Use of Solar Systems For Home Purposes

Solar systems have become a good and an increasingly attractive renewable source of energy for the home. This is due to three basic reasons; specifically, the ever growing costs of energy from conventional sources, the falling costs of improved solar panels for homes and incentives offered by governments that make green energy an attractive choice.

In the U.S., more than 10 thousand homes and businesses are powered solely by solar panels. In addition to that, 200,000 homes and businesses use solar systems to satisfy their energy requirements. That results in substantial savings on energy bills. Subsequently, the use of non-renewable resources like fossil fuels is decreased, which results in less environmental pollution.

The installation costs for a home of a typical family can run $18,000-20,000 if carried out by a professional installation company. This high cost prevents families from using solar systems. But anybody can save money on installation costs by applying for tax credits and state rebates. Besides,you can do it yourself, and then the cost would only be about one-third before tax credits and rebates.

You do have 2 choices: a stand-alone unit which needs a battery to operate properly or a grid-intertied unit.

A worthwhile improvement to your house is to convert to grid-intertied solar system. As always, planning is the key to successful conversion.

First, estimate the energy you need based on historical consumption data. You should choose the right size of your solar system. An oversized energy unit will generate more power which you could sell to the grid, but you can only receive credit for it and not cash.

Next, determine whether your house is suitable for a solar energy unit. These factors are to be considered:accounted for: available space on the roof, house location and climate. A rule of thumb for estimating required roof space is 80 to 100 sq. ft. per kW. A house should face south for the system to be efficient, and there should be no objects that may get in the way of sunlight.

Although you can mount the solar units on poles, panels are as a rule mounted on roofs. With the help of steel bolts, the mounts are attached to roof rafters. The panels are then installed on the supports.

Solar panel kits are available on the market. There are suppliers that sell their solar panels on the Internet, but I would not recommend that you buy from them unless you have previous experience with installing them.

Standard set of hardware you need for a batteryless grid-intertied system consists of: solar panel units, utility-interactive inverter, power meter, supports to be installed on the roof, a couple of heavy duty safety switches, wirings and conduits. A DIY kit for a 1-kW system would cost you a little over $3,000.

If you are not experienced in this area, you are to select a respectable supplier who is known for high quality service. It is prudent to consider DIY kits with an installation manual with at least enough illustrations. The supplier should preferably have telephone contact, and better yet, could send a representative in case you run into a problem with installation. Alternatively if you are lucky enough to have a friend or acquaintance who is experienced in installing home solar systems, then ask him to lend a hand in the purchase of the hardware and in the installation.

Many individuals have shown that solar energy can save one money and the Mother Earth. With the variety of improved, affordable solar panels for homes and businesses, solar energy is the best option for the majority of people, so start that home improvement project: install a solar panel system for your home.