How do you use the sun? Do you let it wake you in the morning? Or do you enjoy lying out in it on a summer’s day? Do you use it to power your home or business? If not, today is the day to get started, so keep reading to find out more.
You should assess how much energy you need for your household before investing in a solar energy system. You will get the most out of your solar energy system if it is powerful enough to cover all your energy needs and allows you to sell a small quantity of power to the main grid.
If you decide to put solar energy panels on your home, remember to keep them clean. Your solar panels must reflect the sun’s rays in order to store the sun’s energy for use in your home or business. If they are dirty, they can not effectively do this. By keeping them clean, you will get the most bang for your buck!
If you want to get off the grid, you will need to store power for when the sun is not shining. Invest in a quality battery that can store large quantities of power over long periods of time or consider selling the energy you produce to the main power grid so you can keep drawing power from the grid.
Humans have taken advantage of the sun’s heat for thousands of years. A lot of energy can be saved by drying your clothes outdoors in sunny weather. This cuts down a lot on the energy used to dry your clothing in an electric or gas clothes dryer, and linens dried outside smell great.
One of the greatest benefits of solar energy is the fact that it will never run out. Short of the sun burning out, it will always be there to provide us power. Using solar energy is unlike any other energy source because it is a consistent power source and will be there until the end of days.
You should attend renewable energy fairs or visit renewable energy demonstration centers located in your area. You will get a chance to meet with experts and learn more about solar energy and the different types of panels you can invest in. You will make a better decision if you are properly educated.
Make sure you research and figure out mathematically your energy usage habits. Before switching to solar panel, you must know how you use energy. If you want to choose a properly sized solar energy system, this information is extremely important. Examine your power bills for a year and find the average amount of energy consumed seasonally.
You need to find an efficient way to finance your solar panels. Most homeowners borrow some money from their financial institution so they can cover the initial costs and then pay this money back in small monthly payments. You can even set the monthly payments so they correspond to your usual energy bills in order to keep a balanced budget.
Do not buy anything from vendors who put too much pressure on you. It’s common to find these salespeople in the solar energy industry. Salespeople should accept it when you tell them that you need some time to think. If a salesperson is relying on pressure to close sales, he probably has a very low level of confidence in the quality of his product. Making a decision under pressure can really hurt you in the long run.
If you have animals that require electric fencing to contain them, use solar powered fencing units to provide power for them. A great advantage to these systems is that they are completely mobile, and can be easily moved. If you are a horse owner who enjoys overnight horse-camping, the fencer can be easily taken along.
Ask your solar panel vendor about the certifications they have and about the testing of the panels you are interested in. You might qualified for some rebates offered by the government if you go through a certified vendor and choose panels that have received certifications too. Besides, this is a good way to make sure you are getting a quality product.
The amount of energy your solar panel will produce is rated by watts. For example, if your solar panel is rated 100 watts, then on a clear day, your solar panel will produce 100 watts per hour. To find out how much electricity you need to produce, look at your electric bill and divide the total by 30 days and then divide it by 3 as there is generally bright sunlight one third of the day.
Think about installing a solar panel system that is grid tied to ensure that you’re getting the best financial savings. With this system, you can sell any extra energy back to the local power company. In this way, you can offset your own start-up costs and the system will soon pay for itself.
Often, with rebates and incentives, you solar energy installation costs will be minimal. The government is trying to promote solar energy benefits and many wish to cover apart or all of the costs in return for its installation.
If you are running low on space across the roof, install new panels at ground level for even more savings. Panels in the yard are still an improvement above typical fossil fuels. The idea is to add as many panels as you can and store as much energy as possible.
Do you have some outside lights for your home? You should consider using solar panels to power them. An outside light system can easily be powered by one or two solar panel and you will see a difference on your energy bills right away. Make sure you use energy-efficient light-bulbs for your outside light and you will save even more.
How that you know how to use solar power in your own life, you need to get started. Take these tips and start putting them into action. The sooner you do, the sooner you’ll be saving money on energy bills while helping to keep the Earth a place where everyone can live.