New energy companies such as Smart Energy UK offer something a little different in the energy market – solar hot water systems. In the current economic climate, all of us are looking to save money in pretty much any way we can. The cost of living is on the rise – groceries, petrol, energy; all of these seem to cost more every time we pay for them and most of us are certainly feeling the pressure.

Not much can be done on your part to alter the price of milk or petrol, but when it comes to energy a small investment can really pay off in the long term, saving you money off your energy bills in the long term. A considerable percentage of your hot water bill could be slashed using solar panels. The use of solar panels to help heat water in private homes was fairly rare until recently, but this is now an option for many homeowners who want to save money on their bills.

Lots of people are very apprehensive of using these newly developed devices, and understandably so – nobody really wants to take a risk with technology they haven’t seen in action or heard much about.  Solar panels, while you have probably heard of them in a past, are a fairly recent addition to the mainstream energy market and understandably many potential customers are being considerably more careful with their money and need more solid reasons and statistics to justify such an investment; if helping the environment and the possibility of having up to 70% of the hot water requirement in the home provided by a solar water heating system isn’t enough, the saving that the right system can pass on is certainly appealing.

A system which is installed with care and precision can last well over 20 years with the right care and maintenance, moving house generally isn’t a problem and the system can move addresses along with you, making it a solid investment for the future and a way to provide much of your own hot water while making a difference environmentally. If you do decide that one of these systems may be right for you, it is strongly recommended that you research and weigh the advantages of different companies yourself: see what others have said about various providers, compare prices and soon you could be reaping the many benefits of having a solar water heating system installed in your home.

debbie222
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/why-consider-solar-panels-at-home-706140.html

It’s important to understand the role that technological change plays in the pricing of your home solar panels and home wind turbines. This is the third most important ingredient in budgeting for your homemade electricity solutio. Understanding your homemade electricity needs and how efficent both home solar panels and home wind turbines can be in your living environment are the other two key factors.

The Technolgy Pricing Curve

The technology price curve, when shown on a chart, looks a litle like a ski slope. On this chart the vertical axis represents price, the horizontal units sold. When the technolgy is first released it ver expensive and not many buy. However overtime more buy and as they do the price plummets until you have very large numbers being sold at a low price. This is how the technolgy pricing curve generally works.

Calculating your best time to buy.

In short the best time to buy the components to make your home solar panel and home wind turbine solution is when a component has just become yesterdays news. Many people buy the latest thing they can and this is great, but not financially efficent. Buying whatever is the standard, middle of the road component can be a good idea, however the products to watch are those that used to be the standard but have just become “old” in the last few weeks. These components should see a rapid price fall that eventually stabalizes. If you buy as soon as the price stabalises you will get the best value for money in terms of technology for your home solar panel and home wind turbine solution.

Conclusion

Buying just behind the technology curve is not for everyone. Some people want to show others that they have made a serious investment in becoming energy independant and cheaper older technolgy doesn’t fulfill this goal. If on the otherhand your goal is to build from costs effective and well tested components this brief guide will ensure you dlollar goes further.

Dr Self Help
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/2-quick-buying-tips-for-cheaper-home-solar-panels-and-a-cheaper-home-wind-turbine-735689.html

Solar power is generated when energy is extracted from the suns rays through the use of photovoltaic cells (commonly referred to as solar cells). These cells convert photos (from the suns rays) into electricity, and this process is known as the “photovoltaic effect.”

Many people are beginning to invest in such technologies to avoid rising electricity prices and to help our environment. If every home could be fitted with solar panels, then the strain on power stations would decrease dramatically, which means we wouldn’t be left as dependable on fossil fuels as we currently are.

There are many alternatives to solar power, so why should we invest our money into solar technologies, rather than lets say, home wind turbines, or a geothermal energy system? To answer this, we shall look at the advantages and disadvantages of the technologies above.

Solar Panels:

Advantages - widely available, relatively easy to install, very significant output, a solar panel will pay for itself in two to three years, lifetime of 20 to 30 years, modern cells can harness power on cloudy days, can bring power to remote locations.

Disadvantages - costly to begin with, older technologies won’t work too well if cloudy.

Wind Turbines:

Advantages - fairly cheap for a home turbine, can be used in harsh conditions.

Disadvantages - totally dependent on the wind, small output, larger turbines can be noisy, wind farms are seen by many as eyesores, larger (more effective) turbines can be very expensive.

Geothermal Energy:

Advantages - can aid in the heating of hot water, save money on running your boiler, can supply effective underfloor heating, heat from the ground can be relied upon.

Disadvantages - have to lay hundreds of meters of piping underground, hard to fix a leak, expensive, longer time to heat water than a boiler.

So there we have the advantages and disadvantages of each. Assuming you do not live by a rapid stream or running river (which rules out hydroelectric power), then as you can see from the above text, solar power is your best option. Solar panels offer many more friendly factors and less disadvantages than other technologies.

A proven method is to have more than one of the above technologies installed around a home (all three would be a dream, but also leave a large hole in your wallet). So if you have the spare cash, are interrested in saving money on future electricity bills, care for the environment, and would like to be less dependent on fossil fuels, why not take a deeper look into the world of renewable energy resources.

http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/solar_panels.html

James Bratley
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/solar-panels-power-your-home-for-free-106007.html

Solar energy is a great renewable resource that is growing in popularity with the average consumer. As energy prices skyrocket and the average income stagnating, if not falling, consumers are looking for a way to reduce their costs of living in any area possible. The rise of renewable energy, and the desire to wean our society off of fossil fuels, makes using solar panels for the home a great alternative for power.

Solar power kits save energy for the homeowner because they allow the homeowner to generate their own electricity to power their home. In some cases, the homeowner can go completely off-grid and even sell additional electricity back to the power company. What a powerful concept to be able to take an expense and turn it into an asset.

What are solar panels?

A solar panel is a packaged interconnected assembly of solar cells that are cased in a housing unit to protect the cells from the weather and from physical damage. These panels generate electricity, which is then used to directly power devices in the home, or charge battery cells to store the power for nighttime use. A solar power kit typically includes solar panels, an inverter and interconnection wiring to connect the panel to the electrical system in the home. For those that want to live off the grid, batteries are included for continuous power during the day and night. The use of infrared solar cells also allows the homeowner to generate electricity at night, thus increasing the efficiency of these cells.

The technology of solar cells continues to advance with time. Currently, the efficiency rate of solar cells range from 5% to 19% depending upon the technology. The reason is that the solar cells (or photo-voltaic cells) only convert a limited range of sunlight frequencies into electricity. The renewable energy industry is experimenting with advanced technologies that will raise the efficiency of these solar cells by a whopping 50%.

A new technology for solar cells, also called thin film or third generation solar cells, is being researched. The plus side of this new generation technology is that it produces solar cells that can operate with a higher efficiency and less cost. These brands are both rigid and flexible thin film modules. The differences between the rigid thin film module and the flexible thin film module are due to differences in the materials that are used to make the modules and differences in the production of the modules.

Solar modules can last anywhere from 10 to 25 years while still operating at 80% of their original capacity. Every year the number of panels sold to consumers continues to grow. In 2007 over 4 million solar units were sold. There are a number of manufacturers that produce solar panels for consumer use, however the average consumer can create their own solar panels using materials from their local hardware store.

Solar panels for the home can provide renewable energy for the consumer. The initial costs can range greatly if the consumer chooses to build their own solar energy kit or have another company install a solar power kit. As the technology improves, the homeowner will have more options available to them to completely power their home with renewable solar power energy.

B Hopkins
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/what-are-solar-panels-for-the-home-710880.html

With the state of the current economy, countless people are looking for ways to cut costs and to become more efficient. There are countless articles in print and online that detail various ways to shop for food cheaper, to find low cost methods of entertainment, to save money by downsizing vehicles and even houses. While these are just a few of the predictable and traditional money saving tactics in a bad economy, there are a few new ways to save money on utility bills and to do the environment a favor at the same time.

Home solar panels are about to become a part of the average mainstream residential home in this country. Historically, home solar panels were limited to the affluent due to the high cost of the components of the system. In addition, solar panels of the past have not been very energy efficient and have not produced a large savings relative to the up-front costs. Now, with advances in solar panel technology, home solar panels have become dramatically more efficient and affordable. Now, the cost of a complete home solar panel system can be recouped in less than a year in the savings that it generates.

The home solar panel system is fairly uncomplicated. A number of solar panels, the more the better, are installed on the roof of the house or the garage and are securely bolted or nailed down. The panels are connected to each other and to the house’s electrical system. While the actual wiring of the system should be completed by a licensed electrician, the task is a quick one, and the rest of the installation can be accomplished by anyone who is reasonably familiar with tools.

Once the system is installed, many are sunrise by how much power it can generate even on fairly cloudy days. Some people are even able to go off the grid, or disconnect from the electric company entirely, with solar power. However, it is probably more prudent to remain connected to the electric grid and to let the solar panels simply reduce or cancel out the monthly electric bill. This alone can be a savings of thousands of dollars per year. The electric companies will simply track the amount of power the home solar panel system is putting back into the grid and credit that account accordingly. It is not uncommon for efficient systems to be able to more than pay for all the power used in an average household.

Installing a home solar panel system is a good thing to do on a number of levels. It supports vital green industries that are vital to reducing pollution from fossil fuels, it allows people to save significant amounts of money in utility bills and raises the collective environmental consciousness. With the new increased efficiency and afford ability of home solar panel systems there is no reason why almost every household shouldn’t have one, especially considering the fact that almost any system pays for itself in the first year.

David J Hughes
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/renewable-energy-lesson-6-home-solar-panels-754995.html

http://www.55energy.com
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There are many solutions to produce renewable energy.

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Luckily this is where we come in. HomeMadeEnergy.org will teach you everything you need to have your own solar or wind power system for $200 or even less.

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Build solar panel

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http://www.EnergyBrainiac.com
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http://buildsolar.net/ There has been much made of renewable fuels versus non-renewable fuels in recent years because it has been documented time and time again that we are running out of certain fuels. Coal and gas resources are being depleted and can no longer be used to indefinitely produce the electricity that our homes are using on a daily basis.

As such, we need to look to alternative sources and the use of solar energy in the home is one of the best options we have.

Solar energy is of course sustainable because it uses the energy of the sun to create enough electricity to power our homes but in order to create it yourself you have to have a solar panel installed in your home.

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http://www.solardave.com/index.php/cost-of-a-partital-diy-solar-panel-system-video/
SolarDave: Please tell me about your solar panel system and how you saved some money?

Adam Stevenson: The total of the system and materials was $22K. I ended up spending about another $1,800 in permit fees and a structural engineer and $400 for an electrician, several hundred dollars for a guy to come help me out for the two afternoons he spent with me.

Xcel (Energy) gave me $16,538 rebate. Fix cost based on the number of kilowatts you are installing and has nothing to do with how much you pay the permit office or the electrician.

My final cost after rebate was $7,237. (SolarDave note: that is cheap!)

I started my research in solar probably about a year before I actually installed it went and got a couple of bids from some of the local solar people both from contractors that my friends have used as well as just searching the internet and while talking to one of the guys I find of developed a good feeling from him, and I asked the question “Would it be possible to do some of the work myself” and kind of learn along the way he said “Sure I absolutely support the do-it-yourself-er (DIY) so I said why don’t you throw me bids, what it would cost just come home and have solar one day and what it would cost to have it done where I do some or all the work myself. And throw them both to me and I said let’s try the second one.

The guys name is Steve Cross from Sun Spot Solar.

I gave him my electric bills and said this is how much I think I need to generate and he said I agree and lets do these types of panels 180 watts each, you will need some where around 19 to 22 we figured out 21 fit pretty well.

So I went and got all the permit information from Golden (Colorado), filled it out. He came by 1/2 hour one day he type all the Xcel application on the internet and I kind of ran the process and when I had a question I would just send him an email and he helped me out.

I think in parallel we order the equipment - he dropped off in my driveway. Then one of his installers came out and helped me for two afternoons and I pretty much myself put in the whole rack system on the roof and the installer came out and helped me kind of a two man job carrying the panels up, putting the panels down and bracketing them down.

I think we sketch out on the side of one of the solar panel boxes how they are all going to wire together so that we get three rows of series - 7 series strings so the amperage works out.

I let his installer run the conduit because that is pretty much a one person job and then I paid an electrician to plug it all in for me.

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http://EnergyForEarth.net -
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