As a rough guide to installing solar power for homes, the other day we discussed how to quantify the total amount of electric power your home runs on over the course of a year. Today we are going to take the next step in installing solar power for homes. We are going to choose the solar panels for homes you are going to use.
So, once you have established your home’s total energy usage, you want to add on an additional 30% to that total in terms of the real amount of power that you will really need for you to have complete peace of mind.
Now, before you get cold feet thinking that this is a tall order from your solar power for homes system, please remember that you don’t have to go the whole way and take your home completely off the grid. Most people have a solar power for homes system that runs with both home made solar power for homes and some electric power from your local energy company. You could even set it up like that for now and then slowly take yourself off the grid little by little.
Using a combination of solar power for homes and traditional electric power works for many people because they are covered in the case of all kinds of emergencies. If there were a power cut, then the solar power for homes system kicks in. If something should happen to the solar power for homes system, then you still have the safety of the traditional power company supplying their energy to your house, expensive and dirty though it may be!
The next thing you need to do is to go shopping for some solar panels. As was mentioned earlier, there are two main types of solar panels. There’s ‘solar thermal collector’ solar panels which tend to be used for heating peoples’ water supplies. This type of solar panels for homes is rarely used for all the energy needs throughout the home.
Then there are photovoltaic solar panels for homes, which are the more popular type of solar panels for homes. Rather than heating just water, photovoltaic solar panels for homes work by converting the sun’s energy directly into electricity. The electrical energy created is either used at that time or can be stored in a battery or system of batteries to be used later.
As has been discussed, some people feed the overflow of their solar power for homes back to the electric company. The utility company then pays you for the energy, though rarely will you find a deal where they actually give you cash back. Most often they take the energy as part payment of your bill with them. Although often you will be reimbursed on a 1 to 1 ratio, you tend to be asked to sign an agreement whereby they won’t pay you for any extra energy you supply them over and above the amount you have taken from them. That my friend is just how it is I’m afraid, but don’t hold back in asking for a better deal!
OK, I digress! Back to solar panels for homes. As I said, it is most likely you will want to use photovoltaic solar panels for your solar power for homes system. My advice is to buy nothing less than 250 watt solar panels for homes. Anything less will simply not be sufficient for this type of an installation.
If we are talking about an average household, then I would suggest that you buy at least 20 of these 250 watt solar panels for homes. This will deliver you 5000 watts of power to your house, which could be just about enough to run your home’s lighting, heating, water, water pumps, refrigerator and other electrical appliances. This size of a solar power for homes system is minimal. Ideally, once the initial solar power for homes installation has taken place, you would want to get more panels over time.
Nowadays, you will find that photovoltaic solar panels for homes have come a long way. Their productivity is excellent. The relative size is a great deal smaller than it once was, so they take up less visual space on or around your home.
They can come in all different kinds too. Aside from the traditional clean looking solar panels for homes, you could also choose solar shingles or the very latest solar roll out sheets, some of which can be as thin as a credit card. With their sticky backing you simply lay them down, connect them up, and off you go!
However, most people continue to opt for the traditional photovoltaic solar panels for homes because they are still the cheapest and most efficient to choose from.
From their earliest days, solar panels for homes have always been extremely durable. It is quite possible that you will come across solar panels for homes that are 20 and maybe even 30 years old. Certainly these days you can expect a good 30 years lifespan out of them. Indeed, if I were buying good quality solar panels for homes, I would want and indeed I would expect at least 30 years endurance from my solar panels for homes.
Solar panels for homes tend to come with a 20 year guarantee and it is said that they lose roughly one half of a percent from their optimal efficiency levels per year. Their upkeep is minimal. All you need to do is to squish them clean with your hosepipe once in a while to get rid of any grime and dust.
Now that you have made your choice and gone out and bought the solar panels for homes, your solar power for homes system is beginning to take shape!
From Sam Deane,
your solar power for homes guide,
at www dot go solar power for homes dot com.
-
Info via: ehow.com Pic: iStockPhotos
The Trackback, http://www.gosolarpowerforhomes.com/solar-power-for-homes/how-to-install-solar-power-
for-homes-2 by Sam Deane, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Click Here To Visit Our All-New
Homes & Gardens Solar Store!
Popularity: 8% [?]
by Total Solar Energy, on November 20 2008 @ 9:51 am
you can buy cheap pv panels from ebay and make your own.
by Eric Witter, on November 10 2009 @ 3:33 pm
What about thinking small? I just read about a family who used 100 watts of panels for a few years untill they could add more. They were off the grid. Also there are many ways to reduce electrical needs rather than planning for enough panels to maintain a person’s electrical consumption.