Wednesday, January 9, 2013

The Advantages Of Using Solar Energy For Your Home

By Adam Revell


Solar energy is a form of power that is clearly derived from sunlight. Solar power can be utilized in a wide variety of applications. Through architectural techniques, it can be used to heat a home. Through more conventional panel applications, it can be used to power a car. Further, people can utilize the sun to purify water that would be otherwise unfit for humans to drink. Each of these takes on solar power will be discussed in this article.

One interesting advantage of using solar energy is being able to sell power back to your local utility power company. Many of the utility power companies have programs where they will buy excess energy generated by your solar panels. The way it usually works is a device is installed in your home which measures the excess energy generated, after your home energy usage. The amount of excess energy is siphoned off and purchased by the utility power company.

Another thing that you should do is ensure that your walls and attic are properly insulated. If you are cooling your home and you do not have the right insulation, then a lot of the air that you are cooling is being wasted. Just by ensuring that you have the proper insulation in your home will help you save a lot of money and help you get the most out of the energy that you harness from the sun.

The installation itself is something that you'll probably want a little assistance with. A friend or neighbor who knows his or her way around a drill can really speed up the installation process. In order to minimize the amount of time you'll have to spend scrabbling around on your roof, review the instructions thoroughly ahead of time and develop a detailed plan for how you're going to do the work. Gather all of the necessary equipment in advance and make sure it's ready for the installation. If you prepare properly, installing your solar panels should be a one-day job.

Let your family know how the solar panels you are putting in your home are going to work. When they understand that during the colder months of the year, when the sun does not shine as bright, they should not use as much electricity, they will begin to follow your lead. Tell them to turn off the lights, stop using the TV and computer as much and to conserve as much energy as possible when the weather is blocking direct sunlight from your solar panels. Although they still get energy from the sun, it is not as direct and therefore not as much.

What does the future of solar power hold for you and your home? As mentioned above, solar power cells are getting more efficient all the time. Today, an extensive roof-top installation can just meet the power needs of a house in an ideal environment. Some lucky homeowners with the right set-ups even generate more solar power than they can use, and they pick up a tidy profit by selling electricity back to the utility company. You can expect the number of homeowners doing this to rise as the technology improves, and you may well be one of them!

Finally, do some research into the tax rebates and incentives that are available to you in your area. Once you have made contact with local contractors and decided on the company for you, they should be able to help you through this process. There is often paperwork and verification that needs to be done, so don't shy away from conversations with your contractor for help on these issues.

Now that the time and money is spent it's time to relax in your energy saving home. You have just paid a large portion of your electric bill for the next 25 years!




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