Archives: 2009 April

Solar energy power is the “in” thing to do. As more and more of the Earth’s fossil fuels are being exhausted, people are stepping up and doing their part. Now, homeowner’s can install their own solar energy power using pre-packaged kits.

But how do you choose a solar power kit? Should you buy one or two? Will it run one appliance or your whole house?

Solar power kits come with detailed instructions for the handyman to follow. This should be the first thing you look for in the review or description of the kit, unless you are purchasing it to be installed by the pros. In that case ask them for recommendations.

A good solar power kit is expandable. Much like buying a computer, you don’t want to have to start over when you decide to upgrade or add parts. Make sure the kit you decide on is easily expandable.

How Much Power?

Solar kits are sold based on the amount of power they will produce. Therefore, you need to know how much power you want to generate. To determine that you need to know how much your house currently uses. You could go around writing down all your electric needs and then how energy they use and how often it is used. By the time you get all that information, a new power source could be out.

Or you can call your power company and ask them to tell you what your average monthly usage was for the past year. Then you can determine your daily average. Much simpler.

Electricity is something which we have only become more dependent on since it was first made available to our homes. Of course, electricity can be quite expensive, but our modern lifestyles require access to a steady supply of electrical energy, so people will make sacrifices in other areas to keep this essential utility on.

If yours is a larger household, then you already know how the electric bill can eat into the rest of your budget. We all want to keep these costs down and some go so far as to put off purchases of appliances since they are concerned with the amount of electrical power these items will use.

There is also the issue that the electrical energy available to most of us comes from non-renewable sources such as fossil fuels; and given the rapidly growing pace of energy consumption, these fuels may be depleted in our own lifetimes. The best way to preserve these dwindling natural resources is not to try to conserve the electricity which comes from these non-renewable fuels, but to use alternative sources of energy.

You can use renewable, non polluting energy sources to reduce your household’s carbon footprint and save money on your bills at the same time. Solar and wind power plants are already up and running in some places and other alternative energy sources are in the works. At the moment, solar and wind present the most useful forms of alternative energy for the home user.

When you start using these types of energy to supply your home with electricity, you’ll be using less fossil fuel and paying less to your utility company. In some cases, you can become completely energy independent or even sell back energy to your utility company!

Sometimes, conserving electricity can be quite difficult especially if you really need to use the various devices in your home. But the only downside of ignoring the problem is the increased electricity bills that can further affect your budgeting of other needs.

If you can’t do much to reduce your home’s overall power usage, then you can take a different approach: using alternative sources of energy rather than paying for electrical power drawn from a utility company. Solar energy is good, but it is expensive to purchase the necessary supplies. However, you can set up and start using wind power for a much lower cost – you can even build your own wind turbine.

Building a DIY wind turbine isn’t terribly difficult and can be done very quickly once you have all of the needed supplies. Especially if you live in a suburban or rural setting, you can save quite a bit on energy; if you have the room, you can build multiple turbines. Of course, even if you live in a large city, wind power can still be an option as long as you have the space to build one.

A wind turbine has three parts. There are rotors, a tower or other support to hold the rotors and of course a battery or batteries to store the electrical energy generated by your turbine. Depending on your particular setup, you may also need a transformer – if you plan to feed the energy your turbine generates directly into your home, this is an important piece of equipment.