should think about investing in a different kind of green energy. Perhaps a small wind turbine or geothermal energy could be better alternatives.

Just like heating your home you can use solar power to produce enough electricity to run the appliances and electronics in your home. The solar power is converted to actual electricity that will be hooked to a generator in your home.

While it is nice to save money, the main reason that a lot of people opt for solar energy is the fact that it is clean. Solar energy harnesses the power of the sun. It does not require the use of fossil fuels, turbines or distributions systems. Solar energy takes the light that would hit your home anyway and converts it into something that you can use.

Cutting back on energy consumption can really help you solar energy remain in the black, cutting your spending to power companies. You can send power back into the grid by making effective changes. Become more energy efficient, and make that switch to solar.

The author of this post would like to invite you to visit his other informative sites about Solar Energy. You can check them out here – DIY Residential Solar Power, Solar Power for Homes.

Deciding If Solar Energy Is Right For You And Your Home

Wednesday, July 18th, 2012

Solar energy systems in the home have been gaining popularity in recent years due to all the benefits that they can provide homeowners. The below article outlines all the benefits that can be derived from using solar energy in your home.

On the upside, sunlight is a free source of energy that can save you a lot of money over time. It is also a green energy that is beneficial for the environment.

First of all, you’ll find that the cost of heating and cooling your home (often the lion’s share of your home energy bill) is far lower if your house is built using passive solar design principles. Obviously, this is not a weekend home-improvement project, but it’s definitely something you should keep in mind if you have a large-scale renovation in your future. If you intend to build a house of your own someday, passive solar techniques can make it exceptionally cheap to run.

Check with the installation company to see how long the installation is going to take. Plan out the installation, keep doing research, make sure you know how to use the equipment, and be on your way to continuously going green within your home.

For someone looking to use solar energy for their home, installing solar panels on your roof is the most important thing to do. Look into state and federal programs which subsidize the cost of solar panels. You will find that most, if not all, of your investment in solar energy panel may be subsidized by the government.

If your power bills are high, it could be beneficial to consider a solar energy installation for your home. Solar energy can reduce your bills considerably, if not all together. It is important that you are aware of your energy consumption in order to make an informed decision. Your bill could be high for a variety of reasons and there are ways to reduce your bill significantly without switching systems. If you leave appliances plugged in while they are not being used, or use them during peak hours, then you could make some small lifestyle changes that could have a big effect on your bill. That being said, solar energy won’t just change your bill today, but for the long run, which could save your family a lot of money.

Solar panels can be utilized to create electricity for your home or place of business. The energy that is stored in the panels can be utilized to run your air conditioner or any other electrical item that you have in your home in that same way that you utilize traditional power.

As you have learned, solar energy is a powerful source of alternative energy. With today’s technology you can use solar energy for your home’s electricity. You can also power your water heater, pool and other everyday devices in a very inexpensive way. As you have learned, there are many advantages to using solar energy in your home.

The author of this post would like to invite you to visit his other informative sites about Solar Energy. You can check them out here – Solar Power Costs and Benefits and Solar Panel Power Supply.