Solar Power Alternatives for the Home

It is hoped that in the next quarter to half century the use of natural gas like propane and gasoline will become obsolete. People now understand that fossil fuels are a limited resource that may have been plentiful but which will one day dry up. Soon we will be forced to find an alternative source of energy for cars, furnaces and to run the electrical appliances in our homes and offices.

One option that has been successfully used in homes is solar power. At the moment the world is only harnessing approximately 1-3 % of the available energy. If every home were to convert some of their energy usage to solar power emissions of gasses and other pollutants would be greatly reduced. With the concern about global warming and dependence on foreign oil solar energy alternatives are becoming more and more desirable.

Solar power has been harnessed by some commercial buildings to power heating and water heating. This saves money and energy for companies. This solar power is easily harnessed and converted into other sources of energy in the home like hot water, heat and electricity.

Even in the middle of the winter, the sun puts out an incredible amount of energy, enough to heat your entire home. With the rising cost of heating oil, gas and electricity solar panels and solar heating will usually rapidly pay for itself. These panels can be made in most sizes and used to heat swimming pools, lighting systems, homes and water heaters. Today, the use of solar power is more attractive than ever. Even though the cost of producing solar power is high it has dropped by 90% since it was first introduced 20 years ago.

The cost of installing a system in a home can run between $10,000 and $40,000 or more. However, with the proper design of the home and using passive solar power methods it may be possible to reduce dependence on commercially generated power to zero. This will bring the cost of energy down to maintenance of the solar power system.

Another plus to using solar power panels is that most of the electric companies today is willing to buy back the excess power that a home produces. So, during the day when power is generated but not being used the amount can be fed back through the grid and adjusted against what is consumed.

There are also a host of incentives through tax rebates, sales tax and property rebates for those who install these systems in their homes. Using these incentives you can potentially reduce the cost by up to 50%. And the cost comes down even further if you are able to build and install panels yourself using a kit. Most kits come with complete step-by-step instructions with easy to understand illustrations.

Cheap solar panels are available for purchase that can be used to start building a homemade solar panel and harness the power from the sun. Most of the free online plans don’t provide as much detail and simplicity as the professional plans. Commercially prepared solar power panels are also available that can be linked to the current forced air heating system or integrated with a baseboard heater or radiant floor system.

There are several options open to home owners to help decrease their energy bills and their impact on the environment. Through a thorough investigation of the options most individuals are able to find an option that works well with their home, finances and personal preferences.