Solar panels are available to aid with your home
electricity needs, or to heat your swimming pool, or for a myriad of other
purposes. Solar roof panels can supply a lot of electricity to help you
save on utility bills.
Homeowners reap multiple benefits by using solar energy. Financial
dividends, environmental protection, societal benefits, and quality of
life. Harnessing free and renewable energy from the sun is a solid
investment.
Renewable energy sources like photovoltaic shingles and solar
heating panels add value to your home. In decades past "green" homes
were a niche market. No longer. Green homes that use home solar power
are now a market force.
Solar hot water heating is recognized as the cheapest entry point
and fastest return in home solar power. Rooftop installation of solar
heating panels usually maximizes efficiency on a given site.
Here's a helpful solar home video from Google Tech Talks.
In it, some staff members show and explain how they installed solar panels on their houses to replace those expensive kilowatt hours with cheap solar energy.
They address the issues of how to size a solar roof panel system, where to place the solar panels on the roof, and how to plan and figure out how
much electricity your solar panels will generate and, thus, how much
money you can expect to save on utility bills:
Solar electric panels can be installed on rooftops to minimize
footprint. Photovoltaic shingles, appearing as ordinary asphalt
shingles, are often used when aesthetics are an issue. Photovoltiac
solar panel arrays may be installed on supports closer to the ground to
reduce heat and increase efficiency.
Tying a home solar power source to the utility grid with or
without battery back up is the most popular option. off the grid
systems need battery back up and/or generators.
Federal, State, and local rebates on the initial cost of
residential solar panels must be considered. Increased market of the
home value is another factor.
The immediate energy savings are straightforward. The kilowatt per hour
output of your panels using average sunlight in your location measured
against utility rates gives a snapshot of immediate saving. Increasing
rates mean increasing returns for homeowners installing solar panels.
Farther reaching implications can be more subjective.
Decentralized power production with many sources tied into the grid is
harder to disrupt than a single source. Cleaner power leaves a better
environment for future generations. Demand reduction for fossil fuels
makes energy more plentiful contributing to a thriving economy.
Residential solar power returns dividends immediately in market value
and lower utility bills. The longer term benefits are as hard to
measure in dollars as they are to discount. Solar power for the home
makes good sense, now more than ever.
Install solar panels now, and you will start to reap the benefits of solar home energy right away. Boston's Fenway Park has had enough solar panels installed to supply 37 percent of the ball park's hot water needs. The Boston Globe reported on May 19
that the solar panels are part of an effort called Solar Boston. Other municipal buildings such as schools will be getting solar panel arrays, and the program
will involve mapping Boston neighborhoods to find south-facing roofs which are suitable for solar electric panels.
Home solar panels are an investment in the future. The technology has advanced a great deal in the last decade, making photovoltaic panels a practical option for those who want to heat homes with solar power.
