How To Save Money With Solar Energy
One of the primary deterrents to solar energy installation is its initial expense. Right now, for the average American home, it’s still more expensive to buy the equipment for a solar home energy system, than a traditional fossil fuel home energy system. Here are a few facts to consider, however, when looking at the “bigger picture” of solar energy installation:
1. Using the sun’s energy by capturing it and using it in solar panels will help your home value appreciate.
2. Your solar home energy system will be paid for in about half its lifetime (25-30 years average lifetime).
3. A solar energy system is clean and non-polluting. It’s also maintenance-free or low maintenance, because it has no moving parts to break or replace.
4. Your local electric company will probably buy your excess energy if you generate more power than you need.
5. You may be eligible for government sponsored rebates and incentives.
If you’ve been keeping up with home building trends, you’ve undoubtedly noticed more and more home owners are interested in “going green,” resulting in a remarkable trend toward using as many renewable resources, including solar energy, for construction, as possible. Not only will this trend result in a rising value for “green” homes, it will also push costs for solar energy and other environmentally-friendly building supplies down.
If you’ve decided you really want solar energy when building or remodeling your home, but can’t convince yourself you can afford it…at least the initial installation cost…consider installing the system yourself. Solar panels installed by a contractor is much more expensive…bids are coming in that are 10 times or greater more than what you would pay if you did your own installation. There’s no rocket science involved in solar energy construction or installation. Basically, you have a specially constructed solar panel (a box, PV or photovoltaic cells, wire, soldering iron, connections, a cover made of tempered or plexiglass and silicone or other sealant), that captures the sunlight’s energy to activate the electrons on the PV cells. When those electrons move, and then are directed through your panel, they create an electrical chain. That goes through a charge controller in the form of a DC charge. Then, the charge gets either run through an inverter to transform it into 110 volt AC current, or it gets captured in a deep cycle storage battery. There are many DIY models on the Internet with tips, tricks, and instructions. Some are free and some charge a small amount. Look at Earth4Energy to find a clear instruction for a very reasonable amount.
And, of course, you can cut your energy costs by taking advantage of passive solar energy. Explore the most advantageous way to use the sun’s energy to direct sunlight to your home’s windows, floors and walls, in order to distribute heat in the winter, and reject it in the summer. There are no panels, mechanical or electrical devices involved in passive solar energy, but there are five elements of passive solar design that are critical for success. They include a collector - glass area through which sunlight enters the building; an absorber - hard, dark surface where sunlight hits and is absorbed as heat; thermal mass - material below or behind the absorber; distribution - the way in which the solar heat circulates; and control -blinds, awnings, roof overhangs, and differential thermostats.
Using passive, active, or a combination of the two, you can save money with a solar energy installation. Yes, you’ll likely pay more initially, although doing your own installation can certainly reduce that cost. But you’ll be reducing environmental damage to the planet, and you’ll also save money on your utility bills as fossil fuel expenses continue to escalate.
States CEO and President Rhone Resch, Solar Energy Industries Association, on Earth Day 2010: “Today we need to take action to accelerate the deployment of solar. If you are a homeowner or business owner, consider putting solar on your property or buying clean energy through your utility. And if you are a policymaker, consider incentives, like extending the federal Treasury Grant Program, that are working to stimulate more investment in solar.”
Large or small, whatever thing each of us might do that encourages and supports solar energy development, will benefit generations to come.
Want to find out more about home solar power costs, then visit Timothy Peters’s site at: www.HomeSolarPowerExplained.com
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