About Installing Solar Power For Homes
June 22, 2009 by admin
Filed under House and Home
Considering introducing solar power into your home? If you are, then here is everything you need to know about how much it might cost and how much work it will take.brbrMake a decision about what percentage of your home are you going to be running on a href=http://www.feedbite.com/user/samdeane/4796 target=’_blank’solar power/a. You could use solar power to heat your water tank. You could go further and take your home completely off-grid thus ensuring the whole house is running on solar power. Itrsquo;s up to you, but you have to find out the average amount of electricity your house uses per month.brbrTo calculate the average energy usage of your home, simply go find your monthly electricity bills for the last two years. Do some calculations. Be aware of the yearrsquo;s peak times, like Christmas when you would normally go through a lot more power than normal. We are trying to establish your homersquo;s a href=http://www.gosolarpowerforhomes.com/solar-power-for-homes/how-to-install-solar-power-for-homes-2 target=’_blank’solar power/a system so it can surely cope with whatever demands your home may plave upon it.brbrNow, for your security and peace of mind, multiply that amount by at least 1.5. If any extra electrical equipment is brought into your house you remain fully covered. So, by the time yoursquo;ve done this you will know how much solar power you need. This will also enable you to tell how many solar panels you need and what size they have to be. brbrThese days, you would almost always be best advised to look online when buying solar panels. Go to 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 donrsquo;t forget that these prices are a one time cost and solar panels tend to have a lifetime of at least 25 years.brbrIn every case, always employ a skilled, experienced solar power technician to install your solar power. Look for them online or in your telephone directory. Keep going until you have three quotations for the job, but donrsquo;t necessarily make your decision based only on the price. Cost is important, but you can gain extra reassurance of a job well done from an experienced solar power technician when installing solar power for homes. brbrYou will also have to shop around for a good quality inverter. Solar panels give out direct (DC) current when harnessing the sunrsquo;s energy. The inverter will convert this DC current into alternating (AC) current from which we can all enjoy running all our electrical toys and gizmos. brbrRoughly costing $2,000 together with perhaps $500 for installation, inverters tend to last about 10 years. Donrsquo;t forgetIf you want to go off the grid completely, good quality batteries are essential to store the excess solar power you pull down on sunny days. This reserve of energy can then be used to run your electrical equipment at night-time. The deep-cycle batteries you will need tend to cost $50 to $100. I suggest you buy 10 of them. Expect to have to get new ones every 3-5 years.brbrBe sure to enquire your local authorities if they will give you any assistance for the cost of installing solar energy. Most local authorities offer some form of tax credits for this job. Ask your local electricity company as well. They might have some good incentives or special deals. Do this right and you could save 50% off the total cost or more.brbrAlthough it is essential you get a qualified electrician, itrsquo;s reassuring to know that installing solar energy doesn’t mean you have to have a lot of electrical work. Generally. However, this is rarely an extensive job. Just donrsquo;t forget to be sure to use an experienced, qualified electrician.brbrSolar power is a long-term investment. When calculating the value of installing solar power, the question is, What is the payback time? After everything is all paid off, you have can kick back and relax knowing that you now have a house that will run on free solar power for lost of years to come!brbrbr




