Mindzle

Posts Tagged ‘solar home’

Many people believe that converting your home to a solar home is expensive, but that is really not the case. If you already own the home, you can make a few modifications that will accommodate the generators and solar panels.

It will be a bit pricey if you hire a contractor to design the plan for your solar powered home. You can cut the cost considerably by making the solar panels yourself. You don’t have to have a background in physics since making the solar panels for your home is very easy as long as you are able to follow directions.

You may be pleasantly surprised that there are many books and resources available on the Internet that will teach you how to fully functional solar panels. Before you begin to convert your home into a solar powered home there are some things to be considered.

The first step that needs to be taken to convert a home to solar power is to draw up a precise plan. People often get so caught up in the excitement of helping our environment that they purchase the very first renewable energy system they find.

Although it is not necessary to be a genius to harness the power of the sun, you need a good action plan so you can reach your goals with ease. It is really not necessary to replace your windows or change the roof in order to accommodate the new solar power system.

It will also pay to start checking the options that are available when you want to make a solar home. If you are low on cash, you can help the environment even more by searching for materials for the solar generators from recycled or junk materials.

Think outside of the box and look for an eco-friendly solution for your family. If you do this you will be teaching your kids to be conscious and resourceful regarding the many benefits of recycling.

The installation of the system is an important step in your efforts to convert your home to a solar home. The installation is critical since improper installation could affect the ability of the panels to generate solar. If you want to avoid future headaches it would be a good idea to hire professionals for the job. However, if you are confident with your skills then there is absolutely no reason you can’t install the system on your own.

Don’t forget that the government wants people to convert their homes to eco-friendly dwellings so they are offering rebates and tax credits to encourage people to use renewable energy sources.

You can read more from Steven C. Jones on his blog about solar homes and renewable energy.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_C._Jones

I live in the desert Southwestern areas of the United States, and solar power is something I’ve been heavily interested in for years. Since this area of the country tends to have 300+ days of sunshine each and every year, it makes sense for me to take advantage of that in my home.

Putting in a full solar powered home energy system can be expensive though, particularly if you have a large family. I don’t know why I thought I had to do it all at once though. It’s pretty simple to take smaller steps forward, and you can really see the difference in bills from the start.

I can’t stomach the thought of spending two to three hundred dollars or more each and every month for the entire rest of my life. So the first step I decided to take was reducing consumption.

– I replaced every lightbulb I could with the energy efficient “pigtail” bulbs. I was honestly amazed that doing this knocked the overall electric bill down quite a bit.

– I sealed up various cracks and drafy spots around the house. We live in an old rental house that hasn’t been cared for over the years, so drafts in the summer and winter are horrible. Blocking the drafts made a huge difference in keeping the house at more comfortable temperatures throughout the year.

– I started using more of the sun’s natural solar energy. I open my curtains in the winter so the sun can help heat my home. I also place water jugs in the sun so they can store heat during the day. At night, these are excellent heat source supplements to our small space heater.

I’ve also been trying out various forms of natural convection heating, solar power heating, and I’ve been learning how to create my own solar panels too.

Solar panel prices can vary quite a bit, but they’re cheaper if you’re willing to install them yourself. I’ve found ready made residential solar panels for as low as $700. I was surprised to learn you can make your own solar panels pretty easily, usually for less than $200, but I’m not sure if I’ll try that yet myself or not. And since you can install the solar system a little at a time, those low costs make it so much easier to get started.