Solar Power : Save Money On Electricity Every Month

Home Improvement - Nov 07,2016 - No Comment

Do you want to invest in solar power in your home? Do you want to know the basics, before you invest? In this short article, you will discover the information you need, to be able to get started right with solar power in your home.

A solar electricity generation system is the solution, in order to cut those bills and use renewable power that’s all around you just merely waiting to be tapped anytime. Home solar power systems provide the best way to get the most complete financial freedom on household energy.

With just a small amount of sunlight, you are able to get far more electric power. With only a few solar electric panels, it is possible to produce the needed electrical energy for your home. Even should you live in a small house, it is possible to install a solar panel.

State and federal government also provides incentives for homeowners who choose to implement home solar power systems. It is possible to avail of loans or grants so that you can set up the solar electrical power system soon. Take advantage of these special programs so that you can begin benefiting from an effective and clean electrical technique.

It is predicted that the technological know-how development will take down the price significantly in the near future as well as make the solar electric panels smaller and more powerful. This can enable consumers to make use of these panels not just for their residential solar electrical systems but also for their cars, boats, gardens and so on.

Solar power is not a mystery; it is in fact a very straight forward function. The sunlight provides energy which is then converted into electricity. This electricity can be used to power our lights and appliances in our homes. Solar power is used in one appliance most of us use every day; our calculators.

The utility companies presently use solar power too. If you covert you home electricity to solar power you will receive free power directly from the sun. Imagine a freebie from Mother Nature.

Also, the more people who invest into solar energy, the more the prices for solar panels and solar cells will come down.

Already we have seen a steep decline in the prices for solar panels, and you can get solar energy in your home for cheap if you install it yourself – about $200. If you would like a professional to install the panels it will cost you a lot more. In fact it can cost you $20,000 dollars or more.

Once you have the estimates you can ask your contractor what he would charge to install the unit if you purchased all the equipment and furnished the materials. Keep in mind in most cases your contractor should receive some sort of discount for either buying in bulk or simply just for being licensed.

Get 3 or more bids from different contractors. Then decide on the best bid based on your requirements. Also, get an estimate from contractors for the materials and equipment. If they are able to get it at a lower price then you may want to give the whole contract to them.

With Solar energy system installed and working in your home you can get free energy to run your home and all the appliances in it for free for the rest of your life. You don’t have to pay another electricity bill in your life.

How Solar Shingles Can Shrink Your Electricity Bill?

Roof Shingles - Oct 24,2012 - No Comment

Solar shingles are back in fashion – and with a bang! Here’s why solar shingles have caught the fancy of home owners all over again. Federal and State Governments offer attractive subsidies for home owners who harness clean, green energy sources into their buildings. Cutting down on energy costs in an economy of rising fuel and power costs appeals to the inherent frugality of many consumers. And some of us are genuinely motivated by the idea of keeping the environment clean, healthy and safe for future generations.

While all these factors have powered the comback of solar shingles, there is one engineering feat that has sustained the revolution. Where older solar panels and solar shingles were the size of billiard tables and were placed on cumbersome racks atop your building, modern solar shingles are an aesthetic delight and technical marvel. Incorporating complex circuitry right within the material that makes up the shingle – asphalt, slate, asbestos or other – the shingles match the design and color of the building while being energy efficient at the same time.

Installing Solar Shingles

Solar shingles are installed in the same way as traditional roofing shingles. The building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) technology allows sunlight striking the roof to directly generate solar power which is harnessed and used right away, stored in capacitors for later, or even sold back to the power company in the form of credits against a household’s energy bills. Once the solar shingles are laid, an electrician must hook up the wires together and plug them into the existing electrical system in the building.

So how much energy can be generated by solar shingles? While the power generated by single solar roof tiles may not be enough to power more than a 100 watt lightbulb for an hour or run a window fan for a few more, the collective effect of many solar shingles can easily power an entire household’s needs for a day. This does not mean that a solar shingle powered building will not need regular electrical energy. Typically, solar shingles will be supplemented by conventional power grid driven energy which kicks in towards the evenings as solar generated power drops, or during cloudy weather or cold seasons.

Cost of Solar Shingles Generated Power

How expensive is it to install a solar shingles powered roof and what do solar shingles cost? A 2 kilo-watt BIPV system that’s installed on your roof can cost around $15,000. But that’s not your actual expense. Federal tax rebates will slash nearly $2,000 of this cost, and the savings on your electrical bills will further decrease your effective financial outlay. Most solar shingle roofs will easily pay for themselves in a very short time span.

Is solar shingle derived power really cheap? Not at the moment. The cost of the power generated by solar shingles will depend upon the intensity and duration of sunlight your building receives. This means the same system in a home that’s located in a sunny area like New Mexico will throw off more power than one in the northern United States. However, since a large part of your cost savings come from cutting down on your energy and utilities bills, you may find that you actually save more from the lesser power generated in a city like Boston simply because the rates charged by your electricity company are much higher.

Solar shingles technology is going mainstream. Cost may not be a major limiting factor for much longer. The cost of power generated from solar shingles has gone down by almost 70% since the 1970s and is steadily decreasing. Research into how to make solar panels that are more effective and systems that laminate solar shingles to embed photovoltaic (PV) cells within semi-transparent glass panels sounds promising, and may soon lead to solar powered super-skylights!

Solar Roof Shingles – The Many Positive Factors To Installing Solar Shingles

Roof Shingles - Oct 15,2012 - No Comment

Solar roof shingles are no longer like those clunky solar panels of old. Today’s panels are sleek and very attractively designed to look like architectural roof shingles. They can be simply integrated with present roofing. The wiring runs underneath the shingles and are out of sight. They generate free electricity for the home and this lowers electricity bills making your home a green home. As the electricity generated is by converting solar energy there is no by-products or emissions making it completely pollution free.

An investment in solar roof shingles will crank up your home value. More and more individuals are seeing the value in getting free power from solar panels and installing them over their roofs. A home that already boasts of solar power generating shingles is so much more valuable to home buyer. The warranty covers the shingles for any faults or defects. So, in case of any problems you can get it replaced free of cost. The solar shingles are your contribution to society’s efforts to protect the environment. As these shingles are backed by years of research and advanced technology the panels are long-lasting. They are investment for your life-time and beyond.

Many states and the federal government are encouraging the use of solar roof shingles in order to reduce the citizens dependance on conventional fuels. They are offering extensive tax rebates and incentives to help offset the higher cost of shingles. As fossil fuels are getting more expensive there is a relentess effort to find cheaper alternative sources and solar energy has emerged as a front runner along with wind power.

These shingles have been found to be very pleasing to look at and are fully integrated with any type of roofing. The shingles are laid to follow the natural lines of the home and offer freedom to design and lay them any way you want. The enhance the look of the home as they are very pleasing aesthetically and structurally. You don’t have to worry about water seepage or the solar roof shingles being blown away due to high speed winds. These solar shingles are designed to withstand strong winds and are water proof. As they are perfectly designed to match other roofing materials, there is no chance of water seepage.

Solar Panel Roof Shingles Advantages

Roof Shingles - Nov 04,2010 - No Comment

In last decade or so solar panel roof shingles have become hottest development in the roofing industry. Their easy to install and convenient to generate electricity for home use. The previous generation of solar panels were large, unwieldy and clunky. They made installation on roof tops difficult and damage to roofing shingles could mean the warranties on them would be voided. Piercing of the roof top to bolt the panels firmly to the roof tops could cause leaks and cracks to the expensive roofing material. To avoid all these hassles the homeowners resisted any pressure to adopt solar technology despite big incentives from state and federal governments.

The rapid progress in solar panel roofing shingles has made them truly state of art. They can be installed on existing panels or replace the asphalt panels. These are also known as photovoltaic shingles and have been designed to look like commonly used asphalt roofing shingles. The interlocking shingles helps them to be integrate with any roofing system with shingles.

In the market today you will find a variety of solar panel roof shingles. There are solid panels which are shingle sized and can be installed directly on the roof or strips of shingles which can be fit on top of convention shingles. Latest technologies use thin film solar cells which look like regular shingles in terms of flexibility and size. Leading manufacturers of solar shingles include big power companies like Atlantic Energy, General Electric, Power Light and Sharp. All these giants have jumped into the building integrated photovoltaics sector big time. Other non-energy players like Dow Chemicals have also entered the solar shingles market to take advantage of high growth rates in the industry.

The cost of installation of these latest shingles has been reduced drastically. The latest installation techniques are so easy to use that fixing the panels is easy and fast. The number of hours of solar panel roof shingles is now around 10 hours whereas a few years back it used to take around 30 hours. This is a major reduction which also saves on installation costs. As the initial cost is reduced there is more incentive to adopt green technologies like solar panel roofing shingles. Aesthetically also, these solar panels look very pleasing to the eye with their dark purplish-blue hue. It blends in with most roofs and homeowners are no longer reluctant to use them for their roofs.

All aspects of design have undergone a great shift with the wiring for the solar panel roofing shingles running underneath the shingles and are completely concealed by them. The wiring can be connected to the inverters by a trained electrician and the roofer. No ugly looking wiring jutting out from the roof tops. You can decide to either distribute the shingles throughout the roofing or keep it located to one side. The best location is south-facing where it can catch the maximum light to convert to energy. Putting all the shingle in one place also makes the wiring easier. Make sure no trees or building cast shadows on solar shingles for maximum efficiency.

Read more on solar panel roof shingles here…

Tag Archives: solar power

Solar Power : Save Money On Electricity Every Month

Related Posts:

How Solar Shingles Can Shrink Your Electricity Bill?

Solar Roof Shingles – The Many Positive Factors To Installing Solar Shingles

Solar Panel Roof Shingles Advantages