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Is It Possible to Have A Solar Power System In Your House?

Find out how easy it is for you to get solar heating as soon as possible.

The sun has been with us from the beginning but many of us don’t use any of its great potential. Due to the high electric bills, there is increasing interest in alternative sources of energy. Of course there are environmental reasons to consider the switch, but from solely a financial point of view it is worth looking into whether you can have solar power in your house. Many individuals worldwide have embraced the use of solar energy. With every technological improvement and the decline in price, many houses nowadays are switching over to solar power. With merely a couple of solar batteries, and even a small amount of sunlight, you can get plenty of electrical energy for your household.

For the most part, nearly all existing houses are not built to take advantage of all the sunlight available. Think of all the older houses you have seen that don’t even take advantage of the sun for lighting purposes. More efficient designs nowadays, however, have made it more painless to create electricity without needing a lot of sunlight. Today’s solar panel systems are installed at a steeper angle, which allows for better generation of energy, even when the dwelling faces in the wrong direction. Many systems today use a rail system which allows the solar panels to be positioned for maximum exposure. Also, the design is set up for easy expansion and growth later.

If you would like to install a solar panel, you should review your current electricity requirements. Once you have worked out your home’s electricity consumption, you will know how big a solar power system you will need. If you have a limited budget, you can start small and see if you need to expand later on. Using this system as an alternative, in the coming months, you should be able to reduce your expenses by as much as 80%. A simple solar energy system could start off with powering the outdoor lights then moving into the home.

The most crucial element in your solar panel system is the inverter. You have to see to it that you have the right size as the inverter will convert DC to AC. If you don’t have the proper size, the system won’t be effective. Even if you start out small, getting a big inverter will make room for expansion at a later time. Don’t try to install the inverter yourself, but hire a professional electrician to put it in for you. The toughest part of putting in your solar power system is connecting it to the electricity in your house. Keep away from electricity, unless you are a professional electrician.

Today is a great time to get solar power for your home as state and federal governments are providing incentives. Helping to stay clean and efficient plus doing it without a great deal of money should be inducement enough to set up an a solar energy system. This is a wonderful beginning to trying to live a green lifestyle.

Here is an interesting news story on an actual ‘zero energy home’. It produces all of its own energy! The whole house runs on solar energy and uses both active solar power and passive solar heating systems. In fact, the house converts so much solar power that it sells it back to the power company for other houses to use. The story estimates this ends up saving over $2000 a year on their heating bill.

The house takes solar energy from its solar panels on the roof. However, it also uses passive solar heating systems in the form of triple-pane insulated windows. From some of the images shown it also looks like it uses insulation in the roof at the least. I would imagine it also uses a passive solar water heater to further save on power usage. The house looks very bright, so must allow plenty of sun and heat through accurate and generous window placement.

In the spirit of the ‘green living’ the house actually uses recycled soda bottles for carpet! It even looks surprisingly comfortable. The news article bills it as the first affordable zero energy home, priced at around $260,000. It is a great example of solar technology getting cheap enough to actually use. I also like how it combines active and passive solar heating systems to produce an extremely energy efficient home. It is still a bit pricey for me at the moment, but I’m happy to save money with my DIY solar water heater in the meantime!

Naturally the term ‘solar’ means ‘from the sun’. Since the world began it has been used for heat and light. Solar energy can be used throughout the home in a variety of ways. When machinery is used to convert that energy it is known as ‘active’ solar power. However, it can also be ‘passive’, meaning the sun basically shines on a certain place and heats it up. Solar heating in the home can involve having a solar hot water system or passive solar water heater. However, it might just involve preheating the air in the house to comfortable temperatures; houses can be designed in specific ways to make this more efficient. More advanced options of solar heating systems might be using solar panels for electricity.

Solar energy is a renewable energy source as opposed to fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, which are not renewable. However, fossil fuels have been historically cheaper to use. While passive solar heating systems have been used in houses for decades, such as sky lights and passive solar water heaters, the technology for using active solar heating has been expensive. This price is reducing greatly as technology improves and more people begin to use solar electricity. People have also begun to make homemade solar water heaters and panels.