Heres How You Can Install Solar Power For Your Home

Considering introducing solar power into your home? Well, if so, you’ll be pleased to hear that I have gathered together some information so you can get a good idea of how much it will cost and exactly what the scale of the job is.

Make a decision about how much of your house do you actually want to be run on solar power. You could use solar power to provide a water-heating system. You could go further and take your home completely off-grid thus ensuring the whole house is running on solar power. It’s up to you, but you have to find out what your home’s monthly average electric usage actually is.

To work out the average energy usage of your home, simply dig out your monthly electricity bills going back over the last two years. Do some calculations. Be aware of the year’s peak times, like Christmas when you would normally go through a lot more power than normal. We are trying to set up your home’s solar power system so it definitely can cope with whatever demands your home may plave upon it.

Now, so you can sleep easy at nights, multiply that amount by at least 1.5. If any extra appliances are brought into your home you remain fully covered. So, by the time you’ve done this you will know how much solar energy you need. This will also enable you to tell how many solar panels you will have to buy and what size they have to be.

In this day and age, your best bet is to buy solar panels online. Check out Ebay and enter the words “solar panel pallet” exactly as is. Sit back and be prepared to be amazed by the incredible bargains you will find there. If you think they seem expensive, please bare in mind that these prices are a one time cost and solar panels tend to have a lifetime of at least 25 years.

Without exception, always employ a skilled, experienced solar power technician to install your solar power. Look for them online or in your phone book. Keep going until you have three quotations for the job, but don’t necessarily choose based entirely on the price. Cost is important, but you can gain extra reassurance of a job well done from an established solar power technician when installing solar power for homes.

You will also have to shop around for a good quality inverter. When solar panels harness the sun’s energy they turn that energy into direct (DC) current. The inverter will convert this DC current into alternating (AC) current from which we can all enjoy running all our electrical toys and gizmos.

Roughly costing $2,000 together with perhaps $500 for installation, inverters tend to last about 10 years. Bare in mind solar panels.

If you want to go off the grid completely, it is essential that you use good quality batteries to store the excess solar power you pull down on sunny days. Use this reserve of power to run your electrical equipment at night-time. The deep-cycle batteries will probably cost $50 to $100. You will probably need to buy about 10 of them. Expect to have to get new ones every 3-5 years.

Always ask if you can get any support from local government for the price of installing solar energy. Most local government agencies offer some form of tax credits for this job. Ask your local electricity company as well. They may give you a special deal or give you some incentive package perhaps. Do this right and you could save 50% off the total cost or more.

Although it is essential you get a qualified electrician, it’s reassuring to know that installing solar energy doesn’t mean you have to have a lot of electrical work. Generally. However, this is not often an extensive job. I repeat though, be sure to use a qualified, experienced electrician.

Solar power is a long-term investment. When calculating the value of installing solar power, the question is, “What is the payback time?” After you have paid everything off, you have can sit back and relax knowing that you now have a house that will be enjoying free solar power for lost of years to come!

What are Solar Pool Heaters?

Solar Pool heaters can greatly reduce your energy costs. They’re more cost effective than either gas or heat-pump swimming pool heaters. You’ll be able to save on annual operating costs once a solar pool heater system is installed. Best of all, a solar swimming pool heater can be used in most climates.

The typical solar pool heater system consists of a solar collector, a filter, a pump, and a flow-control valve.

- The solar collector is the device which the pool water passes through, to be heated by the sun.

- The filter removes the dirt and debris before the water is pumped into the solar collector.

- The pump is the what circulates the water through the filter and solar collector, and brings it back into the swimming pool.

- And finally, there’s the flow-control valve. It is either an automatic or a manual device, which redirects the water through the solar collector.

A solar pool heater system works in the following manner:

The water from the pool is pumped through the filter and then enters the solar collector, where it is again heated before it returns to the pool. In hot climates, the solar collector can also be utilized to cool the pool. It does this by circulating the water at night.

Some solar pool collectors use sensors and a valve, which redirects water through the solar collector when the collector temperature is greater than the pool water temperature. When both temperatures are the same, the filtered pool water will not return to the collector but will simply return to the pool.

There are different types of solar pool heating systems. They differ in the types of materials they are made out of. You will need to find out which type is best for your region’s climate, and how to use it.

There are glazed and unglazed solar collectors. If the temperature in your area reaches above freezing, then you’ll probably just need an unglazed solar collector. This is made out of heavy-duty rubber or plastic, treated with a UV light inhibitor. Unglazed solar collectors are cheaper than their glazed counterparts, because the parts are inexpensive, and their design is simple.

Glazed solar collectors are typically made from copper tubing and aluminum plates, with iron-tempered glass covers. These are quite expensive, but in colder weather, this type of system is more efficient in heating pool water than unglazed collectors are. Glazed solar collector systems can also be used as domestic hot water heaters. Both types of solar pool heating systems need to have freeze protection when used in harsh cold weathers.

As you can see, solar pool heater systems can be a good investment. You’ll save a lot of money in terms of energy costs, in the long run.

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For more information on solar pool heaters, and how to choose the solar pool heating system which is right for you, visit Solar Pool Heaters or DIY Solar Pool Heaters.

Anna Williams is the webmaster of a website on Solar Energy.