Adding solar power to your
home is a great, long term solution to high energy bills
Solar Energy Is Hot
by: Stephanie Foster
No doubt you've heard plenty
about solar power but always thought it was too expensive, aside
from minor uses in the now popular garden lighting systems. However,
with fuel prices climbing and solar cells becoming more reasonable,
adding solar power to your home is a great, long term solution to
high energy bills.
That isn't to say they're
cheap. Before rebates, it typically takes 12 or more years for a
homeowner to make their investment in solar panels back. That's much
longer than the average person is willing to wait. However, many
states now offer rebates, so the final cost to the homeowner is much
less than it use to be. The rebates vary from state to state, so
it's impossible to say how much of an impact they have overall.
There may also be federal incentives.
Solar panels are also
steadily becoming more efficient. They produce more energy than they
used to. They require relatively little maintenance, many of which
you may be able to do yourself. This helps to make them very cost
effective.
Solar energy isn't just for
making electricity. You can use it heat the water for your swimming
pool or heat your home. There are many options available for those
who are interesting in building an energy efficient home without
sacrificing comfort.
Solar power is much, much
cheaper than it used to be, as prices have fallen by 90% since the
1970s. That doesn't make it cheap - yet! - to install enough
photovoltaic cells to power a house, but in some areas the
incentives given to install solar cells cuts the overall cost to the
homeowner about in half.
To decide if solar energy is
right for you, take some basic figures into consideration.
Check your energy
consumption. You need to know how big a system you will need to
power your home. Make sure you consider your highest consumption
levels and the possibility that it will grow somewhat.
Find out how much a
photovoltaic system to meet your need will cost you. The size will
depend both on your energy need and on the available sunlight (solar
resource) in your area.
Find out what rebates and
incentives are available to you to help decrease your costs.
Consider whether your system
will be on the grid or off. On the grid has the advantage that you
can sell when you have an excess and buy electricity when you don't
have enough, while with an off the grid system you have a battery to
store your excess.
Consider what the
environmental benefits are worth to you. This is a personal factor
rather than a direct economic one. It won't save you money, but
knowing that you're contributing a little less to pollution might
change how you feel about the expense.
Choosing to use solar power
in your home is an investment you can appreciate on many levels.
Over a number of years it will save you money as you generate
environmentally friendly energy. It's not cheap to get started, but
when you combine the environmental benefits with decreasing your
reliance on fuel costs you can certainly appreciate the
possibilities.
Stephanie Foster is the
owner of
http://www.seriouslysolar.com You can learn more about
using solar
power by visiting her website.
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