Solar Energy for Your Home – 3 Great Tips

Friday, April 9th, 2010 at 2:07 am

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Solar Energy for your Home

Here are my top three tips on dealing with the question on whether or not you should evaluate installing a system to generate solar energy for your home. By using these tips, you can potentially save thousands of dollars in energy costs during the year. Just think how much happier you and your family would be, as well as realizing how the home generation and use of solar power helps the environment.

Tip number one: Get knowledgeable on the topic.

If you just go and say, “hey, let’s install some solar panels”, you could be in for a rude awakening. What you need to see is that there are basically 2 ways to go about it. The first one can be VERY high-priced, and it involves hiring a contractor to buy and install a complete solar energy system. This is a very expensive proposition which could cost in the tens of thousands of dollars, so find out if it is worth it in the long run with the money you will save.

The second way is to do it yourself. This is not as difficult as it might seem, and there are several very good DYI solar energy guides available for fewer than fifty bucks. The most important thing here with either option is to do your research!

Tip number two: Don’t feel you have to get it all done at the same time

The first thing to remember is that you do not need install solar panels for your entire home when starting out. You can start the project little by little, allowing certain sections or systems of your house to run on solar power at a time. A do it yourself system can be installed to heat your hot water only. Depending on where you live, this can save you a bundle right there, and it is a project that can be done in a weekend.

With solar panels, the more you have, the more power can be stored to run things. After you have your hot water from this method, you can expand out for there at your own pace. It is a very doable thing.

Tip number three: Look at your living situation and see what other uses you can come up with.

If you live in a house, look at all the things that use electricity. If you have a pool for example, or a hot tub, this is one of the perfect uses for the sun. Many newer units can be purchased with the solar heating and powering system already installed. If you have an older unit, a simple DIY solar panel system will work.

Your outdoor lighting system is another great candidate for solar power usage. Technology has advanced and solar batteries are great. One other thing, speaking of batteries, do not forget buying solar powered electronics such as solar powered Bluetooth headsets, cell phones and MP3 players.

Of course these tips are only scratching the surface. Luckily, we live in the internet age where the correct information is just a simple search away. There is so much information out there on how to save tons of money and help the environment at the same time.