Monday, December 31, 2012

The Benefits Of Using Solar Energy For Your Home's Energy Needs

By Jeffrey Barkley


Now that you have your beautiful new solar power generation system in place all you need to do is sit back and enjoy 25 years of energy savings. Wrong! While maintenance on these systems is cheap and simple, failing to do it can cost you both in replacement parts and the fact that your system will stop functioning as well as it could.

Assess your energy needs carefully. Find out how many solar panels would be necessary to cover your usual energy needs and look for ways to reduce the amount of energy you use. Perhaps you could invest in skylight tubes to benefit from natural sunlight instead of electricity. You could replace your light bulbs with more sustainable ones and change your schedule so you can use natural lighting most of the time. You will find that making a few changes to your lifestyle can have a huge impact on your utilities bill.

There are many reasons why selecting solar power is a wise choice. First, whenever you install a solar panel, you don't have to do much to maintain it. Second, due to the fact you don't have to do much upkeep, you don't have to spend a lot of money once you get past the initial investment. Nothing can be more cost-effective than a free source of energy, the sun. Third, you are helping to protect the environment. Your carbon footprint is being drastically reduced when you choose solar power.

You will only get energy when the sun is up. You may not need direct sunlight; you can still generate power as long as the UV rays are penetrating the atmosphere. But in terms of gathering electricity at night, it's simply not going to happen.

Find a solar energy specialist and have him or her inspect your property and assess your energy needs. You will also need to determine whether or not your property gets enough exposure to the sun. You might have to cut down a few trees to reduce shadows, but in some cases, other sources of green energy might be better options for you. Solar energy is usually the best option in the South-West of the U.S.; even a slightly overcast sky is not ideal to produce solar power.

Are you ready to pay for the installation and maintenance or repairs that need to be done to the solar panels? Solar panels usually need a professional to install them, unless you have the experience. They also will need maintenance on a regular basis. Is the cost going to be worth it?

Few people think of ways to use passive heating when they are designing their homes. The fact is that passive solar heating is becoming very popular with architects and if you are thinking of building a house, you should give thought to working this into your design. By using differential heating, you can create a manner of ventilating your homes by creating zones of differential temperatures.

This information is just the tip of what you need to know before getting a solar system installed in your home. Keep doing your research and you will soon be able to start planning your new, greener life.




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